100 Things To Do In Autumn

Are you ready for the best things to do this autumn / fall list? A list of autumn items I put together a few years ago, where I share all the best things about autumn, or fall if you’re in the USA, Canada, or anywhere else with a different name to the season. If you came here looking for the best things to do this fall, hopefully you’ll also find this list inspiring. Even if this might read as an autumn bucket list for the UK it should also help for your fall to do list.

(this post was originally published on 16th September 2015)

It’s becoming a bit of a tradition here on this blog, it comes round to autumn and I just HAVE to write an activities list to get me in the mood.

Because autumn lists are mood-givers. Yep. 

I think I wrote my first autumn to do list back in 2011? 2012? And it is still, today, one of my most favourite things to write about.

You see, I’m a huge autumn fan. I love this season. There are so many things in autumn season that make me smile.

I love the back-to-school excitement (yes, many years after leaving education), the changing colours of nature, the crisp air while the sun is still out, the layers of clothing, the autumn/winter clothing collections, the warming spices in food, the night drawing in and of course, the build up to Christmas.

Autumn things are so exciting.

So in the name of autumn excitement and the hope that it inspires you, I am writing my ultimate list on things to do in autumn, or things to do in fall for our stateside friends.

100 Fun Things To Do In Autumn / Fall

1. Buy some new stationery (LOVE this)

2. Dig out your biggest, fluffiest, snuggliest jumper (I covet this one) (and this one is so fluffy!)

3. Make a pie (my favourite is this Chicken, Bacon and Spinach Pie)

4. Forage for blackberries (10 tips for foraging here)

5. Make blackberry vodka or gin (my recipe here)

6. Go for a walk in your local woods and marvel at the changing colours of the leaves 

7. When it rains, pop on your wellies and jump in the puddles (my fave Hunter wellies)

8. Make pumpkin or butternut squash soup (my favourite is this Butternut Squash Soup)

9. Collect fallen leaves and make an autumn garland

10. Create a seasonal display on your fireplace (see my old autumn fireplace here – this was 6 years ago!)

11. Pick some conkers and play the game with your loved ones (how to play)

12. Find some chestnuts and roast them in your oven 

13. Get up before dawn and go on a mini sunrise photo shoot in your local nature area (some of the best spots in the UK)

14. Treat yourself to some new thick wool socks (these cashmere ones are lovely)

15. Host a Halloween party 

16. Buy some tins from the supermarket and donate them to your local food bank (find yours here) (I made a video on how to shop for a food bank here)

17. Go to church for harvest festival (they have the best songs/hymns at this time of year!)

18. Buy a fire dish and enjoy regular garden fires whilst wrapped up in all the blankets (I love this blanket)

19. Visit some interesting buildings during Open House London weekend 

20. Toast marshmallows on an open fire (some handy forks for toasting)

More what to do in autumn

21. Host a fireworks night party (I’ve bought loads of these giant sparklers)

22. Invest in some new blankets (because everyone has a blanket box, yes?) (my favourite is the National Trust recycled wool ones)

