The cooler weather of fall is such a rejuvenating, sweet relief after the balmy warmth of summer. This was especially true for me this year because I was HOT this summer being in my third trimester all summer long. I don’t know about you but the cooler weather of fall always feels like the perfect excuse to cozy up with my love. It’s cuddle season, if you will! Other than the glorious crisp air, fall is a great season to do fun activities with your significant other because of the beautiful colors, wonderful flavors, and festive nature of the season. I’ve broken down some ideas for a fall bucket list for couples below in case you feel like the season is slipping away and you’re finding yourself still wanting to take advantage of this time of year with your love!
Fall Bucket List For Couples
Recipe Test for Thanksgiving
Every Thanksgiving, we have our tried and true Thanksgiving recipes that we can’t live without. I look forward to these dishes all year long! However, I’m just as inspired by trying out new autumnal recipes for the big meal. When hosting Thanksgiving though or bringing a dish to your family’s Thanksgiving, it’s never a safe plan to wing it and bring a first time dish that you’ve never cooked before. You definitely want to be prepared with a surefire crowd-pleasing dish! So, I suggest making recipe testing for Thanksgiving a fall bucket list item for you and your loved one. Edwin and I love time together in the kitchen so this honestly sounds so fun to me! Quality time + mastering a few new memorable recipes together = bucket list to me.
Host a Couples Friendsgiving
Play hostess with the mostess with your love and host a couples Friendsgiving at your house. At dinner parties, I love assigning seats and doing round robin seating. So, at appetizers, assign everyone a seat with pretty fall place cards. Then, for the main course, have the men get up and each move down four seats so everyone gets to talk to new people. Do the same thing at the dessert course! It’s a couples Friendsgiving but you breakup the couples as the night goes on to get some great conversations going.
Visit the Farmer’s Market and Cook a Seasonal Dinner
One of my favorite aspects of fall is the plethora of delicious seasonal fruits and vegetables that are ripe for the picking. I love them all… crisp apples, juicy pears, soft figs, bright pomegranates, and nutritious cranberries as well as hearty brussel sprouts, savory butternut squash, melt-in-your-mouth sweet potatoes, and more. My fall bucket list always includes a day spent at the farmer’s market picking up local produce before cooking a delicious seasonal dinner with Edwin! This bucket list item includes time spent outside too while at the farmer’s market, which is the best during the fall!
Have a Chili Cook-Off and See Whose Recipe Wins
Edwin and I are both chili lovers but we’ve found over the years that we make our chili differently and have different family recipes! I will even tweak my chili here and there each time I cook it based on what items I’m feeling inspired to include. So, I love the idea of having a chili cook-off to see who has the best recipe. Plus, chili makes for the BEST leftovers in the fall (especially while watching football games!).
Make Pumpkin Pancakes and Enjoy Breakfast in Bed
I know y’all agree that one of the absolute best parts of fall is all the pumpkin flavored goodies. I die for anything and everything pumpkin! On my fall bucket list for couples, you’ll never not see a point about making pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pancakes, or pumpkin waffles. Enjoying pumpkin pancakes in bed sounds down right heavenly. Try it with one of these for breakfast trays: one / two / three / four.
Make Caramel Apples
I think I sometimes prioritize pumpkin items during the fall and neglect some of the delectable apple treats of the season! In order to mix it up, I added ‘make caramel apples’ to our fall bucket list. Making caramel apples brings me back to childhood so I know it’s a fun way to spend a fall weekend afternoon.
Have a Bonfire and Make S’mores on a Chilly Night
Having a bonfire and making s’mores on a chilly autumn night is such a fun and easy fall bucket list item to check off your list. Grab this super affordable fire pit, a cozy blanket to snuggle under, your s’mores necessities and you’re good to go!
Go Apple Picking and Make Homemade Apple Cider
Apple picking really is one of life’s simple pleasures. It is so amazing to arrive home afterwards with a ton of freshly picked apples! From here, you can make apple pie, apple butter, apple tarts, apple granola, apple cinnamon bread, apple hand pies, apple crumbles, or apple cider. I’ve never made homemade apple cider before so it is occupying a top spot on my fall bucket list for couples. This spiked apple cider recipe is calling my name!
Enjoy a Weekend Away at a Fall Destination
Escape your everyday life with a weekend away at a beautiful fall destination. I suggest picking somewhere known for its golden fall foliage to really experience the best of the season. A few great options to consider are Woodstock Inn, Taylor River Lodge, Inn at Perry Cabin, Mayflower Inn and Spa, Hotel Jackson, Kenswick Hall, The St. Julien, The Lake House on Canandaigua, Old Edwards Inn, Kenoza Hall, White Barn Inn, The Little Nell, or Manoir Hovey.
DIY a Couples Halloween Costume
Halloween has obviously come and gone this year but DIYing a couples Halloween Costume is always one of my favorite fall traditions so I had to include it! This year, Edwin and I were Mr. and Mrs. Fox from Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox (it’s also a Wes Anderson movie). Rowan was our little baby fox and simple couldn’t have been cuter if you ask me! P.S. I found our Mr. and Mrs. Fox masks here.
Go on Crisp Morning Walks
It feels like every morning of fall I wake up and feel inspired the minute I walk outside. There is just something about that crisp morning air this time of year. As such, one of my absolute favorite ways to embrace the autumn season with Edwin is to go for morning walks. It starts our days in such a beautiful way!
Take a Scenic Drive for Fall Foliage
I love going for a drive with the windows down and good music playing. Fall is the ideal time to take a scenic drive because you can head somewhere to take in the changing leaves. Once you see fall in all its glory, you won’t ever be able to go a season without leaf peeping with your love!
Go on a Date to Your Alma Mater for a Football Game
Fall and football go hand in hand. Every year one of my ultimate fall bucket list items is to go back to my alma mater for a football game. I went to the University of Colorado so fall foliage is in full swing when I head back for fall football. Nothing beats it!
Indulge in a Fall Movie Night
Cozy up together for a fall movie night. Without fail, when October 1 hits, I google “best fall movies.” I wish there were more of them! My favorite is You’ve Got Mail. In short, it’s the most perfect movie. Here are a few other fall must-watch movies: When Harry Met Sally, Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone, Goodwill Hunting, October Sky, Hocus Pocus, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Dead Poets Society, Stepmom, Rushmore, Practical Magic, and Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
Embark on a Kitschy Fall Experience
Love quintessential, kitschy, corny fun? Well, fall is for you then! There are so many fall actitivites that fall under this category and can be turned into a date including visiting the pumpkin patch, exploring a corn maze, going on a hayride, getting spooked at haunted houses, and more!
