Autumn brings gorgeous colors, pumpkin spice, and cozy winter sweaters.
It also means winter is coming, so it’s the last chance to leave the house and have fun before it gets too cold to go outside.
Although we’ve extensively covered all the wonderful things you can do in the fall, our tighter budgets often prevent us from enjoying the full breadth of available options.
Enjoy Fall Fun on a Budget
Not all fall activities have to cost a fortune.
These 18 cheap fall activities cost so little that they’re nearly free (and some are!).
Enjoy your autumn for less.
Hike the Fall Forest
My favorite thing about fall is the gorgeous scenery and woodsy scent of fall foliage. As the leaves change colors in their annual ritual, the woods burst with brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds before dropping to the forest floor.
Explore the wilderness to enjoy nature’s colorful show with a hike. Watch the falling leaves dance to the ground. Breath in the earthly aroma that wafts through the forest as the trees hunker down for their long winter’s nap.
The chilly breeze, colorful foliage, and sweet smell lingering in the air make autumn the best season for embarking on a low-cost hike at a nearby state park or forest preserve.
Get Scared at a Haunted House
My second favorite thing about the fall is Halloween! Almost every town has its own small haunted house (when I was in high school, my class put on the town’s haunted house).
Big companies also have their own haunted mazes—Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights is one of the best. When I lived in California, an annual trip to Halloween Horror Nights became an October tradition.
Unfortunately, many professional haunted houses have skyrocketed in price in recent years. But you can still enjoy spooky fun for less by exploring events and activities hosted by your local municipality.
Ride the Hay
Autumn is harvest season, so what better way to celebrate that than with tractors and hay?
If you have kids, take them to a local farm for a hayride. Let them experience the magic of riding behind a tractor while it harvests the last remnants of the season.
Lose Yourself in a Corn Maze
Giant stalks of corn create perfect mazes. You can’t see over the top of the wavering stalks, so you have no idea which way to go.
Running through cornfields, getting lost, running back, and finally, that moment of triumph, when you discover the exit, is like a rite of passage for the ending year. It also celebrates one of the most crucial agricultural commodities in the United States and supports the farmers who nourish us.
Corn mazes are an integral part of any pumpkin patch or harvest festival. Find one near you and get lost for a while.
Embrace the Halloween Spirit
Do you feel the thinner veil near Halloween night? An eerie essence fills the air as spirits, ghosts, ghouls, and goblins make their annual appearance.
Embrace the thrilling atmosphere by visiting the Spirit Halloween store that popped up in your neighborhood. Browse all the freaky, scary, and festive decorations and get inspired to fill your home with Halloween decor.
You can also get into the Halloween spirit by watching scary movies, making a spooky playlist, or enjoying Halloween parties.
‘Tis the season for spooky fun!
Find the Perfect Pumpkin
When I was little, our family Halloween tradition was to go to Bengtson’s Farms, a giant pumpkin patch in the Chicagoland area. The idyllic farm features a petting zoo, hayrides, a corn maze, and many fall activities for the little ones.
My favorite thing about Bengston’s Farm is the giant, living pumpkin patch. Guests can stroll through the thickets, hunting for the perfect pumpkin, still fresh on the vine.
One year, I found a menacing pumpkin with a giant scar across his head hidden deep within the vines. Although I was only 8 or 9, the memories of finding that fantastic pumpkin in the vast patch will last forever.
Give your family lasting memories by taking them to pick a pumpkin off the vine.
Carve Jack-O-Lanterns
A few days after we brought good ole’ scar face home from the pumpkin patch, we carved him into the scariest Jack-O-Lantern we had ever seen!
Pumpkin carving is the quintessential Halloween activity – and fun for the entire family. As a bonus, when you gut the pumpkin, you can pull out all the seeds and make a tasty, salty snack.
The best part is that you don’t have to spend a fortune. Even if you can’t afford a family trip to the pumpkin patch, you can grab a perfect specimen in your local grocery store for a low cost.
Pick Your Own Apples
Pumpkins aren’t the only fruit to harvest in the fall. The season also brings crisp apples fresh from the tree.
Many apple orchards allow guests to come in and pick the fruit themselves. You get to spend a day in the sun, harvesting nature’s bounty for yourself.
Apple picking allows you to bring home the freshest apples and provides a taste of what it takes to get food to your table all year long.
Rake Leaves
Racking leaves sounds like a chore – but it doesn’t have to be.
When I was little, I looked forward to fall so I could rake the leaves into a giant pile and then take a running leap into the soft mound.
