Smoky Mountains in the Fall

September 29, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Today, I’m sharing vacation tips on the Smoky Mountains in the fall.  The mountain ranges usually start their fall foliage display in mid-September.  The crowds are gone and you can find great prices on lodging. The weather is cool enough to hike and roam around town to enjoy displays, grab a bite to eat and snap a few pictures.  So, start planning a week or week-end get away with family and or friends. 

 

 

smoky mountains in the fall

 

 

Smoky Mountains in the Fall

 

Cades Cove

The highest elevation of the Smoky Mountains can be found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited park in the US.  It rises to an elevation of 6,643 feet. When the foliage is in full peak and decked out in yellow, browns, reds and oranges it is truly a sight to see.  Fall is a good time to time to see black bear and their cubs, deer, wild turkeys and more.  Be sure to stop by the historic churches and cabins along the Cades Cove Road too. 

If you want to see a few elk, check out Cataloochee Valley.  You can see elk roaming freely in the morning or late afternoon.  It’s a perfect opportunity to capture a few photos while inhaling the crisp, fall air.  Check out other places to see beautiful foliage and wildlife below.  

 

 

smoky mountains in the fall

 

Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is at it’s peak in October.  The Blue Ridge Parkway starts in the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and ends at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.  Mid-October is the perfect time to hit the parkway.  

 

Smoky Mountains in the fall Harvest Festivals  

The Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival is a five week festival that includes Oktoberfest.  You can find farmer’s markets, country and bluegrass concerts, hayrides, and corn mazes.   

In addition to Oktoberfest, you can find lots of fall themed foods in the towns of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.  Check out the apple fritters, apple pancakes, pumpkin spice funnel cakes and hot apple cider.  

 

 

 

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Fall Bucket List Ideas for Families

October 26, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Today, I’m sharing parenting tips on fall bucket list ideas to do with your kids. Fall is my favorite time of year.  The air is crisp, the foliage is beautiful and it’s the perfect time for a fire to roast hotdogs, make smores, and sip apple cider.  So, it’s a good time to check off a few of your fall bucket list ideas.  I return to my list year after year.  Some items remain, some are removed and at times new ideas added.  I’ll share a few of my ideas with you.

 

 

 

fall bucket list ideas

 

 

Fall Bucket List Ideas

Haunted Hay Ride – First, fall would not be complete without a hay ride.  It’s one of my favorite things to do with my grandchildren.  So, a haunted hayride has become epic.  Especially, if you love scary and spooky.  Check your local area to see what’s available.

Corn Maze – Finding your way out of a corn maze can be challenging.  Take the family and get competitive.  Girls versus the boys or mom and boys versus dad and girls.

Hot Dog Roast – Next, have a hot dog roast around the fire pit.  Roasted hotdogs are super delicious, and washing them down with fresh apple cider is the icing on the cake.

Bake Apple Crisp – Apples are plentiful in the fall.  Visit your local farmer’s market and grab a bag of apples.  You can spend the day making delicious dishes with the kids.

Bob for Apples –  So, have you ever filled a tub and bobbed for apples?  This can be a great family activity on a sunny day.  Give out homemade treats after the activity and warm up everyone’s belly with warm apple cider.

Nature Hunt –  Also, print our Nature Hunt printable and send the kids on a journey.  You can take a walk around the neighborhood, hunt in your backyard or take a drive.

Note: I am an Amazon Associate.  If you clip on one of the products or purchase, I may be compensated a small fee.  However, there will be additional cost to you.

 


 

 

Take Fall Photos – Purchase a camera for your kids go in search of fall foliage, pumpkin displays, or take pictures at a local festival.   The possibilities are endless.

Make Smores – Plan a day to make smores around the firepit.  Who doesn’t love smores!

Schedule a Family Portrait –  Schedule a family portrait at a local barn or the park.  Fall provides a beautiful opportunity for a family photo.  Have everyone wear jeans or a cowboy hat for the picture.

Gather  Leaves – Leaves can used for crafts, pressed and used in photo displays and more.  I love gathering leaves in different shapes and colors.  Nature gives us many leaves to choose from.  As a result, think about how you will use them and choose accordingly.

 

 

fall bucket list ideas

 

Attend an Apple Butter Festival –  Additionally, if your kids love apple butter, find an apple butter festival.  You can turn it into a learning experience for the kids.  They can watch the apple butter being made.  Most have plenty of crafts and great food too.

Build a Firepit – Last, if you don’t have a firepit, build one.  Lowes has everything you need to finish your product.

 

I hope that you found one or two of my ideas interesting, and you will add them to your fall bucket list ideas.

