Seattle's Child

Your guide to a kid-friendly city

Celebrate fall

Seattle Japanese Garden is beautiful in the fall. Photo by Seattle Parks Department.

Fall fun: 8 ways to celebrate autumn with your family

Enjoy this season until the last leaf falls. Where to go, what to do, what to eat.

Celebrate fall!

“Listen to the leaves falling one by one. When we rake them up, we’re gonna have some fun!

My 1-year-old son and I learned that sweet, simple song at a Sunshine Music Together class. Four years later and we’re still singing it during our foggy morning preschool commute.

There’s something so magical about the changing seasons, especially through children’s eyes. Aren’t we lucky to live in a place where we get to experience all four of them?

Autumn’s magic won’t last long, though. Go out and enjoy this beautiful season before the last leaf falls.

Celebrate fall: 8 ideas for family fun

1. Sit by the fire, roast s’mores

Maybe you’ll gather around your backyard firepit. Maybe you’ll roast a s’more from your living room fireplace. Or maybe you’ll do as my family does: light a pumpkin spice-scented candle and pop a s’more in the microwave (they’re just as delicious!) For a more rustic s’more-roasting setting, head to Bob’s Corn and Pumpkin Farm, where you can rent a firepit inside the maze.

2. Pick apples

Some farms have harvest seasons that last only a weekend, and others last all season. Visit one (or more) of these apple orchards near Seattle.

3. Drink apple cider

Personally, I’m on Team #PSL. But with kids, it’s apple cider FTW. You can bake apples, too. Here are three yummy recipes that will use up those freshly picked orchard apples.

4. Visit the pumpkin patch

Big pumpkins, tall pumpkins, small “Little Boos.” Pumpkin patches with carnival rides, hay rides, catapults, tractors and petting zoos. There are so many different pumpkin patches to choose from, each with its own twist on fall fun. Find the perfect pumpkin patch.

5. Carve pumpkins

Carve a jack-o-lantern, or better yet, host a pumpkin carving party for your bubble.  (Oooooh, and then you can roast the seeds!)

6. Watch football

Family viewing of Seahawks games is a perfect stay-at-home activity. Go Hawks! (Go Huskies! Go Cougars!)

7. Take fall family photos

Pictures for holiday cards: check! Grab the camera and head to one of these beautiful locations for a fall family photo shoot.

8. Go for a hike, see the colors

The Pacific Northwest outdoors is gorgeous all year round, but fall is the time to see it at its most vibrant.  Hike through the vivid yellows, oranges, and reds before the leaves fall. These family friendly trails will get you going.

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Find more things to do at seattleschild.com 

About the Author

Jennifer Mortensen, Things to Do Editor