23. Make a batch of chai (if you want to cheat here’s my Chai Syrup recipe)

24. Celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of light (read more here)

25. Write an early letter to Santa Claus (The Post Office have details here)

26. Create a den in your living room and spend the evening watching retro films 

27. Bake a sweet pie 

28. Forage rosehips to make super-healthy rosehip syrup

29. Don your thermals and go for an autumn camping trip (stock up on thermals at M&S)

30. Make spiced cider 

31. Climb a hill and take photos at sunset 

32. Take a moment for Remembrance Sunday (what it means)

33. Go mushroom picking (but go with a trusty foraging guide)

34. Create the scariest costume possible for Halloween 

35. Take a romantic weekend break somewhere different in your country (check out our Unusual Places To Stay in The UK)

36. Cook the biggest pot of warming stew you can manage (my current fave)

37. Go on a guided ghost walk (these London ones look great)

38. Write a letter to your Granny and Grandad on Grandparents Day 

39. Carve a pumpkin

40. Find an orchard to go apple picking (interactive map of UK orchards)

Things to do during autumn / fall

41. Marvel at the baby pup seals born on Farne Islands, Northumberland (details here)

42. Decorate your front door/porch with an autumn wreath (some pretty ones here)

43. Embrace your slow cooker and prep all the hearty meals (good selection of cookers here)

44. Have a popcorn/movie night (I buy bulk popping corn and make my own)

45. Bake a s’mores pie (my recipe here)

46. Learn to make toffee apples

47. Start your Christmas shopping  (download a free four month Christmas planner here)

48. Organise a Secret Santa (how to organise here)

49. Go to an Oktoberfest event (or visit the original in Germany)

50. Treat yourself to a pumpkin spice latte or whatever your fave decadent coffee shop drink is

51. Roast pumpkin seeds, they taste delicious! 

52. Make a Halloween playlist on Spotify 

53. If you get a sunny day, wrap up in layers and do an Autumn picnic 

54. Plant spring-flowering bulbs (for details visit the Horticultural Society)

55. Organise a curry night with your friends (recipe ideas here)

56. Send a surprise care package to a friend or relative 

57. Take a long drive in the countryside on a clear, crisp day (top 10 UK roads for scenic driving)

58. Bake pumpkin bread 

59. Host a board games party (I’m a huge fan of Cluedo, Scrabble, and Monopoly)

60. Go to a cider/whisky tasting event

What we do in autumn season

61. Go on an outing to a local stately home or English Heritage / National Trust site

62. Do an autumn-themed photoshoot with your favourite people

63. Learn something new (it’s a new academic year after all!) (potential courses here)

64. Fill a flask with tea and go on a bike ride somewhere pretty 

65. Read a gothic novel (list of best of this genre)

66. Take part in a Samhain ritual (explanation here)

67. Decorate your house with fairy lights (I’ve bought these ones)

68. Buy a new scented candle (I’m eyeing up this one)

69. Host a murder mystery party (buy one here)

70. Decorate trick-or-treat buckets with the little ones in your life 

71. Make sloe gin

72. Buy fresh food from a local farmer’s market (find your nearest local producer or market in the UK)

73. Add cinnamon to ALL your food 

74. Dig out your favourite pair of boots (I’m a black ankle boots kinda girl)

75. Indulge in dark lipstick and nail varnish

76. Be a spectator at a live sports game (UK readers here)

77. Bring nature indoors and decorate with acorns, dry leaves and pinecones (great ideas here)

78. Do a treetop walk (like this one at Salcey Forest – we went there 5 years ago)

79. Make apple crumble

80. Visit a pick-your-own farm (find your nearest farm)

More autumnal things

81. Visit a pumpkin patch!

82. Donate to your local homeless shelter or refugee centre (autumn is a time of abundance, let’s share!) (donation details here)

83. Try apple bobbing (instructions here)

84. Make a garden photo time-lapse series to capture the change of season (this camera looks nifty)

85. Bake my Cheat’s Cinnamon Swirls

86. Spend a rainy day printing out your Instagram photos and make a new photo album 

87. Learn to crochet (instructions here)

88. Go on a night-time nature walk (don’t forget your binoculars)

89. Protect the hedgehogs! – make a safe home for animals to hibernate in your garden (details here)

90. Attend a Mop Fair (an old British tradition – history here – that these days is now an annual fun fair)

91. Take part in The Great British Walk (handy local walk finder here)

92. Celebrate Autumn Equinox (inspiration here)

93. Spend a day batch-cooking for your freezer – think curries, stews, soups and other warming dishes 

94. Eat the most epic roast dinner of your life (my ultimate slow-roasted lamb is super popular)

95. Make an autumn-inspired DIY/craft (such as this one)

96. Preserve fruits for the winter

97. Wear something orange (I am coveting this coat)

98. Invest in the warmest hat you can find (cute ones here)

99. Buy a munchkin pumpkin simply because … mini pumpkin!

100. Make your own autumn bucket list with 10 things you will do this season (pick an autumn-inspired notebook to jot in)

 

 

What are your favourite things to do in autumn / fall?

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More 100 lists

• 100 Things To Do This Christmas
• 100 Things To Do For Improved Self-Care and Wellbeing
• 100 Things To Do This Valentine’s Day

 

More autumn posts

• Foraging in autumn: what to pick
• Autumn floral dress
• Autumn fireplace display
• My autumn lookbook
• 20 Things To Do This Autumn
• Autumn birthday picnic

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