Sure, Fall is a relative term around these parts {because if we’re being honest, it should probably be called Summer Lite}, but, any drop in temperature is a reason for celebration if you ask me! Between the re-emergence of football, PSLs, and falling leaves, I really can’t think of a better time of year…and fortunately for all of us, Houston has plenty of opportunities for families to fully take advantage of the season!
Fall Fun ::
- Blessington Farms {Simonton, TX} :: Outside adventures for the entire family including hay rides, giant slides, hay maze, barrel train ride, pedal cars, sand mountain, nature play area, steer roping, pony hops, and animal encounters!
- Froberg’s Farm {Alvin, TX} :: Corn maze, hayrides, and lots of fresh seasonal produce! Plus some really yummy fresh-baked treats!
- Dewberry Farm {Brookshire, TX} :: Fall family entertainment at its very best, just a short country drive from Houston! 35+ attractions. 10 yummy eateries. Acres and acres of fun!
- Find the perfect pumpkin at any one of the great Houston-area pumpkin patches!
- Schedule Fall family portraits! We might be a little biased, but Momma’s Gonna SNAP is one of the best!
- Zoo Boo! :: Celebrate Halloween at the Houston Zoo with activities that are fun for the whole family! {October 10-12, 17-19, 24-26}
- Monsters’ Museum at the Children’s Museum of Houston :: Enjoy THREE weeks of Halloween with Trick-or-Treating every day from Oct. 9 – Nov. 2!
- BOO on the Boardwalk at the Kemah Boardwalk :: Kids can enjoy the Little Boo Haunted Fun House, plus pumpkin decorating, trick-or-treating, and much more. {October 10-31st}
- Trick-or-Treat on Our Street presented by Pearland Town Center :: October 31st @ 6pm, until supplies last…at 7pm, enjoy the movie Muppets Most Wanted.
- Spooktacular at the Woodlands Children’s Museum :: Wear your costume and come to the museum for multiple festival games, experiments, face painting, magic, treats, and much more! {October 31st}
- Attend Kids Day on Buffalo Bayou :: A day filled with FREE family fun…featuring hands-on nature-themed crafts, music, food, park performers, and kayak demonstrations! {October 18th}
- Join the fun at Bayou City Art Festival :: Hundreds of artists are joined with music, food, and fun. Kids under 3 are free! {October 11 & 12}
- Learn about Texas history at Texian Market Days at George Ranch Historical Park :: Featuring lots of hands-on activities, battle re-enactments, live entertainment, food, craft vendors, and more!
- Entertain your aspiring aviators at the Wings over Houston Airshow at Ellington Field :: Featuring the US Navy Blue Angels, Vietnam Demo, MV-22 Osprey, and much more. {November 1 & 2}
- Enjoy the Pumpkin Patch and Scarecrow Festival at the Oil Ranch in Hockley :: Free pumpkin for every paid child’s admission…festival kicks off on October 1st!
- Have great family fun at the 19th Annual Children’s Festival at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion :: Lots of activities are located in different zones, so every child has something to enjoy!
- Break out the chainmail for the Texas Renaissance Festival :: Enjoy arts and crafts, food, and entertainment!
Good Eats & Warm Drinks ::
- Check out one of Sprinkles seasonal cupcake flavors! {Orange Cranberry & German Chocolate are my personal favorites!}
- Bake an apple pie with your kids :: This family friendly recipe is great for getting the kids involved in the kitchen!
- Celebrate Thanksgiving dinner all season long with this delicious Turkey and Stuffing Casserole.
- Make homemade pizza{s}!
- Celebrate a Texans’ win with a free Sonic Slush! {Tuesdays after a Texans’ win!}
- Whip up Jenn’s Healthy Game Day Wings.
- S’mores aren’t just a summer food! Cooler fall evenings are prime for campfires! {Or ditch the open flame for a microwave if that’s your thing!}
- Nothing says fall like warm maple syrup! Get the griddle warmed up, and make breakfast for dinner!
- Make a pot full of easy chicken tortilla soup!
- Eat candy corn.
- It’s spaghetti squash season! Fix this easy spaghetti squash dish!
- Make Halloween Bark!
- Roast the leftover pumpkin seeds from your jack-o-lantern endeavors.
- Make home-made caramel apple drinks! Heat apple juice on the stove or in a microwaveable mug with caramel sauce, and finish it off with whipped cream and extra caramel.
- Have a fast and easy dinner before heading out to trick-or-treat with these festive mummy dogs!
- Make snack time spooky with tangerine pumpkins and banana ghosts!
- Try out this fantastic refined sugar-free apple sauce recipe!
- Take a trip to Glazed to try one {or a dozen} of their sweet and savory confections!
- Enjoy a fresh-baked pie from House of Pies.
- Devour some pumpkin spice pancakes.
Culture & Education ::
- Create a Fall Sensory Bin to encourage exploration of the senses, also great for vocabulary building {ie: “This leaf is dry and crunchy!}.
- Turn the great outdoors into a classroom by going on a nature scavenger hunt! This activity can be adapted for all ages!
- If you’ve never attended the Houston Greek Festival — you must! Authentic Greek food, wine, dancing, and artifacts are fun for the entire family!
- Make/play this Acorn Alphabet Matching Game! Easy and educational!
- The George Observatory is open for Saturday Night Stargazing – check it out for a front row seat to the stars!
- Go to your local library story-time – Harris County Public Library has a complete list!
- Make pine-cone bird feeders.
- Bird watch :: Common Birds of Houston
- Go “Apple Picking for Literacy.”
