Fall has arrived! In Arizona, the fall season is always welcomed because it finally brings the cooler temperatures that we (and our children) have been missing! I know my children are usually going stir-crazy from being indoors, so as soon as it gets cool enough we start planning some adventures to get outside, burn off some energy, and enjoy the weather.
Here is a list of fun outdoor adventures to think about doing:
–Go to the park. Head out to your “usual” park or find a new one for this season. Bring a snack (or a picnic lunch), some shovels or balls, and some water, and get ready to play! One of the best parts is that this outdoor adventure is free.
–Visit a farm. For being the desert, it is surprising at how many there are to visit. Here are a few if you want to stay relatively close to Phoenix:
- MacDonald’s Ranch (Scottsdale) www.macdonaldsranch.com
- Tolmachoff Farm (Glendale) http://www.tolmachoff-farms.com/
- Vertuccio Farms (Mesa) http://www.vertucciofarms.com
If you want to take a drive and get out of the city, here are a few more:
- Freeman Farms (Chino Valley) http://www.azpumpkins.com/
- Mortimer Family Farms (Prescott) http://mortimerfamilyfarms.com/
- Schnepf Farms (Queen Creek) http://www.schnepffarms.com/
- Apple Annie’s (Willcox) http://www.appleannies.com/
–Go to the Arizona State Fair. It is open October 12-November 4th, but is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Located at 19th Ave. and McDowell Road, there are many interesting foods to try, rides, animals, and a bodies exhibit.
–Check out a zoo. The kids get to see some animals and parents can get in some exercise 🙂
- Phoenix Zoo
- Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium
- Out of Africa (Camp Verde)
- Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary (Prescott)
–Visit Desert Botanical Gardens. Check out their website for additional events and exhibits including the Great Pumpkin Festival (hurry, only until October 28th!), butterfly pavilion, Las Noches de la Luminarias, and even nighttime flashlight tours.
– Try shopping at an outdoor farmers market. Visit http://www.arizonafarmersmarkets.com to find a farmers market that is in your area and at a day and time that works for you.
***Remember: check online for coupons or deals. Most of the time you can find a coupon, a discount day/time, or get a discount for bringing canned foods. Check websites like Groupon or Living Social for deals as well. Both years that we took our kids to pumpkin patches, we got great deals through Groupon.
Think ahead. Try something out and decide if it is something you would like to do with your kids multiple times during the cool weather seasons. If so, consider an annual membership. For most places it only takes visiting a couple of times before your membership has paid for itself. We have a membership to the Phoenix Zoo and have used it MANY times! Plus, with a membership I don’t feel like we have to try and see everything in one day. We can take our time and not stress about not seeing every animal.
Plan a playdate. Invite friends and their kids to join you in your outdoor adventure now that the weather is cooler!
By the way, don’t forget about our playdate TODAY (Friday) at Tolmachoff Farms. We’ll be there from 9am to noon. Check out Krystle’s post to get a dollar off coupon.
Have fun enjoying the weather, the outdoors, and spending time with your kids!
