Fall is the perfect season to get outside with your kids and enjoy simple, family-friendly adventures. From pumpkin patches to cozy campfires, there are so many ways to celebrate the crisp air, colorful leaves, and festive traditions. If you’re looking for inspiration, here are five outdoor fall activities to add to your bucket list — including a few local Bucks County spots.
1. Go Apple Picking With the Family
Apple picking has become a top tradition in our family. As soon as September arrives, the kids start asking, “Is it apple picking time yet?” They love racing down the rows of trees to find the juiciest apples and climbing ladders to reach the ones way up high. The orchard we visit even offers a hayride out to the fields, which makes the whole experience feel extra special.
It’s true that orchard apples can sometimes cost a little more per pound than those at the grocery store — but nothing compares to the crisp, fresh taste of one picked straight from the tree. Plus, the experience itself is worth it!
If you’re local to Bucks County, here are a few spots worth checking out:
- Solebury Orchards (New Hope) — Known for its picturesque setting and high-quality fruit, with wagon rides out to the trees on fall weekends. Reservations fill up fast, so book a time slot early through their website.
- Solly Farm (Warminster) — A smaller, family-run farm that’s a little less crowded than the bigger names. Pick-your-own is available weekends in the fall, and their bakery is worth the stop — think apple cider donuts and homemade pies.
- Shady Brook Farm (Yardley) — If you want to go big, this is the spot. Hayrides, inflatables, and wide-open fields make it a full day out, not just a quick pick.
A few tips: check your local orchard’s website before you go — most update weekly with which apple varieties are ready for picking, so you can plan around your family’s favorites. We also find that going early in the morning makes the trip smoother — it avoids both the midday crowds and the strongest sun, and the kids are always happiest then.
And of course, the apple fun continues once we’re home. With all the apples we bring back, we bake everything from apple bread and muffins to homemade apple butter that lasts us well into the season. For a couple of months, our kitchen is filled with apple-flavored goodies — and the sweet smell of fall.
2. Spend the Day at a Fall Festival
Local fall festivals are packed with kid-friendly fun. From hay mazes and pumpkin painting to live music and delicious seasonal treats, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Some farm festivals even go the extra mile with hayrides, outdoor obstacle courses, and apple slingshots that kids can’t get enough of! Even our tweens still love a good day out at a fall festival!
The Peddler’s Village Scarecrow Festival is a Bucks County staple — six weeks of scarecrows lining the village pathways, plus scarecrow-making workshops, pumpkin painting, and live entertainment, and it’s free to walk through.
If you want a few options that fly a little more under the radar:
- Doylestown Fall Food Truck Festival — A single free afternoon in Central Park with live music and, obviously, food trucks. Easy on the wallet and easy to fit into a Saturday.
- Bountiful Acres Pumpkin Patch & Harvest Festival — Runs the whole month of October and includes traditional farm fun such as pumpkin slingshot, hayride and corn maze.
- Hellerick’s Adventure Farm (Doylestown) — This one’s grown into more of a full-day destination: a five-acre corn maze, mini golf, a tractor tire playground, and even goat yoga if you’re feeling adventurous. Kids under 36 inches get in free, so it’s worth checking if your littlest still qualifies.
Since many of these activities are outdoors and hands-on, make sure your little ones (and you!) wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty. Between running through fields, climbing, and testing their aim at apple slingshots, kids will definitely get friendly with nature — and that’s part of the fun.
Generally we spend a few hours at each festival, so set your mind right and plan accordingly with layers as the kids and prepare for a busy day ahead!
3. Play in the Autumn Leaves — and Take a Fall Hike
You don’t have to go far to enjoy one of fall’s simplest joys — jumping into a big pile of leaves. Our kids actually like getting involved in the chore of raking up the yard because it leads into fun times of jumping into the big piles! As they get older, they get creative now with swinging from our tree swing into the piles or having contests of who can do the silliest jump. There’s nothing quite like the crunch underfoot and the laughter as they try to bury each other in piles of red, yellow, and orange leaves.
