It’s that time of year again when your social media feeds will be flooded with pictures of families in their matching flannel shirts, while others are taking group photos in front of a pumpkin patch. But this year will be different, especially for you and your family, because this year, you have a list of 23 Fall fun activities to do with kids.
So get your phones out and get your cameras ready because we are about to upload some cute pictures this year.
1. Sit by a fire pit
Who doesn’t love sitting by a fire at night watching the flames glow? Grab your family and invite them outside to enjoy the nighttime air. While you’re together, you can share scary stories, talk about how your day was, or reminisce about the good old days.
If you don’t have room for a firepit in your backyard, you can always order a tabletop firepit online. My family got one last summer, and trust me, it’s one of the best investments we have made in a while.
2. Go on a morning walk.
Fall is the best time to go on morning walks with your family. Pick a good day that works with everyone’s schedule and plan to take a sunrise walk. At least three times in the fall, we take the kids on a nice morning stroll to Point Pleasant boardwalk.
Believe it or not, brisk air is great for the body. During our morning walks, my family and I found this to be a great way to clear our minds and better prepare for our day.
3. Go on a family bike ride.
There are so many places around New Jersey that offer great scenic routes for bikes. Our favorite trails to explore are the Manasquan Reservoir, Hartshorne Wood Park, and the D and R trail at Washington Crossing.
Bike riding is an excellent exercise for everyone to enjoy, and the best part is that it’s free. Our family usually packs a lunch with plenty of snacks to keep us fueled while on the trails.
4. Pumpkin picking
Pumpkin picking is a family fun activity for everyone. With pumpkin-picking patches all over New Jersey, you will indeed find the best one for your family this fall.
There are some pumpkin patches with just a hayride to the pumpkin patch, while others include petting zoos. If you want to make a day of it, visit a pumpkin patch with a fall festival where you can enjoy hayrides, pig races, food, music, and more.
5. Bake cookies
Nothing says fall fun activities more than the aroma of freshly baked cookies. Whether you and your family are making cookies from scratch from a DIY cookie recipe off of the internet or if you decide to buy ready-baked cookie dough from your local grocery store. Cookies and milk are always a welcomed treat that the whole family will enjoy.
So get those cookie cutters out and get to baking.
6. Go on a Hayride
Another great fall fun activity is going on a hayride. Most hayrides in New Jersey are pulled by tractors and take you to a pumpkin patch. But if your family is looking for an adventure, try a nighttime haunted hayride at places like Night of Terror at Creamy Acres Farm, in Mullica Hill, New Jersey.
7. Go to a football game.
Grab a Jersey and head on over to a football game this fall. Whether this is your local Pop Warner/AYF or High school team, a weekend game is a great way to spend time with your family, creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Or, if your schedule allows, buy some time to go to a local college or NFL game in New Jersey.
8. Go to a drive-in Movie.
Did you know that New Jersey still has a drive-in movie theater? Yup, it’s called Delsea Drive-In. It is one of the oldest Drive-in Movie theaters in New Jersey. This theater plays all the latest and up-to-date movies, the same as you would find in your local theater.
So grab a blanket and something cozy to wear and watch your next movie in the great outdoors at Delsea Drive-in.
9. DIY Fall craft
Get creative with some fall fun activities by creating an art project for everyone to participate in. Clear off the dining room table and google ideas for DIY Fall crafts. One DIY craft my family loves making for the fall is Jack-o-lanterns from old laundry jugs.
For this project, you need only an empty laundry jug, fake candles from the dollar store, and a Sharpie. There you have it—a fun project for everyone to enjoy.
10. Carve pumpkins
After you are done with your pumpkin picking, you can make a family day to carve pumpkins. This activity can be lots of fun for you and your family. You can have a contest to see who can make the best pumpkin carving. Or, if your family is anything like mine, who can even carve the pumpkin to begin with.
Once you’ve removed all of the pumpkin’s insides, your family can enjoy a pumpkin pie or roasted pumpkin seeds.
11. Visit a corn maze
If you’re adventurous, my suggestion is to find a cool corn maze and see how long it takes your family to complete it. Most farms, like Happy Day Farm in Manalapan, NJ or Snyders Farm in Somerset, NJ , have huge corn mazes with unique cutouts and themes for you to explore.
Some corn mazes have riddles along the way, while others are like a matrix, and it seems like you have been dropped in the middle of nowhere. Either way, corn mazes are a fun way to do a team—or family-building activity. Find your local farm and take part in the challenge.
12. Roast s’mores
Are you thinking of camping this fall? Well, you can’t go camping without roasting marshmallows by the campfire. Who doesn’t enjoy making smores? They’re the perfect chocolate treat to get your tastebuds to wake up.
Even if you’re not going camping, you can always make this yummy treat in the comfort of your own home or backyard. Here are some tricks for finding places where you can make smores.
13. Go hiking
Fall is a great time of year for hiking trips throughout New Jersey. This is a season to enjoy our state’s fall foliage and take in the crisp air. So pack a lunch and make a day of one of the many hiking trails New Jersey has to offer.
14. Go apple picking
Show your kids the journey apples take before reaching the store. Visit a local farm, such as Battle Ground, located in Manalapan, NJ. Let them pretend to work on the farm and decide which apples are the best to send to the store.
Once at home, you can make delicious treats like apple cider, candied apples, and applesauce.
15. Go on a rail-bike
New Jersey finally has its own railbike experience for you and your family to explore. Revolution Rail Co. in Cape May offers a 4-mile railbike tour along the shoreline from an old railroad track.
Make sure your legs are ready to pedal. You are indeed going to get a workout, but I guarantee it will be lots of fun.
16. Go to a fall festival.
New Jerseyians know how to have a good fall festival. Throughout the state, you can find fun fall festivals in one form or another. With over 75 fall festivals to choose from, take your pick of which festival will excite your family’s season.
Take advantage of the fun! You can choose any festival, from zombie walks to color runs or just the traditional pig races and fun.
17. Do a Friendsgiving
Another fall fun activity to do with the kids and their friends is Friendsgiving. You know, as we get closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas, families are usually the busiest, but if you can set a playdate within the first two weeks of November, that will be a perfect time to get your friends together.
You can have each family bring a dish of their favorite food or a dish from their culture. Friendsgiving is a fun way to learn more about your friends and spend time together.
18. Explore New Jersey’s hidden gems.
We never knew all of the beautiful places to explore in New Jersey until we started looking for places to go. How does that saying go? If you search, you will find.
Once we started searching, we realized New Jersey had many hidden gems right in front of our noses. Places like Lucy the Elephant in Margate, NJ, Twin Lights Lighthouse in Highland, NJ, and Grounds for Sculptures in Hamilton, NJ are great places to explore in the fall.
19. Visit an escape room.
There is nothing more scary than being trapped in a room for about an hour without having the slightest idea of how to get out. If you are up for the challenge, visit an escape room with your family to test your problem-solving skills.
Escape rooms are a fun way to get the whole family thinking and using their brains while also having fun. If you’re looking for a fun fall activity that is also a little scary at the same time, try doing an escape room in the dark.
20. Go to a museum
New Jersey has so many kid-friendly museums for your family to explore. Whether you are looking for a more interactive experience like the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ or a more historical approach like the Washington Cross State Park museum, New Jersey has the right thing for you and your family.
Together you can learn and explore while also creating memories. Did you know there are days when you can get into museums for FREE? Click here to find out how.
21. Go to a truck or treat
Trucks or treats will be popping up all across the state this season. This is a good time of the year to visit a truck or treat and support your local school or community. It is also a safe and great way for kids to Trick-or-treat with their family and friends.
If you’re feeling a little creative, you and your family can sign up to be the trunk of the event. Go online to find some great Trunk-or-Treat ideas for your family to make together.
22. Scavenger hunt
While your family is exploring all that New Jersey has to offer, you can all participate in a scavenger hunt together. There are so many different types of scavenger hunts to choose from. You can do a traditional scavenger hunt where you look for items from a premade printable or an electronic scavenger hunt from your phone called a geocaching scavenger hunt. Either way, you are sure to have a great time.
23. Visit a zoo
Visiting a local zoo this fall season is great for people of all ages. In the fall, you get what I like to call Goldilocks weather: not too hot and not too cold. There are a couple of cool zoos in New Jersey you can visit. However, our favorite zoo is Cape May Zoo. This zoo is absolutely free, but donations are greatly appreciated.
To make the most of your trip, find an area where you can feed the animals and let your children pet them. Encounters with the animals will be the highlight of your child’s experience.
Whatever you decide to do this fall, as long as you are with the ones you love that’s all that matters. So grab your family and get to all of the fun things in life you can enjoy.
