Every October, we take our annual Fall Family Trip to the North Carolina mountains. It is the closest place that we have found to South Florida that really gets Autumn. Our itinerary includes all of the fall activities that we miss from living in the west. I thought it would be fun to share some of the activities that we did on our trip last year, as well as plans for our trip this week. These 6 fall activities are eco-friendly fun for the entire family, and can be done anywhere, read on to get started.
#1: Fall Foliage
This is hands-down my favorite part of our Fall Family Trips – fall foliage. There is just something about spending a cool, crisp day, hiking through beautiful brightly, colored fall leaves. We like to take time to collect some of the beautiful hued leaves to bring home to press and preserve. And I can’t forget the Woolly Worms – they are a fun addition to our fall hikes, along with picnic lunches every day. Mr. Sweet Greens has several hikes planned for our trip, I can’t wait!
#2: Pumpkin Picking
This has to be Eben’s favorite part of our trip – the day at the pumpkin patch. There is a particular pumpkin patch – well off the beaten path that we visit every year. In fact, I don’t even know the name of it, but Mr. Sweet Greens knows the way – so we are good. Many of the pumpkins are a pumpkin-gourd hybrid so the shapes, colors and textures are fantastic and these pumpkins last forever. We had ours on our front porch past Christmas last year.
#3: Get Spooked
Another fun family activity is the corn maze, I think this year we will attempt it at dusk, I think this would add a spooky element that would be tons of fun. Other options that we are considering is a spooky hay ride in the countryside or a ghost tour through one of the old towns.
#4: Farmer’s Market
Boone, North Carolina has a fantastic farmer’s market that is very large with a fantastic selection of goods. Last year, we arrived too late in the day, so we visited a much smaller farmer’s market in a nearby town. It worked out well because the smaller farmer’s market was more quaint – there were a lot of artisans selling their handmade goods. I bought all of the boys in my family, handmade slingshots as holiday gifts.
#5: Spooky Stories by the Fire
This year when booking our log cabin for our Fall Family Trip, Mr. Sweet Greens made sure the cabin had a large working fireplace in the family room. [Last year, it was in the kitchen] This way we could continue our spooky story tradition while snuggled up on the sofa. Plus, spooky stories told in a cabin deep in the woods seems even spookier, right?
#6: Carmel Apples
Every year, we always remember to pick up a caramel apple or two as we stroll around in the evening. A trip to a small candy shoppe is always fun for everyone, and I try to remember to pick up a treat or two for the holidays.
Is there anything else we should do on our trip to North Carolina? I would love your suggestions.
[…] fall mode. I think I have been driving the mister crazy with all of my exciting chit-chat about our fall family trip (this year, Montana!), organic caramel apples, pumpkins, bicycle rides – and don’t even […]