Our Favorite Fall(ish) Family Traditions

So the weather around here hasn't been exactly Fall-like, but that hasn't stopped us from doing all the fall things! And since I can't seem to get my act together to blog more than once a month, I'm combining all our fall fun in to one picture packed post.

Here are some of our favorite fall things to do as a family...

Visit a Pumpkin Patch (duh.) Our favorite is Blooms and Berries.

Go to a Pumpkin Festival. This was our first year going to an actual pumpkin festival. Does your town have one? We went to Operation Pumpkin and it was so much fun. There were amazing carved pumpkins and also the largest pumpkins I've ever seen in person. Think Cinderella and her pumpkin carriage she took to the ball.

Visit a Sunflower Field (Gorman Farm) Besides pumpkins, and maybe apples, sunflowers are my favorite thing about this season. Talk about photo opps! And sunflowers just make me smile so being in a field of them...can't stop smiling.

Find any opportunity to Trick or Treat/wear costumes in public (Hallzooween)
Our zoo has trick or treating every weekend in October so we picked a gloomy day with rain in the forecast so it wouldn't be very crowded. It was perfect and we had a Zookeeper and his pet monkey as our sidekicks.

Safe to say, it's been a good Fall so far. 

Now the weather just needs to cooperate and give us a few more fall feeling days! I

'm not ready for winter!

Please, please!

Cincinnati Fall Festivities Round Up {Our favorite places to go}

Fall is hands down my favorite season, so when it comes to Fall activities I try to make it my business to know what is going on around my city and hit up all the best places. Here are a few of our family's favorite spots to go in the fall....

Blooms and Berries
Why we like it...It is a great spot for family photos as they have pumpkins and sunflowers. It is also free to go if you simply want to shop for fall flowers, a fall treat or pumpkins. However they have a kid friendly area with animals, hayrides, games, etc. that does cost money to enter, but if you go in September and NOT on a weekend it is much cheaper. *A tip for next year.

Sunflower Festival at Gorman Farm
Why we like it...There is plenty there to entertain the whole family. Hayrides, pick your own Sunflowers, pumpkins, animals, Food trucks, live music, booths, etc.

Iron's Fruit Farm
Why we like it...This has been Drew and I's go to spot every year since we started dating. We usually go to pick apples, which is always fun and they also have a hayride that takes you out to a pumpkin patch. They have a corn maze, animals and my favorite selection of fall baked goods. Their donuts and apple fritters are on my must have list every fall.

Shaw Farm
Why we like it...It is free! You just pay for activities if you choose to do them. They have pumpkins for sale, a hayride, animals and tons of spaces for kids to run around and play. If you want to take your child somewhere simply to play outside in the crisp fall air, this is it because it doesn't cost anything to get in. There are areas all over that encourage kids to use their imaginations and most of them incorporate pumpkins (pirate ship, little houses, barns, tractors, wagons, stage coach, etc.)

Some of Aiden's little playgroup buddies taking a lunch break.

Other Fall Fun:
HallZOOween at the Cincinnati Zoo 
Hamilton's Pumpkin Festival: Operation Pumpkin
City Flea at Washington Park (They usually have one in October)
Lebanon Apple Festival
Hiking at the Cincinnati Nature Center