A Fall To-Do List: Everything Worth Trying While the Leaves Change

While it’s still too early, in this part of the country, for the leaves to change and the winds to carry that perfect autumn chill; it is nearly fall, and certainly time to start allowing ourselves to indulge in the most mystical time of year.

Up north, we hold on to the last bits of summer for as long as we can: once we’re calf-deep in fluffy snow with icicles on our lashes these last days of warmth will feel like fleeting memories.

Even so, we are ending our nights wrapped in blankets around bonfires and starting our days with pumpkin flavored drinks and pastries.

It’s that perfect in-between. The entire world seems like a liminal space between heat waves and sunsets that creep earlier and earlier in the evening.

As with most things, we should make the best of it. There is a place for everyone in this blur between summer and autumn. Check out these ideas on how to move gracefully into autumn, each item more Halloween-tinged than the last.

Host a BBQ-Bonfire hybrid

Take the opportunity to capture the last of our late sunsets with grilled food, ice-cold drinks, snacks, and music in the afternoon. Ask friends and family to bring their favorite summer side dish and leave burgers and hotdogs to the host. Grab snacks – fruits, chips, and charcuterie spreads fit the bill – and a mix of iced teas and cocktails to keep guests occupied. Pick the perfect pop summer playlist and hold on tight to the wet, hot heat of summer.

Then, as sunset approaches; switch over to cinnamon sugar donuts and smores around a booming bonfire. Indie pop changes to folk and jazz for the evening. The sun hangs low in the sky, and we enjoy the heat that lingers into night.

Take a Bookstore Tour

Grab a friend and a sweet treat – bonus points if it’s pumpkin or apple flavored – and venture out into town to support local booksellers. Many thrift stores have small book sections, and hole-in-the-wall used bookstores are always eager for patrons. Enjoy the smell of worn pages and stock up on used copies for the Fall Reading List: some Edgar Allen Poe, Wuthering Heights, and Stephen King may be just what’s needed to cozy up with on colder nights.

Apple Cider Picnics & Cool Hikes

Once peak season rolls around, support a local cider mill for cool, fresh apple cider (or, hot cider for a more chilly day) and take a walk to admire the changing leaves near the mill. Rustic oranges, soft yellows, and deep reds dot the trees and make everything seem a bit brighter. The cider is fresh with the taste of brewed apples, it settles just right alongside the homestyle donuts. Nature’s last stand before it’s blanketed in snow. Venturing out onto the trails and witnessing the dynamic change of the season is refreshing for the soul.

Stuck in the city? Grab some cider from the local grocery store and visit a park or set up on a balcony/windowsill for a cider-fueled ‘picnic’.

Hayrides & Hauntings

Take in the creaking wood of an old wagon, a cocoa in hand under a dark, black night and twinkling stars. In the trees, there’s dreary cabins and abandoned piles of half-chopped firewood. The axe is missing. And in the distance, it seems like someone is watching.

A hayride on a cold autumn night is a LBD favorite this time of year. The smell of old leaves, the taste of hot chocolate, the sounds of owls above and dirt crunching under wooden wheels; being fully immersed in the dark night of the seasons. And if jump-scares and creepy sets are too much, opt for a hayride that offers bonfires and hot drinks and keeps the horror for another day.

Carving Pumpkins into Jack-o’-Lanterns

The smell of old ink fills the room, different sized pumpkins sitting between carving kits and paints. In the background, witches laugh and horses neigh as the Halloween movie marathon carries on. An autumn classic: carving Jack-o’-Lanterns. Stop by the local grocer and grab a pumpkin or two. Either pre-made kits or typical kitchen utensils help craft a super spooky Jack-o’-Lantern to decorate the kitchen table, windowsills, or balconies and porches.

And the pumpkins get more spookier looking as they slowly decompose over weeks – perfectly fitting for the season.

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The list of ways to celebrate the fall are nearly endless:

• watch cozy movies (some LBD faves: Practical Magic, Hocus Pocus, Hallmark seasonal flicks)
• bake Halloween cookies
• have a horror marathons
• press leaves to save in scrapbooks/journals
• visit a pumpkin patch
• go to a haunted house
• visit an apple orchard

Taking advantages of seasonal activities makes us feel more in step with what’s happening in the world around us.

Got another favorite autumn event or activity? Share with us below: