5 fall activities you need to add to your bucket list this year!
It’s ~finally~ fall y’all! 🍂🍁 If there is a season I really lean into it’s fall. I honestly can’t get enough of all things apples and pumpkins (except a PSL, no thank you). Every year around this time I get a bit homesick for Massachusetts and specifically all the fall traditions my family has, such as going to our local apple orchard and baking my Grandmother’s pumpkin bread.
But after six years of living in NYC I’ve come to see how many amazing fall activities there are around and just outside of the city for those of us that don’t have cars! So I’ve started my own fall traditions and wanted to share a few of my favorites to help build your fall bucket list!
Storm King Art Center
I visited Storm King for the first time last year and I have to say it’s now hands down my favorite fall day trip. While it’s a bit of a distance out of the city it’s completely accessible via the train and then a quick Uber!
To give a bit of context, Storm King Art Center is an “open-air museum” – essentially it’s a giant park with incredible sculptures scattered throughout the beautiful setting. It’s the perfect place to escape the city and take in the truly gorgeous views of the fall foliage.
The park gets BUSY on a pretty weekend, so I recommend heading up early to explore the park from about 10am to noon or 1pm before most of the crowds get there. Then head back into town to get lunch and walk around! There is no shortage of quaint shops to wander through in Beacon and last year we got the perfect small town lunch at a diner!
Twin Star Orchards & Brooklyn Cider House
While I love a good apple picking trip, sometimes it’s hard to justify leaving the city for just apple picking since it is such a quick activity! This year in a bit of digging for a potential birthday activity I discovered that Brooklyn Cider House has an offshoot in New Paltz at Twin Star Orchards.
At Twin Star Orchards you can not only pick your own apples, but theres a full food pavilion with wood fired pizzas, burgers, and delicious cider! It’s truly the perfect place to spend a day because as soon as you’re sick of apple picking you can grab a picnic table and spend the rest of the day enjoying the pizza and cider!
Twin Star is a bit trickier to get to than some of my other activities, but honestly so worth it in my mind. You can take a Trailways Bus to New Paltz Park & Ride and then it’s just a 5 minute Uber to the orchard! Just double check bus times as there usually aren’t a ton of options!
Union Sq Farmers Market
If you can’t make it out of the city for day of apple or pumpkin picking then a trip to the Union Square Farmers Market is a MUST.
With all the different vendors coming in from various spots just outside the city you’ll be able to find all your favorite quintessential fall treats! My favorite way to do the farmers market is to grab cider donuts and hot apple cider (once it’s a bit chillier) and then grab a bench in the park! Then I’ll grab fresh farm picked apples to make apple crisp or tarts at home!
PS if it’s close to Halloween once you leave the Farmers Market head over to the West Village for my favorite spooky decorations!
The Met Cloisters
Every time I make a seasonal list I add The Cloisters because it is truly a hidden gem in Manhattan. The Cloisters is an extension of the Met in Upper Manhattan that focuses mostly on European religious art, but even if you’re not a museum fan it’s worth the trip for the gorgeous architecture and gardens on the grounds. If you need a little break from city life, but don’t have the time to actually leave the city then this is the activity for you!
The museum is also located in Fort Tyron park which is the perfect place to set up a picnic blanket and spend the afternoon reading or hanging out with friends after you leave!
Central Park Leaf Peeping
Last, but definitely not least is my favorite fall activity – wandering Central Park during the peak foliage weekend! I usually dedicate at least one Saturday in the fall to just wandering across the park taking in the leaves.
I love Central Park in the fall so much I actually devoted an entire post last year to all the best spots to see the leaves! The key here is to know that Central Park often leaves usually turn a bit later than outside of the city, so on a normal year you likely won’t reach peak foliage until the end of October!
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