Draven Jackson
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Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year, and a great quote that I think embodies the joy of the season is from Winnie the Pooh: “It’s the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!” One of the best ways to celebrate the change from the warmth of summer to the cool of fall is planning fun autumn activities that you can enjoy with a group of your close friends!

Many of these activities can also become family events (excluding a few adult-only options), but don’t be afraid to take some time just for you and your besties to enjoy the changing leaves and cool breeze. It’s time to say goodbye to bathing suits and 90-degree weather and say hello to soft sweaters, hot chocolate, and a great night with your favorite people!

Have a Picnic

Fall is the bridge right between too-hot summer and freezing-cold winter, so it’s the perfect time to plan autumn activities that embrace the good weather. One great way to get outside this season is to have a picnic with all your best friends! Have everyone bring a different snack option – you’re going to want an assortment of finger foods, sweets, and drinks that all the picnickers can enjoy.

Next, find a nice location – like a local park or pretty lake – where you can set down blankets and enjoy your snacks. You want somewhere that’s not too crowded and could offer a scenic backdrop for cute picnic photos! Bonus points if you bring cute glasses and plates to help upgrade your picnic to the next (Instagram-ready) level.

If you want your picnic to be more active, have someone bring along some fun outdoor games (like a Frisbee or soccer ball) that could offer the perfect opportunity for a little friendly competition. But if you want to keep your picnic more low-key, then it’s perfectly okay to just sit back, chat while you’re eating some snacks, and simply enjoy each other’s company and the good weather.

Enjoy an Adults-Only Casual Cocktail Party

This was actually one of the autumn activities that I tried out with my friends for the first time this year and it went amazingly! This is one of the few adults-only options on the list as a cocktail party isn’t really a fun place for a kid to be at. However, it’s a great time if you’re looking to plan a cozy little get-together with all your close friends!

For this activity, have everyone make and bring their own unique cocktail option. While it’s fun to stay in a seasonal theme, going with a traditional Moscow Mule or Margarita is also an acceptable choice. You don’t have to dress fancy for this event – keep it casual and just enjoy some yummy drinks and finger foods with your besties while lounging around in your favorite fuzzy socks and sweatshirt combo!

Go for a Hike

The great outdoors offers a lot of opportunities for autumn activities once the leaves begin to change and fall, including going for a hike! Staying active during the summer can be difficult for those who enjoy being outside but don’t like to feel like they’re melting under the sweltering summer heat. However, once fall comes around and the temperature drops, it’s much easier to find the motivation to get outside and do something active.

Hiking with your friends is not only great for improving your health, but it’s also a way to stay motivated and make sure you get your daily exercise. Also, sometimes if you are alone, it might be easier to give up early and turn back before you reach the end of your trail or the summit of the mountain. However, having someone who encourages you to continue will push you to keep going, and in the end, you will be rewarded with a scenic view and the knowledge that you were able to accomplish something amazing!

Plan a Baking Day

One of my all-time favorite autumn activities is baking delicious fall treats. In my opinion, while they can be enjoyed any time of year, apple pies and warm cookies (and anything made with pumpkin or walnuts) are staple autumn desserts. To me, there is no better way to enjoy these delicious treats than with the people who helped me make them as we watch a movie or just talk about our plans for the upcoming holidays.

Pro tip: while you are baking, you’ll want to drink some warm apple cider and listen to your favorite music (holiday music is good, but not required). Trust me, these two need to be included in your activity if you want to set the tone for the day.

Host a Friendsgiving Potluck

With the holidays just on the horizon, of course one of the autumn activities we had to include on our list was planning a Friendsgiving potluck with all our besties. While many people consider Thanksgiving to be a family holiday, events like “Friendsgiving” have slowly been getting more popular over the last few years because celebrating how grateful you are for your friends is a great way to spend your evening.

Your friends are the family you choose, so it’s important to remind them of how precious they are to you. By hosting a Friendsgiving, not only can you share your favorite holiday foods with all your favorite people, but you can also take the opportunity to let them know how important and special they are to you.

Go on a Ghost Tour

Even though spooky season has already passed, there’s something about fall that lends itself to ghostly autumn activities. Whether you choose to enjoy cemetery tours, ghost hunting adventures, or haunted corn mazes, there are endless opportunities to enjoy the spooky vibes that come with the falling leaves and lower temperatures.

Personally, I love the history and interesting factoids I can learn when I go on a cemetery tour or visit a “haunted” location. For example, a few years ago my family and I went to tour the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. The mansion is said to have a haunted room, and getting to learn more about these areas of the house and see them for myself was a really exciting experience for me (even though I’m a bit of a scaredy cat). So get together a group of your best friends, take a weekend trip to somewhere that boasts a “haunted” location, and go on a spooky tour together!

Do you have more ideas for fun autumn activities to do with friends? Tell us in the comments!

About Draven Jackson

Draven is an avid writer and reader who enjoys sharing her opinions on movies, books, and music with the rest of the world. She will soon be working as a teacher in Japan and hopes to use her experience to connect with other teachers and students around the globe. Draven spends most of her time at home with her family, her dogs, and her ferret.

To see more, view all posts by Draven Jackson here.

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