The Best Family-Friendly Trips to Take This Fall
If you’ve got kids, autumn is basically your time to shine. (Well, on Instagram anyway.) Here, eight fall getaway ideas designed to edify, delight and get you that really great photo op. (Don’t worry, we’ve got something for your surly teenager, too.)
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Explore the American Frontier at a Dude Ranch
Give your kids a taste of the Wild West at a real life, working ranch. Little ones will love horseback riding, fishing, hiking and biking, while grown-ups will love the gourmet food and stunning vistas. Hey, some dude ranches even feature luxury spas. Sign. Us. Up.
RELATED: 5 Dude Ranch Vacation Ideas for Your Next Family Trip
Find a Local Fall Festival
With so many seasonal events happening around the country, how far you go is up to you. (Try Googling the name of a nearby town and “fall festival” and you’ll be surprised at how many options come up.) For example, Dallas, Texas, has an entire pumpkin village (made out of 75,000 gourds); St. Charles, Illinois, has an annual scarecrow competition; and Wareham, Massachusetts, has a cranberry harvest festival.
Visit a Family-Friendly Winery
Enjoy those last few days of sunshine (and unwind with a glass of red) at a winery that’s designed with the whole family in mind. Think: Petting zoos, pools, live music, disc golf and more. You can even watch your kids partake in a grape juice tasting (so adorable).
RELATED: 5 U.S. Wineries That Are Surprisingly Family-Friendly
Check Out the Fall Foliage
It’s a fine line between leaf-peeping and leaf-jumping, and we don’t don’t mind if it gets a little blurry. New England is a classic choice, but anywhere with dense trees that transform into gorgeous reds, yellows and oranges will work. Need some ideas for what to do with those beautiful leaves your kids bring home? Here are five genius ways to use them up.
Go Hunting For Ghosts
Got older kids who think family vacations are sooo lame? They might feel differently when exploring one of the spookiest towns in America. Get into the Halloween spirit by checking out eerie graveyards, haunted buildings, abandoned cities and more (if you dare).
See the Northern Lights
Seeing the Aurora Borealis is at the top of every traveler’s bucket list (OK, maybe not your kids’, but trust when we say they’ll love it when they see it). And there’s no need to travel to Iceland to spot it; instead check out these five spots in the U.S. where you’re likely to catch a glimpse. Even if you don’t, there’s still plenty of breathtaking stargazing to be had.
RELATED: The 8 Most Beautiful Places to Go Stargazing in the U.S.
Explore the Country’s National Parks
These protected areas are chock-full of tourists in the summertime but are happily much less busy come fall. Grab the fam and show them an array of spectacular waterfalls, diverse wildlife and drop-dead-gorgeous landscapes. Oh, and if you head to Yellowstone, you’ll even see an active volcano. #CoolMom.
RELATED: The 8 Most Breathtaking National Parks in America
Pumpkin Picking
You didn’t really think we wouldn’t include a pumpkin patch, did you?