- Conduct the erupting pumpkin experiment!
- Celebrate Italian heritage {and the FOOD!} at the 36th Annual Houston Italian Festival.
- Enjoy Sensory Friendly Day at the Children’s Museum of Houston :: Held monthly, Sensory Friendly Day is an exclusive event for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and sensory processing differences.
Find out what all of the museums in Houston’s Museum District have to offer!
Create & Craft ::
- Send a Boo Box to celebrate the season with faraway family and friends!
- Make footprint ghosts — perfect for celebrating baby’s first Halloween!
- Create fun stamps from potatoes.
- Don’t toss those broken crayons! Gather some leaves and make leaf rubbings!
- Carve a pumpkin as a family!
- …or forget the pumpkin carving and get really crafty and decorate your pumpkins with paint, glitter, jute, anything!
- Put up fake cobwebs and Halloween decorations.
- Create hand-print turkeys
- Make a felt leaf garland {better for older kids, but does not require use of sewing machine}.
- Pumpkin spice isn’t just for pies and lattes! Make pumpkin spice playdough!
- Cut apples in half to make apple stamps — incredibly easy, and lots of fun {make sure to use washable paint!}.
- Owls are a staple of fall decor! Make owl hand-print art with your little one!
- Tissue paper pumpkins are a {relatively} mess free option too.
- Count your blessings with thankful turkeys.
- Laminate fall leaves to make refrigerator magnets
- Make bath-time slimy with DIY Soap Slime!
Out & About ::
- Everything’s bigger in Texas — including high school football! Take your family to cheer on your local high school team! {You can find schedules and ticketing information on local school district websites.}
- Think bats are just an Austin thing? Bring your family to see the bats emerge from the Waugh Bridge bat colony!
- Pack a picnic and head out to a local park.
- Toddler Tuesdays are back at Discovery Green! Enjoy the fresh air, story-time, and fun activities.
- Register for a overnight camping course at Brazos Bend State Park :: Join Texas Parks & Wildlife for a fun-filled weekend designed to help your family discover the joys of camping and Texas State Parks! All camping gear and equipment required for an overnight stay is included with your registration, and this workshop is offered on a monthly basis.
- Join the Houston Astronomical Society at the Central Green in La Centerra {Katy} for a movie and some out of this world {pun intended} learning…telescopes and trained professionals will be available to help you and your little ones get the best views of the stars!
- Visit Armand Bayou Nature Center, and register for an EcoKids or EcoTots {Mom & Me} class while you’re there!
- Orange isn’t just for Halloween — cheer on the Houston Dynamo this fall!
- Hop on the train at Hermann Park.
- Take your family to tailgate and cheer on the Coogs and check out their new digs, the TDECU stadium at the University of Houston.
- Pick your own fruit at the Matt Family Orchard.
- Pack up the kids and the snacks and head to The Showboat Drive-In for a double feature!
- Adventure out of your neighborhood to find a food truck.
Get Moving {Sports & Recreation} ::
- Invite family/friends to join in a friendly game of flag-football…just don’t invite this guy…unless it’s you. {Ha!}
- Take a walk/jog in Memorial Park.
- Have a budding hoops star? College games are WAY cheaper than pro games, plus, you’ve got your pick of quite a few colleges to cheer on! {…and you can use it as an opportunity to talk to your kids about hard work on AND off the court!} Added Bonus :: Autographs are much easier to attain!
- Participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure :: Strollers are welcome!
- Set up an outdoor obstacle course or relay race.
- Discover a new park in your area.
- Register for a Halloween-themed fun run near you.
- Burn off those turkey calories before you indulge {not sure it works that way} at the Sheltering Arms Houston Turkey Trot! Great atmosphere, truly a FUN run!
- Go for a family bike ride.
Building Community ::
- Host a play-group non-perishable food drive benefiting the Houston Food Bank.
- Make Blessing Bags/Homeless Care Kits with your kids.
- Share a seasonal treat with a new {or old} neighbor.
- Invite friends/family/neighbors over for a watch party for your favorite sports team.
- Work with neighbors to arrange a Halloween block party, and forget about going door to door and dodging cars!
- Celebrate Friendsgiving a week or two before the real-deal…invite families to bring a side-dish of their choice, play games, and celebrate the holiday without all the stress!
- Have a bake sale and donate the profits to a shelter {like Star of Hope} to cover Thanksgiving dinner costs.
- Take cookies/treats to your local fire station.
- Clean out your closets and donate gently used clothes.
- Have kids go through toys and have a garage sale; then, use profits to buy toys for a holiday toy drive!
- Host a Halloween PJ & Treat play-date for friends.
Other Family Fun ::
- Have a movie night at home! Bring out the sleeping bags and blankets, pop some popcorn, and make it a family-night-in!
- Pick out Halloween costumes.
- Make a blanket fort.
- Set up a backyard or indoor camp-out! Tents, flashlights, sleeping bags, oh my! {AND indoor plumbing!!!}
- Have a family game/puzzle night.
- Watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”…or better yet, read the book!
- Set up a pumpkin bowling alley.
Just as we did with our Summer Bucket List, we have created a free printable so that you can easily use this bucket list all throughout fall! Feel free to hover over the image to pin it on one of your fall themed Pinterest boards, then use the link below to download and print also! Oh, and we almost forgot – be sure to follow us on social media {Facebook, Instagram, Twitter} for all of the latest and greatest Houston happenings too!!!
I love this post! I think I need an inspirational list like this every season!