Southern Oregon Fall Bucket List
Fall is awesome in Southern Oregon! Perfect weather, lots of food, beer and wine festivals, pumpkin patches, and family fun. We usually have to plan every weekend out, so that we can make the most of it. We wanted to help you out, so we've created a bucket list, so that you don’t miss a thing! We also have created a condensed bucket list fo refer to here.
Take a Fall Foliage Drive or Walk
Fall in Southern Oregon is fabulous and our area’s landscape is so diverse that you can get a good three weeks of color changing. Check out some of our favorite spots:
Jacksonville
Take a walk through town or take any of the many hikes in the area and you will be overwhelmed with the beauty surrounding you.
Wagner Creek Rd in Talent
A beautiful drive up to the hiking trail, you don’t even have to get out of the car to experience the wonder. You are surrounded by amazing fall color the whole way up. If you are feeling adventurous there is a nine mile hike you can take to top of Wagner Butte, MAP
LITHIA PARK IN ASHLAND IN THE FALL
Lithia Park always makes it to the top of our list when it comes to the best of Southern Oregon walks and hikes. If you just walk through the park the trees are changing with gold and red starting in October, and when you head up past the dam you will be overcome with its fantastic fall colors! MAP
Checkout our blog featuring some of our favorite Fall Foliage Hikes.
Visit a Fall Festival
We love kicking of fall by gathering with our community at the Talent Harvest Festival. Enjoy lots of live music and food vendors while shopping local artisans and makers. You can even start the morning off with the Talent Harvest Festival run chossing from the 5k or 10k! Visit our page Harvest Festivals and Fall Events for all of the details of where to go and what to do.
Go to a Pumpkin Patch
There is no lack of pumpkin patches in southern Oregon and we usually visit two or three; or at least that is our goal. Pheasant Fields Farms is one of our favorites because of it's quaintness and smalltown appeal. Each one has their own character with a long list of things to do. For a complete list of pumpkin patches in southern Oregon go HERE.
Get lost in a Corn Maze
What’s funny is that unless I am with Gary, I would get lost. I have such a horrible sense of direction in corn mazes. Our kids are experts on corn mazes and their favorite ones are at Pheasant Fields Farm in Medford and Fort Vannoy Farm in Grants Pass! Our pumpkin patch spotlight page has all the details on which ones have corn mazes.
Go on a Hayride
There is something about going on a hayride that is so much fun! One of my favorite fall memories was when I was a preteen. We went camping in southern California and we went on a hayride. My mom and my best friends parents were walking down the road singing follow the yellow brick road with their arms liked. I can smell the crisp fall air as we speak. Our favorite place to take a hayride is at Hanley Farm in Central Point. The volunteers are always sweet and hilarious, and you learn a lot about the history of the farm. All of the details can be found on our Harvest Festivals page.
Go to a Haunted House
Southern Oregon seems to have a healthy interest in all that is scary. We have a lot of haunted houses throughout southern Oregon. Since I am a big scaredy cat I will only attend one a year and speaking from experience, Randall Theatre's haunted house is absolutley terrifying every year. Find all of the Haunted Houses in Southern Oregon HERE.
Go Apple Picking
Another favorite childhood memory of mine, is apple-picking with my best friend’s family in the fall. We have carried on that tradition with our children, getting out to pick whatever seasonal fruit may be coming on. Where should you go apple picking? Some of our favorite spots are Valley View Orchards in Ashland and Leonard’s Apples in Medford. The owners are friendly and helpful, and they love children. Read our blog "Apple Picking at Leonard's Orchard" HERE.
Have a Fall Canning Party
What do you do with all of those apples you picked? Well, I don’t know any better way of preserving the bounty that our awesome growers and farmers offer than canning some of that sweet goodness. If you don’t know how to can, Ball has complete directions on their website here. If you read my apple picking blog post I have a great, easy recipe on No-Peel Slow-Cooker Applesauce.
Make a Scarecrow for Your Front Yard
We love attending the Scarecrow Festival at Hanley Farm! The kids have such a blast and it is really affordable for an afternoon of fun. Read our blog post "Hanley Farm Fall Scarecrow Festival" for all of the details.
We hope you get out to fully enjoy the amazing fall that only Southern Oregon can offer, and we hope this must-do list helps you on your way to getting there. What do you think we should add to our list? Comment below, we love hearing how others enjoy Southern Oregon falls! And don't forget our bucket list to take along with you. HAPPY FALL Y’ALL!!