 

 

 

 

 

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Tips for Backyard Bird Fall Migration

August 22, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Today, I’m sharing birding tips on backyard bird fall migration.  Fall is around the corner, and many of our feather friends will be migrating south.  Migration usually occurs between September and November.  Are you anxious to assist during the backyard bird fall migration?   Assisting birds in the fall is just as important as assisting them in the spring.

 

backyard bird fall migration

 

 

 

 

Here’s a few tips on backyard bird fall migration:

 

 


 

 

Provide Moving Water  – Place a bird bath in a location that birds can see from the sky is crucial as a backyard birder.  Birds are attracted to moving water.  As a result, you can purchase a floating fountain or agitator to place in your bird baths.  I have floating fountains for my bird baths.  I love them, I can change the fountain heads to different sprays of water when I want a change.  If you’re going to provide water for backyard birds, clean your bird baths regularly.

 


Use Large Feeders – During the backyard bird fall migration, I use large bird feeders.  Hundreds of hungry birds are migrating south and will need to eat while in route.  I have found that using large feeders keeps me from having to refill my feeders so often.  I use several feeders, platform and tubes.  However, I have found that platform feeders draw the largest number of birds.

 


 

Provide High Energy Foods – Provide high energy foods for your feathered friends.  This includes black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, a variety of suet, meal worms, cracked corn and fruit.

 

Clean Out Birdhouses –  Fall is a good time to clean out nesting boxes and store them for spring if they’re not mounted.

 

 

backyard bird fall migration

 

Provide Cover – Leave brush piles and/or piles of leaves in your garden or backyard if possible.  Birds love natural nesting areas like trees, shrubs, and bushes.  Furthermore, most will return to the same nesting spots year after year.  Baby birds will return to the yards they were born in and build their nests in the same area.  As a result, make your yard as bird family as possible.

 

Provide Natural Food Sources –  Providing berries from Wild Cherry, Dogwood, Holly, Chokeberry, Ash and other trees will be welcomed by our feathered friends.  Migrating birds will devour these berries.

 

So, start now so that you will be ready when backyard bird fall migration arrives.  Also, remember that birds scour for resources in the fall.  If your yard is well stocked, and they hang around during the winter month.  They will return to your yard!  When is Fall Migration.

 

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Fall Kindergarten Activities Pack

October 14, 2016 by 4 Comments

Fall is here.  Today, I’m sharing fall kindergarten activities.  It’s a great time to gather around the fireplace and spend family time together.  Also, it’s a great time to start gathering chilly day activities for kids.  My granddaughter started kindergarten this year.  As a result, I’m putting together lots of kindergarten activities for her.   Be sure to subscribe if you’re interested in printables.  

 

kindergarten activities with a fall theme

 

Here’s a little about my fall kindergarten activities:

 

Helping your child count to 20 before kindergarten is great, so if you have a preschooler these activities will help them too.

 

fall-kindergarten-how-many-apples-do-you-see-1

The fall pack includes a coloring page, put a face on the pumpkin face, math, counting, and a bonus word search activity.   Additionally, children love to color.  Especially, this time of year when the leaves are turning and pumpkin patches await visitors.  Another activity that excites littles ones is Halloween. Actually it is around the corner, and everyone is exciting about the scariest night of the year.

Our Kindergarten Activities will helps kids count from 1 – 10 and than 1 – 15 on another activity sheet.  We have also created an addition math sheet that encourages children to trace the sum of the numbers.   Further, you can find pumpkins in the Cutest Pumpkin in the Pumpkin Patch that need to be numbered.  Also, apples from the trees in the fall.  You little one will have to number the falling apples in another activity.

Additionally activities including drawing a face on the pumpkin.  This activity allows children to use their imagination to draw the pumpkin they envision.  It can be scary or funny or male or female.  The choice is up to them.  As a bonus, we included a word search puzzle that will help with spelling and reading.

Download the fall kindergarten activity sheets here.  Be sure to subscribe so you can receive other fabulous printables.  You may also like Fall Nature Hunt Game.

 

 

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How To Throw an Epic Fall Barbeque

September 30, 2016 by 2 Comments

 

fall barbaque tips

 

The summer might have come to an end, but there’s still plenty of time left in the year to make use of your barbeque. The weather is still mild enough, but the change in season makes it a little different to your average midsummer cookout. So get your family and friends around, and fire up the barbeque while you still can! Here are just a few of the ways you can make a fall barbeque special, and ensure your party is an epic success.