My parents had one rule: I had to clean it up afterward. Fine by me!
Jumping into a pile of autumn leaves is one of the cheapest fall activities available. You get to have some childhood magic while completing a necessary chore, making it a win for the whole family.
Fall Crafts
Autumn brings a bounty of crafting materials and ideas. ‘Tis the season for corncobs, brilliant leaves, gourds, and pumpkins, all at your fingertips for festive fall decor.
Make a Thanksgiving diorama or cornucopia. Trace or press the leaves you collect. Make a fall collage. The opportunities for expressing yourself with an autumn color palette are endless!
As a bonus, your creations will make perfect decorations for the season, which you’ll need to…
Decorate the House
Autumn’s festive holidays and agricultural bounty create fantastic opportunities for decorating.
Transform your home into a haunted house with spiders, ghosts, witches, and cauldrons. Make it the talk of the town for spooky Halloween fun – the one kids will want to return to year after year for a thrill.
Don’t forget Fall’s other iconic holiday. Though Halloween usually gets the glory, Thanksgiving is just as worthy as decor and celebration. After Halloween, adorn your home in celebrations of the harvest season.
Decorating for the holidays doesn’t have to be a chore. Make it a family night with games, snacks, and holiday movies. It will be a night everyone looks forward to each year.
Although decorations can get pricey, once you get them, you can store them, making it a cheaper fall activity year after year.
Build a Scarecrow
When I was little, I had the genius idea of building a scarecrow with dried leaves. I brought out an old sweater and pair of pants and shoved them full of leaves! The leaves stuffed the clothing fairly well, but unfortunately, it was impossible to bind the two pieces of clothing together because the leaves were too small.
Straw is clearly the better choice, and it’s available in abundance during fall.
However, you can make a game of building a scarecrow with whatever materials you have on hand. Let your creativity bring a new friend to life with old, worn clothes and stuffing.
Read Ghost Stories by Firelight
What better way to embrace the spooky essence of the fall season than with ghost stories?
The internet abounds with scary stories, making it easy to source the spooky tales on any budget. Light a candle, turn the lights down low, and whisper the macabre by candlelight.
Those with boundless imaginations can make up horror tales as they go or retell some of the country’s scariest urban legends.
One of the best things about a scary story night is that it’s low-cost fun for the whole family. You likely already have everything you need.
Bake Home-Made Fall Goodies
Pumpkin pies, candied apples, Halloween cookies -the possibilities for fall treats are endless!
Dust off your apron and test your baking skills by hand-crafting some of autumn’s iconic dishes. Start small with roll-out cookies if you’re not confident in your cooking skills, then work up to homemade pumpkin pie.
As a bonus, you also get to eat these tasty fall treats!
Host a Halloween Movie Marathon
Gather your friends for a low-cost night of fall fun with a Halloween movie marathon.
Watch horror classics like Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street, or indulge in nostalgic fun with Hocus Pocus.
Explore the offerings on your favorite streaming service, then pop some corn and invite your friends for a cozy night in.
Root for your Favorite Football Team
Fall brings the harvest, cooler weather, and, of course, football!
Sorry, European readers – I mean American football.
Every weekend from September through January brings thrilling action as teams battle for supremacy at the 50-yard line. Host watch parties at home, or score tickets for your favorite team and enjoy America’s favorite tradition: the tailgate party.
The Chicago Bears remain my favorite team, and I never miss a chance to cheer them on despite their losing streak.
Learn New Crock Pot Recipes
It’s time to take the crock pot out of storage. The colder weather of fall makes it the perfect season to indulge in hearty stews and warm soups.
Crockpots make fall cooking easy. You can throw all your ingredients in the pot and let it cook for the next five hours while you go about your day. Your stomach will growl in anticipation as the titillating aroma dances through the air, letting you know your feast is almost ready.
Use the opportunity to learn new crockpot recipes. Try out new chilis and soups. Experiment with ingredients.
Crockpots allow us to make massive portions of hearty food cheaply.
Oktoberfest
Although the traditional German Oktoberfest occurs near the end of September, Americans like to spread it throughout October.
Embrace your German side with sausages, beer, and the chicken dance! Enjoy the outdoor festivities before we can no longer go outside!
Although entrance prices have soared recently, especially in big cities, you can still find affordable Oktoberfests in smaller towns. Check out the smaller celebrations for a better value.
What’s Your Favorite Cheap Fall Activity?
How do you embrace the season on a budget? Share your best tips for cheap fall fun in the comments!