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Free or cheap activities to do with your family this fall.
Visit a Pumpkin Patch
Visiting pumpkin patches is always a fun fall activity with the family. Pumpkin patches can range from just a farm with pick your own pumpkins and fall produce for sale all the way to fall festivals with corn mazes, activites, food trucks and more! Picking your own pumpkins may be charged by the pound or just a flat fee per pumpkin. Depending on what is offered a pumpkin patch may have an admission fee that will include some of the available activities.
Carve Pumpkins
After visiting a pumpkin patch you can spend some time carving pumpkins with the family! Whether you are a pumpkin carving purist who sticks to the basic shapes or an artist who likes to go all out on their pumpkins you may not need to spend any money other than getting your pumpkins! Grab some snacks for the family and dig in. Of course if you want to go all out there are pumpkin carving kits available! Here are some tips for getting the perfect carved pumpkin.
Go Hiking and View Fall Colors
I’m always a little sad when summer ends but I do love the beauty of fall colors especially in Minnesota. Going for a hike is an excellent way to view those colors. Explore Minnesota is a great resource for finding trails, state parks as well as campsites and more! There are many amazing trails to hike in Minnesota. Here are some ideas for the best places for fall colors in Minnesota.
Go Apple Picking
Apple picking is another one of my favorite fall activities. Especially when you have a nice warm fall day, I love going to the apple orchard, walking or riding on the wagon out the apple trees and hunting for the perfect apples. The apple orchards I have been to are typically free to get in to and then you purchase a bag for a flat fee and fill that bag as full as you can with apples. Depending on the apple orchard there may be additional activities available as well as bakery goods, crafts, decor, and other food for sale. Here is a guide to some of the apple orchards in Minnesota!
Bake a Pie or Apple Crisp
Once you have all of your apples I love to make apple crisp and some may love to make apple pie or other apple recipes. I love that you can make a large batch of apple crisp and freeze for later to make at home or to give to friends or family. Baking together is an easy, fun, and relatively cheap activity that you can do with your whole family.
Have a Campfire
I absolutely love campfires in the fall. The evenings are starting to get colder and there is nothing better than cozying up in a sweatshirt, comfy pants and warming yourself by a campfire while sipping a warm beverage or roasting marshmallows. Even if you don’t have a fire pit there are a lot of options for small portable fire pits and fire tables so even if you don’t want to (or aren’t allowed) to build your own fire you can still enjoy a gas fire pit.
Make Pumpkin Bread
Pumpkin bread is one of my favorite go to fall recipes. My mom has been making it my whole life and I think she learned it from her mom as well. I don’t go crazy for pumpkin spiced everything once fall hits but pumpkin bread is definitely as must. The pumpkin bread recipe I love makes 3 loaves so have a baking day with your family and deliver a loaf to your neighbors or family!
Have a Movie Night
I’m a big fan of spending as much time outdoors as possible when it is warm out even into the evenings but when the temperature starts to cool down that is the perfect time to have a movie night with your family. Make some popcorn, grab some candy or your other favorite snacks and settle in for a fun movie night.
Have a Football Watching Party With Snacks
Honestly even if you aren’t a huge football fan I love getting together with friends and eating snacks! You can plan a gathering with some easy appetizers or have everyone bring their favorite game day snack to contribute. The best think I have learned is just invite people, make it casual, don’t stress about your home, and just enjoy yourself. Your friends will appreciate being invited and you will be happy you did!
Go For A Drive To See Fall Colors
You may not always be able to go for a hike so I equally love going for a drive to see the beautiful fall colors. Minnesota has a couple different scenic byways you can travel to get the best views. Pack a picnic lunch for your family and find a place to stop off at and enjoy a picnic together!
Check Your Local Community Ed Catalogue
Community Ed Catalogues are full of activities and classes that are usually on the more affordable end. The catalogue in my area is produced three times a year, fall, spring and summer. These will let you know about special events in your community that are typically geared towards families or classes you might want to sign yourself or your kids up for.