 

bbq grilling tips

Photo from Wikimedia

 

Cook Seasonal Produce

Now we’re in fall, take advantage of the awesome fall produce that’s available! Don’t be afraid to think out of the box when you’re planning your fall barbeque.  Just because certain things aren’t traditionally done on the barbeque doesn’t mean they won’t taste great. Ingredients like squash, sweet potatoes, meats marinated in warming spices are all great options to cook on the grill. You have things like mushrooms (which are at their best during the fall and winter) and corn on the cob which are both in season.  We all know they work well on the barbeque. You could even grill some seasonal fall fruits such as apples, quince and figs. Serve with some mascarpone cream for something tasty yet unusual.

 

Serve Up Warming, Seasonal Drinks

You could whip up a big batch of warming apple cider with spices for guests when they arrive. Or you could create cocktails using seasonal fruits to sip on through the evening. Think pear mimosas, blackberry margaritas and bourbon hot toddies. You could even make some homemade hot chocolate and keep it warm in the slow cooker ready to serve later in the evening. Mugs served with whipped cream, sprinkles and maybe even a shot of Irish cream liqueur are bound to go down well.

 

Keep Everyone Warm

While the weather is still nice, there’s definitely more of a chill in the air especially as the evening draws on. So investing in fire pits or outdoor fireplaces could is a great investment for the garden. You could provide guests with blankets, and all sit around the toasty fire.  Toast some marshmallows or drink hot chocolate in the cool, crisp evening to finish off the night. Perfect!

fall bbq tips

Photo from Pixabay

 

Think About Lights and Decorations

There are so many ways you could go with fall decor ideas. Hollowed out pumpkins displaying seasonal flowers make a fabulous fall decoration which doesn’t look ‘halloween-y’. You could line some mason jars with pretty fall leaves and put some tea light candles inside. You can even buy cute battery operated autumnal fairy lights featuring things like faux leaves. These kind of things will set the ambience. Having lots of lighting around is useful when the days are shorter too. As well as your smaller light sources, it’s worth having an outdoor light or floodlight if your party is going to carry on through the evening.

Have you ever thrown a fall barbeque? How did you make it different to a standard summer one?

 

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Fall Craft Ideas: Fall Leaf Frame

November 20, 2015 by 2 Comments

 

 

fall craft ideas

 

 

Are you searching for fall craft ideas?  I love making crafts with natural items, especially in the fall.  Making a leaf frame with a few of the pressed leaves that I had stored was at the top of my craft list.   Don’t you love how it turned it out. It was a perfect project to do while sipping a cup of coffee and listening to the morning news.

Spend an afternoon with the kids or grandkids searching for fall leaves.  Place them between 2 sheets of wax paper and leave them in a heavy book to dry.  Once they are dry, they’re ready for this project.

Here’ what you will need:

  • Pressed leaves in various colors and sizes
  • Frame with flat sides (I forgot to take  picture of the actual frame that I used. The one below is just to show you the type needed).
  • Mod Podge  (I have seen miniature bottles at Five and Below for a $1.50, which will be sufficient for this project).
  • A brush or sponge

 


modge podge projects, fall picture frames

 

Creating your frame is simple.  However, the hardest part is waiting for it to dry so you can add your favorite fall picture. If you don’t have pressed leaves available, set a day aside to go on a nature hunt.  Collecting leaves with your children or grandchildren is the perfect fall activity.

Once you gather the leaves and other materials here are your next steps:

  • Start at the bottom and place your leaves around the frame so you can get a feel of where you want them before you coat them.
  • Once you’re satisfied with the placement, coat the front and back of each leaf and place it where you want it on the frame.
  • When all of the leaves are in place, cover all of them with a good coat of Mod Podge.
  • Allow the frame to dry about an hour.
  • Add your favorite fall photo.

 

 

leaf frames, fall decorating, fall crafts

 

If you’re looking for fall craft ideas, we hope you will consider our fall leaf frame.  It was a fun activity, and I’m sure your littles one will enjoy creating a frame and placing their favorite picture in the frame too.  You may also like:  Fall Kindergarten Activity Pack.

 

 

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Toilet Paper Roll Turkey Crafts

November 18, 2015 by 5 Comments

Looking for fall or Thanksgiving crafts for your preschooler or elementary school crafter?  We’re sharing parenting tips on turkey crafts.  You can make this toilet paper roll turkey craft in no time and with little materials. It’s a great project to make with the kids for Thanksgiving.

So, save several toilet paper tubes.  Also, take a day and spend time with the kids gathering leaves from your backyard or better yet take a walk around you neighborhood.