If your kids have energy to burn beyond the backyard, fall is also the best time of year for a family hike — the trails are cool, the bugs are gone, and the views are unbeatable. A few of our favorites:
- Tyler State Park (Newtown) — Nearly 27 miles of trails for every skill level, and the Schofield Ford Covered Bridge makes a great mid-hike stop — it’s the longest covered bridge in the county and pedestrian-only.
- Ralph Stover State Park (Pipersville) — The High Rocks Trail is short — about 1.6 miles round trip — but it delivers big with a fenced cliff-top view over the Tohickon Creek gorge. It’s an easy win for families who want a payoff without a long slog. While you’re out that way, swing by Cabin Run Covered Bridge just down the road for an easy add-on stop. Want to read more about our Bucks County Covered Bridge Adventures? Check out my post here!
- Jim Thorpe — For families who want to turn the hike into a whole day trip, Jim Thorpe’s trails (and the town itself) are worth the drive. Want to stay the night? Check out my post here on camping at Mauch Chunk Lake!
Once the leaf jumping (and occasional leaf flinging at siblings) is over, grab a few to bring inside for arts and crafts. Kids can paint them, make leaf rubbings, or use them in fun seasonal projects. It’s a great way to extend the outdoor fun — and let’s be honest, it’s much more fun than cleaning up every last leaf outside.
While you’re already out in the yard raking and collecting, it’s the perfect time to turn a pinecone or an empty toilet paper roll into a homemade bird feeder — smear on some peanut butter, roll it in birdseed, and hang it from a tree branch. It’s a simple project that costs next to nothing, and the kids get the bonus of watching birds and squirrels visit their handiwork all season long.
4. Visit a Pumpkin Patch
Visiting the pumpkin patch is another one of those fall traditions our family looks forward to every year. I must say, this is definitely one of those “it’s for the kids” activities, and more of an opportunity for me to get some nice family pictures. The kids love testing their strength by trying to lift the biggest pumpkins they can find (and usually declaring “this one’s perfect!” even if it weighs more than they do). Meanwhile, I’m on the hunt for the quirky, lopsided pumpkins that add character to our porch — because who needs just a picture-perfect pumpkin when you can have one with personality?
When you go, take your time walking the patch. Turn each pumpkin around and check all sides to make sure it’s a good one — no soft spots or hidden blemishes. It makes the hunt feel like an adventure, and the kids love helping decide which pumpkins actually get to come home with us.
Winding Brook Farm (Warrington) is a great pick if your family wants pumpkin picking with a little more going on — a corn maze, hay maze, and daytime hayride out to the patch. Just a heads up: once the sun goes down, the farm switches gears into haunted hayrides and a “Corn Walk of Horror,” so if your crew is easily spooked, plan your visit for earlier in the day.
Many patches also offer extras like wagon rides, corn mazes, and spots for family photos, so plan to stay a while and soak up the atmosphere. And once you bring your pumpkins home, the fun starts all over again! Carve them into jack-o’-lanterns, paint them in fun designs, or roast the seeds for a salty snack that tastes like fall. Just be sure not to carve them too early in the season or the animals will eat them right up!
5. Cozy Up Around a Campfire
Cool fall evenings are perfect for gathering around a fire pit. Roast marshmallows, make s’mores, and share stories under the stars. Don’t have a fire pit? No worries — a tabletop stove or even your outdoor grill will do the trick! It’s a simple way to bring the family together while soaking in the night air and looking up at the stars.
And of course, who can resist a warm, ooey-gooey s’more with chocolate and marshmallow dripping everywhere – my kids can’t!? For a fun twist, try swapping the chocolate bar with a peanut butter cup, adding a drizzle of caramel, or even using cookies instead of graham crackers. The kids love experimenting with different combinations, and you’ll probably eat more than your fair share too — because, well, someone has to quality test them, right?
✨ Fall only lasts a few short months, but these outdoor family activities will help you make the most of it. From apple orchards to cozy campfires — and a few lesser-known spots in between — there are endless ways to celebrate autumn with your kids. So grab your sweaters, pack a blanket, and get ready to create unforgettable fall memories together.
