The Ultimate Fall Bucket List 2024

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There’s just something about Fall – the magical combination of crisp air, cinnamon flavors, and burnt orange everywhere – that is undeniably romantic.

This post is all about the Ultimate Fall Bucket List for Adults!

Do you want an aesthetic fall that is brimming with romantic and nostalgic touches? Are you looking to intentionally create cozy and meditative memories for yourself and your friends?

Read this post to find inspiration for your own 2024 Fall Bucket List. Here we cover activities, events, movies, music, and more that will make this your most memorable season, yet!

Category 1: Fall Bucket List for Friends

Fondue Night

When it’s getting cool out, what could be better than a hot bowl of melted cheese?

A fondue night is also the easiest thing to plan ever. You as the host provide the actual fondue pot and sticks – this is the set we use, it was a Christmas gift from a friend, a we’re obsessed with it – and you also make the actual cheese mixture. I recommend this recipe.

Ask your friends to each bring one thing to dip: different kinds of bread, small veggies, chopped potatoes, sausage, etc.

If you want to make it extra fancy, do a desert round where again, you as the host will melt the chocolate, and everyone else provides different fruits and cheeses to dip!

Add a little wine, and you have yourself a fun, unique fall-time dinner party idea! Best of all? Such minimal cleanup.

Football Watch Party

Nothing is more classic American than a Sunday football watch party!

No matter how much you do or don’t enjoy the sport, watching with friends is always guaranteed fun. I often place out several easy dips: French onion dip, guacamole, salsa (mine is store bought, I’ll be honest). Ask your friends to bring one bag of chips each, and it’s a party!

You can provide whatever kind of drinks you want, but Larry and I typical go for a large brewery’s autumn pack (ie Sam Adam’s) – it provides autumnal variety, they’re usually super yummy, and more economical.

There are some classic football offerings that you could consider serving: Crockpot chili, Taco salad, sliders. Here is a great reference.

Pro Tip: I recommend choosing an afternoon game, rather than actual Sunday night football so that people don’t need to leave early for work the next morning.

Tarot Card Reading or Palm Reading

Whether or not I believe in this stuff, sometimes I kind of like witch-themed movies, books, and games in the fall!

There are some fun books out there to teach you how to do palmistry or tarot reading. Have your friends over, pour some wine, play Hocus Pocus on the TV, and have a witchy evening!

Aesthetic Fall Brunch

Autumn makes me think of New England, think of pancakes and maple syrup, think of sweet treats and candy!

Elevate this idea with a fun autumn-themed brunch: Dutch babies with pear slices, apple muffins, pumpkin waffles, pecan pancakes, the list goes on!

Set the table with some cheap butcher paper, decorate it with some fall leaves you find outside (cleaned first, of course), and place a few long taper candles in the middle of the table, and you have yourself a gorgeous, aesthetic fall brunch!

County Fair

To me, growing up in the Southeast, this is one of the highlights of every fall!

Find either a local county fair, or make a whole day out of driving to your state fair. Challenge yourself to do all the classics: eat the cotton candy and funnel cake, play the games for prizes, knock into your friends in bumper cars, and ride the highest spinning rides you dare!

I can’t tell you how much fun Larry and I had last year at the Cumming County Fair & Festival here in Georgia last October. If you live in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend it!

Thrifting

Clearly, I find fall very nostalgic, and it really makes me crave all things vintage.

Find a local indoor flea market, a yard sale, a vintage mall or store, and make a whole morning out of it! Challenge each other to see who can make the most interesting purchase for under $20. I’ll bet you and your friends have fun exploring and comparing your purchases, and you’ll have funny stories to share at lunch afterwards!

Category 2: Fall Bucket List Outdoor Activities

Apple Picking

A classic for a reason.

Find a u-pick apple orchard nearby and load up! Have some apple recipes ready to go, and enjoy the picking. If you live near Atlanta, I recommend checking out the area around Ellijay in Northeast Georgia! The area is full of u-pick Apple spots, pie stands, and picturesque towns.

Pumpkin Patch

Do I really need to say anything here?

Maybe one thing: Look for variety. Get some small for table decor, medium for your front porch if you have one, and large ones for carving!

Try to get different styles, tall/oblong and short/round. Different colors too if you can manage it.

