The 10 Best Fall Activities

Hello everyone! How have the first few weeks of fall been for you? Since it’s apparently October (the time is going so fast!), I figured it was time to get into some fall content! Fall is definitely my favorite season. The trees are turning colors, it’s starting to cool off, and life feels busy but also kind of slow. Fall (or autumn, if you prefer) has by far the best activities in my opinion. So, today, I am going to be sharing the 10 best fall activities!

Some of these activities are going to be more specific to Minnesota and the Twin Cities, since that’s where I live, but a lot of them are pretty universal. I definitely recommend doing at least a few fall activities this year. We’ve actually had a beautiful fall this year, which is pretty out of the ordinary for Minnesota. We’re notorious for basically skipping fall entirely. As a result, I’ve been taking advantage of the beautiful weather to do as many fall activities as I can. Let’s fall into the activities, shall we?

The 10 Best Fall Activities

Going to a Farmer’s Market

Some of you may think that a farmer’s market is more of a summer activity, but I love going to a farmer’s market in the early fall! There’s usually a ton of produce, flowers, and other goods being sold in the fall, and the bright colors make everything more lively and interesting. Plus, the cooler weather is always a nice bonus. At the end of September, a couple of friends and I made a trip over to the Minneapolis Farmer’s Market and had a great time. Minneapolis’s farmer’s market is pretty big, and there’s so much to look at and do. Highlights included eating French toast and watching live music and buying tiny pumpkins for some fall dorm decor!

Going for a Walk

Before anyone calls me out on being too basic, fall walks are the best. I absolutely love walking in a park or neighborhood with all the changing leaves (if you haven’t picked up on it yet, I love the fall colors :)). Now that I’m in the Twin Cities, I especially love walking on Summit Avenue, which has some of the prettiest old houses and trees. Fall is the perfect time for long walks, because it’s not too hot, but you’re also (usually) not freezing your butt off.

Jumping into Leaf Piles

Ah, leaf piles, the quintessential fall activity. The neighborhood I lived in growing up had a ton of trees, so we’d always have to rake multiple times throughout the fall. One perk of this was that we always had leaf piles to jump in. I’m sure that as you’re reading this, the kids in my neighborhood are probably raking up our leaves and jumping into them. I haven’t had an opportunity to find a leaf pile at college yet, but I’m sure I will.

Going to a Pumpkin Patch

I. Love. Pumpkin. Patches. Some of my favorite memories growing up was going to the orchard/pumpkin patch near my hometown. My favorite part was probably the boat full of corn. Hopefully other people can relate lol. I haven’t found a pumpkin patch near my college yet, but I definitely want to before winter comes.

Drinking Hot Apple Cider or Hot Chocolate

This one is pretty self-explanatory, but a must-do fall activity. I love when it gets cold enough to start drinking hot chocolate. While hot apple cider isn’t my favorite, and I’m not a fan of coffee (so no PSLs for me), I do love hot chocolate. So when it gets cold enough, I immediately start drinking some hot chocolate. Whether with friends or curled up in a quiet place reading a book, drinking some hot apple cider or hot chocolate is one of the best fall activities.

Carving Pumpkins

Another quintessential fall activity: carving pumpkins. I actually haven’t carved pumpkins for a couple of years now, but growing up it was essential to carve pumpkins to put outside our house. They didn’t last very long, as the neighborhood squirrels would have them completely eaten within a couple weeks, but it was still fun nonetheless.

Watching a Scary (or Fun!) Movie

A more Halloween-centered fall activity is watching your favorite scary movie! Personally, I’m not a big fan of scary movies, but I do love most other genres. One of my favorite fall activities is to watch a movie on a projector outside. As long as it’s not too cold, it’s so fun to wrap yourself in some blankets and sit outside to watch a fun movie with your friends or family.

Going to a Football or Soccer Game

I feel like this activity is a little more of a small-town thing, but I can’t imagine a fall without going to at least a few football or soccer games. In high school, I was at a football game almost every weekend since I was in marching band. While sports aren’t really a big thing at my school now, I’ve still gone to a couple games and had a lot of fun. I’ve also gotten into watching NFL football, which I never really did before college. My team of choice is the Packers, so I’ve been able to catch a couple of their games on Sunday afternoons while I clean or catch up on homework.

Baking

Maybe this is just me, but I feel like fall is one of the best times to bake (rivaled only by Christmastime). When I think of fall, one of the first things that comes to mind is pumpkin pie. It’s a Thanksgiving staple in my family, and even though they’re notoriously hard to bake, they do taste amazing. Even if pumpkin pie isn’t your thing, baking cookies, brownies, or any other sweet treat is an amazing way to spend a fall afternoon.

Going to a Haunted House

And we’re finishing off with another Halloween activity: haunted houses! I went to my first haunted house a couple of years ago and had a ton of fun. There are a couple of good ones around the Twin Cities, so I am excited to hopefully go to one this Halloween season. If you can get a group of friends together, this is a great weekend activity!

So, what do you think? Did I hit all the fall essentials? Let me know in the comments if I missed any, or tell me what activity you’re most excited for this fall! Make sure to check out all the Diary of a Small-Town Girl posts, and make sure to like and share this post and to check out Diary of a Small-Town Girl on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. See you next week!