With its clear, cool, humidity-free days, gorgeous golden palette and emphasis on eating all the baked goods, fall is unequivocally, indisputably the greatest season ever. (Sorry, summer lovers.) Here, your epic bucket list of 51 fall activities—grab your flannel and Criminal Defense Lawyers in Fort Worth get excited, folks.
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Or half a dozen of them (no judgments). Even better, make your own with our recipe for apple cider doughnut holes.
So what if our house smells like a Yankee Candle IRL…we secretly love those. Wanna DIY it? We’ll be sipping on this mulled wine sangria all season long.
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Fill your picnic basket with the essentials: wine, grapes, a baguette and enough cheese for 15 people—despite being a two-person picnic.
First, find an orchard in your neck of the woods. Then bring home the mother lode to divvy up between family and friends and bake an apple pie that none of those people but you will eat tonight.
And resist the temptation to stick googly eyes on them. (Or don’t. We kind of love cutesy Halloween decorations.)
It just wouldn’t be fall without it. And if you don’t Instagram it, did it really happen? (Psst: Here are 15 pumpkin patches around the U.S. to check out.)
Scenic paths and maybe even a little whistling are encouraged. Channel your inner Gilmore Girl and tour a cute small town if you’re nearby.
Not really a runner? Here’s how to get started. (Power walks are also accepted.)
Fact: The beach is kinda prettiest in the off-season. (Just pack a few blankets in case it gets breezy.)
And promptly belly-flop into it, just like you did as a kid. (C’mon, that’s basically what leaf-raking was designed for.)
Whether there’s actually a game to watch this year or not, we can all agree that hot wings are the best part of football Sundays anyway. Make your own oven-baked buffalo wings and watch them disappear.
While the rest of the world is worrying about, you know, football.
Yusuke Nishizawa/Getty Images
Don’t forget your nubby knitwear, your guide to safely renting and staying in an Airbnb and someone to snuggle with.
Make any of these unique Brussels sprouts recipes to soothe your September tomato-season withdrawals.
Pair it with a stack of freshly sharpened pencils because it’s back-to-school somewhere (even if it is online).
Spend Sunday afternoon perfecting this white turkey chili with avocado, then eat it all damn week.
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Or skip the pumpkin goo and just decorate one.
If you’re not afraid of pumpkin guts, they’re easy to roast and even easier to eat. Toss ’em in a salad, mix them into homemade trail mix or just snack by the handful.
If you don’t buy mums at the hardware store, do you even like fall? Here are 30 more autumnal porch ideas to tickle your fancy.
Time to channel your inner Martha Stewart. Backyard branches = budget ikebana.
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Let there be golden-amber light.
Better than an air freshener. Trust.
Lazy leaf-peeping is the best kind of leaf-peeping. (Check the fall foliage map then plan your day trip.)
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Oh please, like you don’t love the smell of pumpkin spice, too. Not sold on store-bought? Here’s how to freshen your home the DIY way.
Give us all the faux-fur pillow covers and cable-knit throws. For more inspiration, take a peek at some of our favorite Halloween door decorations.
Go ahead, bliss out on nature doing its thang.
Cozy up from six feet away with two picnic blankets and two (or a few) bottles of wine. Bonus: It’s a foolproof way to test your Thanksgiving recipes.
Or you know, an excellent crappy book. Whatever suits your fancy. We have plenty of suggestions.
Yes, we’ve watched Love Story 50 times, and no, we’re not sorry about it. (Although we’ll also be adding these classics to our rotation too.)
Nothing says “I heart fall” like foraging like a wood nymph then turning your found treasures into tchotchkes.
Call it a placebo, but rich beer literally tastes better to us in the fall. And if beer’s not your thing, swap it for hot buttered rum.
We’ll take any excuse to make (and eat) s’mores.
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Fall: The one time of year it’s totally chill to dress like a farmer. Go ahead and wear them all at once; you’re staying home, right?
It’s (debatably) the highlight of the whole damn season. And learn how to take care of those chunky knits here.
These ankles boots were made for walkin’ on crunchy leaves.
Mid-weight coats are the best weight coats, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Next step: Learn how to style it.
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And feign innocence when your kids accuse you of doing so. Where does your favorite fall in our ranking?
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You’ll need some funky mismatched china to go with your homemade centerpiece, no? Find a nearby market through this handy online directory.
Bonus points for kitschy-and-proud-of-it leaf-shaped cookie cutters. And while the oven’s hot, why not make one of these 50 fall dessert recipes too?
Otherwise known as apple pie for lazy people. Read up on which apples are best for baking before you begin.
Otherwise known as happiness in a pie dish. Up the ante and add a cinnamon roll crust—it’s simpler than it looks, promise.
RELATED: 30 Amazing Pumpkin Recipes to Make All Fall Long
In our humble opinion, it’s an activity best enjoyed beneath a pile of blankets. And FYI, according to the Farmers’ Almanac, October 2020 will see not one but two full moons—once on October 1 and a “blue moon” on Halloween.
You don’t have to travel far to have your own camping adventure. (Scary stories seem a lot more appealing when you can dash indoors for cover.)
Say it loud, say it proud: You love pumpkin spice. Why not make this the season to embrace it?
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Consider this your permission slip for an entire afternoon of Cheers reruns.
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It’s truly never too early. May no woman be left panic-shopping on Christmas Eve day.
And challenge yourself to a selfie moratorium. Find a trail with a quick internet search, or check out our list of a few favorites.
Say “not today, lettuce,” as you make your way through our list of 45 fall soups you haven’t tried (yet).
RELATED: 50 Fall Dinner Ideas to Savor All Season Long
The retro venues are having a major renaissance and we are here for it. If you can find one that’s screening The Rocky Horror Picture Show, even better.
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Call us a buncha’ saps, but watching the sun sink over an orange tree line makes us all kinds of warm and fuzzy.
Research shows that gratitude leads to greater satisfaction in life. Even if what you’re grateful for is having that afternoon to binge Cheers, so be it.
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