bucket list

There's something so romantically fall about cardigan sweaters, cooler mornings and curling your fingers around a cup of hot chocolate. When swimsuits are replaced by corduroys, the sun lazily rises in the morning and the smell of fallen leaves fills the air. Whatever makes fall one of your favorite seasons, we're highlighting all the special things in the Indianapolis area perfect for fall family fun. Indianapolis Fun Fall Activities to Try All Fall Long Go apple picking. Attend a fall festival. Hit up an outdoor farmers market while you still can. Run through the sunflower field at Conner Prairie. Beginning August 24 for a limited time only. Practice trick-or-treating at these places to Trick-or-Treat near Indianapolis before Halloween. Enjoy the colors of fall at one of these top 5 spots to witness fall foliage in Indiana. Farmers’ Almanac predicts peak fall foliage dates for 2021 are October 5-21 in northern Indiana and October 12-28 in southern Indiana. photo courtesy of Spring Mill State Park Ride the zip line at the Nature Adventure Playground at Jill Perelman Pavilion. Explore a local nature center. Visit Fishers AgriPark for a unique park/farm experience. Ride the Sullivan Express to PumpkinTown. Catch a free outdoor movie every Monday at Movies at Midtown. Movies are shown on the big screen at 12 pm, 3 pm and 7 pm. Try out a Make It, Take It art class at the Indianapolis Art Center. Make It, Take It family classes are offered along with kids or adults only. Take your trip to the playground to a whole new level at one of the top 10 coolest playgrounds in Indianapolis. Or if you need to burn some energy inside, check out these awesome indoor playgrounds around Indianapolis. Experience life on a working farm during a visit to one of these local farms. Pack the family for a walk in downtown Indy. Head to the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin. Russell Farms Pumpkin Patch Check out the trails at the Marian University EcoLab for a fall hike. Saddle up for a family horseback ride at K-Trails Equestrian Adventures. Go on a hike and enjoy the fall colors. Here are some great hiking trails for kids. Enjoy a meal out with the family at one of these 10 fun Indianapolis restaurants for kids! Does your family have an adrenaline junkie? Consider a family zip line trip. Explore Carmel's Midtown Plaza for an outing everyone will enjoy. Fall can be a great time for a family camping trip. Here are our favorite spots within a 90-minute drive of Indianapolis. Spend a cool morning climbing the Conner Prairie Treetop Outpost. Conner Prairie Treetop Outpost Test your wits at a local haunted house or scare park. Get in your final creek stomping at Cool Creek Park or Flowing Well Park. Have archeologists adventure at River Road Park. This one-of-a-kind park includes features you’ll see nowhere else around Indy. River Road Road Get outdoors and try out Geocaching, it's like a scavenger hunt paired with a game of hide-and-seek. Attend a spooktacular event at the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. Or try a family round of disc golf. Here is a guide for all the places to play disc golf around Indy. Buy a pumpkin spice latte. Make fun Halloween treats. Explore a new-to-you children’s museum. These 9 museums are all within a 2-hour drive of Indy. Visit the Apple Store at Conner Prairie for a delicious fall treat. Watch a scary movie... that isn't too scary. Road trip 1 hour north to Exploration Acres, Indiana's largest corn maze and pumpkin patch. Exploration Acres Cheer on the Indianapolis Colts! Run through a corn maze. Take the family to try their hand at archery at Koteewi Archery Range in Noblesville. Koteewi Archery Range in Noblesville Head undergrad to explore a cave. Stay close to home with these Indiana caves, or use your fall break to explore some of these amazing caves in the midwest. Plan a trip to your favorite park or playground before winter comes. Plan a fall break road trip to one of these awesome fall trip destinations. Take a self-guided tour of Trader’s Point Creamery. Play a round of Duckpin Bowling at Action & Atomic Duckpin Bowling in Fountain Square. Spend some time giving back and volunteer as a family. Plan a train trip and ride the rails! Go trick-or-treating! Check out Indianapolis-area Trick-or-Treat times. Can't Miss Fall Festivals and Events around