 

 

 

turkey crafts

 

 

You will need to press the leaves once you get them home before you make the turkey crafts.  Pressing the leaves is quite simple. This is another fun project to do with the kids.  Give them 2 pieces of wax paper.  Place the leaves between the two sheets of wax paper.  Place the sheets between the pages of a heavy book.  I actually used an phone book, and placed the book under my Kitchen Aid mixer.  After a few days, check the leaves to see if they are dry.  All moisture should be removed.  Once the leaves have reached this stage you are ready to assemble your turkey crafts.

 

 

 

You will also need the following items:

  • toilet paper roll
  • brown paint
  • paint brush
  • yellow construction paper
  • Googly Eyes ( I found these at the Dollar Tree)
  • leaves

Paint the toilet paper roll brown and allow it to dry thoroughly, approximately 15 minutes.  While the toilet paper roll is drying, spread 4-5 leaves into a fan. Make sure your center leaf is a little higher than the others, you want it to be higher than the tube.

Glue your leaves together with a hot glue gun or Elmer’s glue pen. Next, make the feet and a nose with your construction paper. Be sure to make your legs and feet long enough to hang from beneath the tube. I glued the legs on the inside of the toilet paper roll. Once the toilet paper roll is dry, glue your leaves, eyes, nose and feet to the tube as shown.

 


You may also like:16 Mom Approved Beach Crafts or Country Living Turkey Crafts for more ideas.  

 

 


 

 


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Outside Scavenger Hunt for Kids

October 3, 2015 by

Today, I’m sharing parenting tips on outside scavenger hunt for kids. Fall is here, and it’s a perfect time to go on a nature hunt with the children.  Leaves are changing colors, pumpkin patches have come to life, and corn mazes await you.   Also, it’s a great way to get the children excited about Halloween. You can talk about customs, parties and treats.  Lets not forget about football season, tailgating and delicious recipes for parties and family gatherings.

Additionally, it’s still warm enough for the children to go outside and play.  So, a fall nature hunt is a great way to get together as a family, get some exercise and explore nature. Plan a day of hiking, walking the neighborhood or spending the day at your favorite park is the perfect place to play a nature hunt game.  It can be a great opportunity for the children to ask questions and learn about nature.

 

 

Outside Scavenger Hunt for Kids

 

 

outside scavenger hunt

 

 

 

If you decide to visit the park to find your nature hunt ideas, pack a lunch filled with our fall snack items ideas.  You can enjoy each other’s company after the nature hunt.  Talk about a funny moment that you encountered during your walk.  You can also take pictures of the kids hunting for items or other scenic items that you find along the way.

Furthermore, you can drive away the neighborhood or town if it’s cold.  The kids can still get out of the house and you can enjoy other in a nice warm vehicle.

While you’re walking and taking pictures look for the items on the Nature Hunt list. We’ve added different color leaves, pumpkins, a stick, acorn, pinecone and more.  They’re all  easy to find and common in all most areas across the country.  If you need materials for a fall craft project, this would a great time for you to gather items as you walk along too.  So, this can include fall leaves of various colors, acorns, pinecones and more.

 

 

 

Scavenger Hunt Printables

 

 

Fall Nature Hunt Game
outside scavenger hunt printables

 


    
Finally, feel free to print our fall nature hunt ideas on cardstock.  You can place the printables on a clipboard to make it easier for the kids to check off items.  Download the Fall Nature Hunt Ideas Printable here.  Also, you may also like:  Road Trip Scavenger Hunt Game



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Ten Reasons I Love Fall

October 23, 2013 by
Harpers Ferry, WV


Fall is my favorite time of the year, and here’s my Top 10 reasons that I look forward to this season: 

  1. Beautiful yellow, orange, brown, and red colors – There’s nothing more beautiful than fall foliage on a country drive.
  2. Crisp, fresh air – Sipping a cup of coffee on the deck while inhaling the crisp, fresh air warms my heart.
  3. Visiting the pumpkin patch with the grandchildren – We’ve made visiting the pumpkin patch an annual event. 
  4. It’s boot season –  I love my boots, and I have plenty.
  5. Chili and soups move to the top of the menu – I love simmering a pot of chili or soup on the week-ends during the colder months.
  6. Roaring fires – The fireplace comes to life 
  7.  Mums and pansies are in bloom – I love pops of color in the landscape in the fall. It brightens everything.
  8. Halloween costumes – I love how excited the kids get deciding who or what they want to for a night of spooky & candy.
  9. Scarves – I love scarves, and have a drawer dedicated to them.
  10. Roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire pit – There’s nothing like roasted hot dogs and smores with the grandchildren in the fall.   

Do you get excited about the fall colors and fresh, crisp air?  What’s your favorite fall activity?  

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