Making Fun in the Fall

For many, fall is a special time. It marks the end of the calendar year, is filled with family-focused holidays and nature puts on a spectacular show. There are still plenty of camping days left in the year and enjoying parks and campgrounds when the leaves and the weather start to change is a great way to extend that priceless family time.

Even though trails and waterways are still calling out to campers and RVers, there are plenty of activities to keep folks of all ages busy when the temperatures drop and daylight wanes. There are scenic drives along country roads, trips to apple orchards and pumpkin farms, corn mazes to navigate, and plenty of seasonal treats to enjoy around the campfire, or really, anytime.

Moving activities indoors is an option, especially if cuddling up under a warm blanket and sipping a hot beverage of your choice is high on your priority list. Put a Halloween movie on, play some board games or catch up on reading with a spine-tingling who-done-it mystery or spooky tale.

Campfire tales have always been something on which memories were made. The spookier the better is the mode of operandi for many people. When choosing a tale to share – whether you are reciting one from memory or reading one aloud – make sure it is appropriate for all ages present. Nothing kills a happy camping trip like a nightmare.

Organize a fall food challenge. Who can make the best treat using apples? Who makes the tastiest chili? This can be limited to family and extended family, or a competition organized at the campground.

Consuming several pots of chili in one night is the stuff indigestion is made of but spreading it out through the week or the month is easier to handle and gives those taking part something to look forward to. Plan the competition so all who want to can take part and make sure ingredients are easy to find.

There are many recipes that provide both variety and challenges to the chef’s skill levels. Consider apple cider donuts, or make your own pizzas using fall produce, like pumpkin, apples, and pears. Nothing beats a warm pot of soup after a day of hiking, biking, and paddling. Find out who has the best recipe in your family by collecting these before you head to the campground and trying a different recipe each night.

Check into taking an organized ghost tour at a nearby town or seek out a cemetery walk. These organized activities are a nod to Halloween but can also give insight into local history. You can also visit a local historic cemetery on your own. If visiting a cemetery, hunt out the oldest section and take a walk among the gravestones. Be respectful of where you are; for many grieving families it is the last earthly connection with their departed loved ones.

Learn a new hobby. Take up knitting, stringing beads, or crafting things from nature. Start perfecting your skills now and this can continue to be a pastime through winter. Find an activity that you always wanted to learn and take that first step as you shelter inside or relax at your campsite.

Decorate your RV and campsite for Halloween. Add a string of purple or orange lights to your awning, canopy, tent, or RV. Carve or paint jack-o-lanterns or simply assemble a collection of gourds to put around your site. Create your own decorations by collecting leaves to string together for a garland, seal between two rectangles of clear shelf paper to make placemats, or arrange within a picture frame for an autumnal touch. Gather some pinecones, paint them, and add some glitter for a shiny decoration. Fashion a scarecrow out of extra clothes and a goofy hat, stuff with leaves, attach it somewhere at your campsite, and enjoy!

There are so many things to do in the fall. Hayrides and fall festivals, haunted houses and apple picking are just some of the more common. Football games and marching band contests, arts and crafts fairs, and holiday shopping also occupy people’s time. Whatever your plan for this last quarter of the year, embrace the season and the bounty of family, friends, and good times.