3 Ideas for Fall Family Fun
We always enjoy fall. The cooler temperatures after the heat and humidity of the summer are a relief, and there are a lot of fun activities going on. It’s the perfect time to take field trips and have some fall family fun!
1. Frontier Days / Civil War Reenactment
We live fairly close to Historic Washington State Park, where they have Frontier Days and a Civil War reenactment every fall. We always try to make one or the other—or both! We learn so much about life in the 1860s in ways that are fun and understandable because we’re right there in the middle of it!
This year we enjoyed a tour of the Block-Catts house, which is the oldest wood frame two-story home still standing in Arkansas. It was built in 1832 and is also notable as the home of the first Jewish immigrants to Arkansas.
We also visited the blacksmith shop, where everything is crafted by hand.
The girls enjoyed another trip to the candle shop, where they learned more about the way candles are made and the fine art of dipping the candles and mixing colors to create new ones.
Near the Sanders Kitchen, we had the privilege of seeing the wool dyeing process. Since we enjoy knitting and crocheting, it was fun to see how this is done with natural dyes.
2. A Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze
I have wanted to take the girls to a pumpkin patch and corn maze for years, but it hasn’t ever worked out. This year was different. We have a friend who is working to build a portfolio for her photography business, and she asked if the girls would model for her—at Noble Oaks Farm’s Fall Festival! (Note: The following photos were taken with my cell phone. Sherry took professional photos with her fancy camera, and she has the right editing software to make them look good too. I’m sure she’ll post them soon on her Facebook page. I’ve seen her work, and it’s amazing! I can’t wait to see the girls’ pictures.)
3. An Out-of-the-Way Museum
We’ve visited the Arkansas Museum of Natural Resources before, but when we found ourselves in the area for a family birthday celebration this month, the kids begged to go again. So we did!
There’s nothing like spending the afternoon in a 1920s jail.
It’s fun to find out about life on the frontier too.
And it’s always interesting to see what oil field laundry looked like. (Trust me. We don’t have real laundry problems!)
Fall Family Fun
You probably don’t live close enough to these places to visit this year, but if you look around, you’ll probably find something similar near you if you ask around and do a little research. Activities like these are a great way to spend a fall afternoon, especially if you want everyone to get a good night’s sleep!
What are some good spots for fall family fun in your area? Leave them in the comments for others to see!
Looks like fun! Love those kinds of family trips!
We had a great time! Thanks!
What great ideas. I did outings like this with my daughter with emphasis on history and science and she loved it so much that she ended up with a history degree. I didn’t realize until my daughter was grown, how much the way we spend time with our children affects them the rest of their lives.
I think it does too, Shelia. Thank you for the encouragement. (I love history too. It was my minor in college.)
Looks like fun! We went to a lot of museums growing up and I loved it and still remember a lot of them.
I remember a lot of the places we went when I was growing up too. Making memories is fun and an important part of the legacy we leave – and it doesn’t have to cost a lot!
I love all of these ideas! We’ve done them all at different times. Fall is so fun!
It really is!