If you know me, it’s no secret that fall is my favorite season of the year. After a long, hot summer in the South, I happily welcome cooler weather and all that fall brings. I usually start the season by sitting down and creating my fall bucket list. Since having kids, that list is full of fall family activities. Keep reading to learn my family’s favorite things to do in Huntsville, Alabama in the autumn!
Pick Apples at Scott’s Orchard
Picking apples is usually the first big fall outing we take as a family! We love Scott’s Orchard for its wide variety of apples, family friendly atmosphere, and delicious apple cider slushies. My husband looks forward to those slushies all year long! My kids really enjoy riding in the wagons provided by the orchard and filling our baskets with granny smith and Arkansas black apples (I use these for making pies and apple butter), and then playing on the hay bales and slides until they wear themselves out! Their General Store is also full of delicious treats and adorable gifts, so definitely stop in there! My favorite time to go is late September. I find that the choice of apples is excellent at that time, and usually it’s started to cool off in the mornings here in the Huntsville area.
Choose Pumpkins at Tate Farms
I don’t think you can really have a complete list of fall family activities without mentioning a pumpkin patch! When I asked my son what he was most excited to do this fall, Tate Farms was the first thing out of his mouth! I am equally excited. We’ve been going to Tate Farms for three years, and it has not disappointed. In addition to the obvious draw – the pumpkins!- this farm provides so many fun activities for all ages. You can really fill a whole day here in the corn cribs, hay rides, playground, maze, petting zoo, and country stores. I love to decorate with the pumpkins we pick, and then around Halloween we carve jack-o-lanterns, much to my kids’ delight! Seriously, if you haven’t visited Tate Farms, you must go this year!
Scarecrow Trail at Huntsville Botanical Gardens
This will be a new activity for our family this year, but I cannot wait to see the Scarecrow Trail at Huntsville Botanical Gardens! My kids were gifted a membership to the gardens last Christmas, so we’ve been enjoying going all year. The trail features unique scarecrows created by local community members. We have such talent in the area that I know it will be loads of fun! While we’re there, we’ll check out the fall displays, play in the children’s garden, and enjoy the beauty that the gardens always are.
Take a Hike at Green Mountain Nature Trail
If you live in Huntsville, Alabama and haven’t visited the Green Mountain Nature Trail, you’re missing out! It’s such a gorgeous trail on top of the mountain. We discovered it when some friends invited us on a hike a few years ago, and it’s become a fall family tradition for us. While you can enjoy the easy trail all year long, I find it especially beautiful in the autumn because of the foliage. The colors are stunning, and the trees reflected in the pond are a sight to behold. Since the trail is pretty flat and some of the options are short, it’s an easy hike for kids to take with you. Take some snacks and enjoy a morning or afternoon in the cool, crisp air!
This is our fourth fall here in Huntsville, and these fall family activities have become traditions for us. We’ll do other things, too, like making pumpkin bread and butternut squash soup, trick-or-treating, and watching some fall movies. But around town, these are our go-to’s! Let me know if you have other traditions in your family, and have a happy fall!
Mallory Bell is a Huntsville motherhood photographer and specializes in maternity, newborn, child, and family photography in Northern Alabama.
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