Indianapolis Beasley’s Orchard Fall Festival - September 24 - October 31 Celebrate the fall harvest with farm family fun! Enjoy hayrides to the pumpkin patch, our 8-acre corn maze, apple cannons, the barnyard bonanza, food vendors, and more! Beasley’s Orchard Fall Festival Harvest Nights at Newfields - October 2-31 The spooky (not scary) outdoor walking experience guides guests around twists and turns of the enchanted forest, an eerie ghost train and a grand finale at Mischief Manor at the Lilly House mansion. Harvest Nights at Newfields ZooBoo at the Indianapolis Zoo - October 6 - 31 Head to the Zoo for super-duper Halloween activities, amazing animals and pumpkins galore! ZooBoo is always a fun family experience for itty-bitty ghouls and goblins, as well as the bigger kids. Headless Horseman at Conner Prairie - October 7-10, 14-17, 21-24, 28-30, 2021 This fall festival is full of activities, shows and spooktacular family fun. Take an adventure on Conner Prairie's haunted hayride where you’ll get chased down by the Headless Horseman! Frightful Frontier Haunted House at The Children's Museum - October 7-31, 2021 Round up the cowpokes and saddle up for a spook-tacular ride through the Frightful Frontier, The Children's Museum Guild's 57th Annual Haunted House. Chaos ensues once you board the last train to Tombtown, where goblins and monsters roam the wicked west! The Haunted House offers lights-on hours for children who scare easily, and hours with the lights off, for children who dare to be scared. Dull’s Tree Farm and Pumpkin Harvest - September 25, 26 and October 2-3, 7-10,14-17, 21-24, 28-31 The Pumpkin Harvest at Dull’s Tree Farm provides fall fun for the whole family! Take a hike through the 8-acre corn maze, and then pick your very own pumpkin from our pumpkin patch. Re-energize with some food from the Feed Bunk and wash it down with a refreshing apple cider slushy. But make sure to leave room for a freshly made apple cider donut from the Sugar Shack! Then you will be ready to explore all of our other fun farm activities! With over 40 to choose from, including slides, sling shots, trikes, mazes, mini zip line, barrel train and more, you will be sure to leave with some good old down-on-the-farm memories that will last for years to come. Keslay Farms - October 1-31, 2021 Experience the Farm! Corn maze, hayrides, farm animals, pumpkins, the Jump Pad, Straw Bale Mountain, Moo Choo Express rides, play in the corn crib, pumpkin painting, snacks, milkshakes and more! Keslay Farms Piney Acres Farm - September 25-October 31 Pick a pumpkin, take a hayride, explore the corn maze, fire the air cannon, play in the kid’s zone, dig for fossils, mine for gems, jump and giggle on the bounce pad, take a spin on the cow train, visit our barnyard friends and enjoy yummy fall treats in our farm store. We can’t wait to see you for Piney Acres Farm’s 2021 Fall Pumpkin Roundup! Located just minutes from Indianapolis in Hancock County. Open daily September 25-October 31, 2021. Covid-19 precautions are required and in place. Russell Farms Pumpkin Patch - September 24 – October 31 Enjoy hayrides to the pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, 2 scavenger hunt corn mazes, Mt. Russell slide, a huge jumping pillow, miniature golf, pedal carts for all ages, pedal tractors, playground areas, concessions, a country store full of apple cider, fudge, fall decorations, and more on a safe farm with fresh country air and lots of pumpkins and gourds!! Open Saturdays and Sundays 10 am-6 pm, Monday-Friday 1 pm-4 pm. Admission $12 weekends, $10 weekdays, ages 2 and younger free, ages 65 + are $8, military member/veterans are $8. Field trips, birthday parties, and evening group bonfires by reservation only. Lark Ranch - September 25-October 30 Two locations? Double the fun! Admission to each of these includes access to the corn maze, pumpkin patch, treehouse village, jumping pillow, hayrides, pony rides, zip lines, petting zoo, food, and more. The full-size trains at both locations are a must-see! Lark Ranch

bucket list

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bucket list

Fall Fun Bucket List Ideas in Indianapolis

Read Current Issue

Latest Articles

14 Awesome After-School Activities Ideas

IU Health Momentum Indy offers weekend of fun for kids

North Central High School

Smithsonian Museum Day 2022 – Free Museum Admission