Family-Friendly Fall Things to Do!
Whether you stay indoors or head outside into the cool fall temperatures, we found plenty of things to do this fall that involved the whole family. From hiking in the nearby woodsy wonderland of Colorado’s foothills, to hosting a tailgate party, toasting s’mores and crafting everything from wreaths, to pumpkins and centerpieces.
Fall Hikes – Some Still Have Color!
We live in paradise. A Rocky Mountain paradise. And whether you’ve got an afternoon for a minimally taxing kids and adults hike, a full day for a big climb or a long weekend for a getaway to the mountains, you can find a trail that takes in the colors of fall. Take a look and lace up those shoes — the mild weather won’t last forever!
The Denver Post/The Know posted several hikes – easy to difficult — close to Denver/Boulder and even further away if you have all day. For example, you can hit the super popular Chautauqua Trailhead that starts in Chautauqua Park. The parks and rec people suggest avoiding peak hours because of the crowds but if you start early – say around 8:00 a.m., especially if you go on a weekday – you’ll be in select company.
The hike is short but climbs more than 1300 feet, so it feels like you’ve burned some calories. And you should still be able to leaf peep a little bit on your way up – see the golds and reds that complement the rust-hued backdrop of the Flatirons.
If you’re taking photos with your phone, here’s a quick primer with tips from a phone photography school! Once you get past the base of the three Flatiron rock formations, you’ll see the coup de grâce – a flagstone staircase leading up to the spectacular Royal Arch. Expect to see changing leaf colors across the entire Boulder Valley and – if you’re lucky – winged, soaring, raptors!
Stay Indoors and Craft
Fall is all about warm colors, pumpkin everything and cozy sweaters, so celebrate the season with an afternoon of crafting. DIY decorating ideas like fall wreaths, seasonal centerpieces and pumpkin décor are the perfect embellishments for your porch, patio, stair rail, mantel and dinner table.
And for a few easy-to-make Halloween costume ideas, click here!
Pumpkins – Carved, Crafted and Painted
Turn those plump orange pumpkins you scored at the grocery store into Halloween masterpieces with these ideas. Explore your no-carve options, like painted pumpkins, glittered pumpkins, decoupaged pumpkins, pumpkin topiaries and more crafty pumpkin decorating ideas for the October season of candy and scary thrills.
Because there are no sharp tools involved, no-carve options double as the perfect Halloween kids’ craft. The image transfer pumpkin is a new one for us, and the images to choose from are endless – especially with the proliferation of royalty-free images on sites like Pixabay. Pick from fall foliage, barn yard animals, cats, owls, crescent moons or scary Halloween or Día de los Muertos images. This old-school technique creates an antiqued look — just the thing to decorate an indoor mantel.
If you want to carve yourself a jack-o-lantern for the front porch, have the kids pick out a pumpkin-carving pattern from one of these Pumpkin Lady templates. Frightening looking trees, goofy grinning faces, cartoon kitties, and scary clowns and creepy goblins, ghouls and monsters – they’re all right here!
90 HGTV templates designed for adults who are handy with a sharp tool.
Almost Halloween in Colliers Hill!
If you like running, fast walking, rolling or dressing up for Halloween, check out the Eerie Erie, scheduled for October 30 right through the master-planned community of Colliers Hill. And afterward, come and tour the beautiful model homes from KB Home, Century Communities and Richmond American Homes – and coming soon, Boulder Creek. Priced from the $400s, this fast-growing new home community in Northern Colorado has lots of exciting amenities to offer new home buyers, too!