Visit Your Local Museum or Historical Society
Visiting a museum or a historical society is another fun activity to do during the fall or colder weather. Some museums or historical societys may be free to enter or ask for a small donation. Other larger museums may have admission fees. Depending on the type of museum you go to they may have hands on activities for the whole family.
Have A Hot Chocolate Bar
Another fun activity to do at home in the colder weather is set up a hot chocolate bar! You can make homemade hot chocolate or use a hot chocolate mix and get a variety of toppings or mix-ins plus a few snacks and let the family build their own. This could also be a great addition to your movie or game night!
Volunteer With Your Family Packing or Serving Meals
I’ve had the opportunity to pack meals with Feed My Starving Children and I always really enjoy it. We have done it as a family as well and it is a great famiy bonding activity. Second Harvest Heartland is another great place to volunteer. I am working on a guide of places to volunteer in the Twin Cities.
Make One of These Recipes With Your Leftover Halloween Candy
Take a look at my roundup of Recipes for Halloween Candy and bake up some sweet treats with your family using any of your leftover halloween candy or buy some of the candy on clearance at the end of October!
Visit Your Local State Parks Website to Look for Events Happening
If you visit your State Parks website they have activities listed including nature walks, campfires, geocaching, guided tours, animal watching, stargazing, teaching outdoor skills and more. Most of these activities are free to you and your family.
Make Some DIY Fall Decor
Find some fall crafts to do with your family and DIY your fall decor! This a great way to decorate for fall but maybe save some money and have a fun family activity. There are tons of DIY Fall Craft ideas on Pinterest and I also plan to do a DIY Fall Decorations Roundup post soon! SIgn up for my email list to be notified about new posts.
Make Some Spiced Apple Cider
I love making Spiced Apple Cider during the fall. You can simmer it on the stove and make your whole house smell good. This would be a great addition to your bonfire or movies nights. You could also throw some in a thermous and bring along on your fall color viewing!
Have a Game Night
Family Game Nights are another budget friendly family activity once the weather cools down! If you don’t have any board games on hand you can play card games or even something like charades.
Take Free Crafting Classes at Michaels or Joann Fabrics
Michael’s offers free events where you can learn and make something to take home! They also offer online courses to learn everything from sewing to painting with acrylics. There are free classes as well as paid classes from beginner to expert! Joann Fabrics also offers digital courses for learning everything you could possibly want to learn, from jewelry to food to art and design. They also have free courses as well as an unlimited monthly subscription through Creativebug. Get creative with your family when the weather gets cold!
Participate in Free Workshops at Lowes or Home Depot
Lowe’s offers in-store workshops, live streams and on demand content that are great for the whole family create a fun project or learn something new! Check the calendar regularly for upcoming events at your local Lowe’s and to register. Home Depot offers virtual workshops as well as in person workshops for kids on the first Saturday of each month. If you are unable to make the workshops you can also pick up a free kids workshop kit or order online while supplies last! This a great way to save some money while doing some fun activites.
Make A Tie Blanket
Making a tie blanket isn’t really a cheap option but it is a fun activity to do! You can also try to look for fabric that is on sale or clearance at your local fabric store to make it more affordable. Decide how large you want your blanket to be. Get 2 pieces fleece material in the size you are wanting, 2 1/2 to 3 yards makes a good twin size blanket. We like to get 2 different designs or colors that are complementary, like a desing on one side and a color on the other side so that the blanket is reversible but different on each side. Using a ruler cut a 3 inch square out of each corner and then cut strips about one inch wide and 3 inches into the fabric all of the way around. Then tie the strips of the 2 different fleece pieces together all around the blanket!
Hopefully this post gives you some great ideas of activities to do with your family during the fall or even winter. Let me know if you try any of these ideas by shooting me a message over on Instagram or joining my VIP Facebook Group or let me know you have different things you like to do with your family. Pin this post to Pinterest so you can refer back to it for ideas!