Sunflower Field

If you are looking for an ultimate aesthetic fall activity, this one is for you!

Whether you’re just looking to take pictures, or you want to cut your own blooms to decorate your home, sunflowers give such happy fall vibes.

If you live near Atlanta, I highly recommend Jaemor farms and Fausett Farms, where I collected these incredible bouquets last year.

Hike Through the Leaves

I know it is tempting to think you can’t go on a nice fall hike. You may be worried it’s too cold or there’s nowhere nice to hike where you live.

Just find the nearest area with foliage changing wherever you are. Pack a few sandwiches in a backpack, bring a water bottle, layer up – a light tee, a sweater, and a windbreaker layer – and hit the trail.

Don’t overthink it! Even a little bit of crisp fall air and a few hours of meditating on how the leaves change can be wonderful for your mental health.

Category 3: Fall Bucket List Movies

Put out some popcorn, some brownies, and mix up a yummy spiked hot cider (this is my favorite spiked cider recipe). Light some fall scented candles and turn off the lights. Any of the following movies would make for a cozy fall movie night!

It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
Hocus Pocus
Practical Magic
Harry Potter (any of the eight)
You’ve Got Mail
Good Will Hunting
When Harry Met sally
Knives Out
Little Women
Casper
Halloweentown

Category 4: Fall Bucket List Books

If you’re like me, you get inspired to read in the fall!

It gives me cozy day, Rory Gilmore, academia vibes that I just love.

I want to emphasize that you don’t need to spend a fortune to enjoy books. For example, you can get an Audible subscription and get monthly credits to download new reads. I have had Audible for nearly 10 years and just love it.

You could also consider if a Kindle is right for you, which also pays for itself over time, the more you read. To be honest, I am a diehard physical/audio book fan, so I’ve never even tried an e-Reader, but I have a lot of friends who swear by Kindle.

Pick a Stephen King novel! This year, I’m trying to read Different Seasons, which is actually a collection of 4 of his works
Choose a Gothic classic: Rebecca or Frankenstein would be great options
Harry Potter
- I want to put a special plug in for the Jim Dale narrations of Harry Potter on Audible. He does such a good job with the voices, and Harry Potter fans generally adore this guy.
Sherlock Holmes
Agatha Christie novels – I love Marple & Poirot, but this time of year, I definitely prefer the Hercule Poirot ones!

Category 5: Fall Bucket List Travel for Foliage

American Northeast:

Larry was born and raised in Massachusetts, and I lived up there for 6 years after high school, so of course we’re very snobby about fall foliage! The Northeast is famous for good reason, if you can time your visit to the NE just right, you’ll be in for an amazing experience. We recommend using this foliage tracker linked here.

American Southeast:

But let me tell you, we lived in Northeast Tennessee for 4 years and currently live in Atlanta, and fall colors in the South are VERY UNDERRATED. The smoky mountains, blue ridge parkway, and northeast GA in general are simply stunning during the fall. You will see colors almost as bright as the Northeast but with less than half the tourists. Again, it’s important to track the foliage to get best chances for leaf peeping. Here is a foliage tracker we’ve used in the past.

Colorado:

And finally, we also lived in Colorado for 4 years, and one of the best surprises of that entire experience is how lovely fall is with the bright yellow aspens and their stark white bark. I was not expecting to love autumn in Colorado that much, but I was simply blown away. Some of the best areas to view the Aspens in Colorado include Telluride, Crested Butte, Kenosha Pass, Maroon Bells, and of course Rocky Mountain National Park. If you can time a great hiking trip to see the Aspens, you’ll be in for a treat. Here’s a helpful Aspen foliage tracker.

Fall foliage bucket list condensed:

Great Smokies
Blue Ridge Parkway
Northeast GA
Colorado
Vermont
New Hampshire
Maine

Category 6: Fall Bucket List Aesthetic Home & Craft Ideas

There are so many fun opportunities to get crafty in the fall.

It brings to mind the nostalgia of handmade Halloween costumes and pumpkin carving. Even I (and trust me, I am not artistically gifted) can do and have done all these crafts listed below!

I’m telling you, put on a classic detective podcast in the background, or an Audible mystery book, and spend a weekend morning crafting. It will put you in the perfect mood for the season.