Unique Autumn Activities {To Do as a Group}

There’s no orchard or pumpkin patch visiting here. This is those who want to be social and celebrate the autumn but want to try something original.

Host a Stone Soup Party

Participate in a Progressive Dinner

Have an Urban Hayride

Create a Scavenger Hunt

Organize a Pie Swap

Whiskey Flight Tasting

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1 | Host a Stone Soup Party

A fun-to-make collective meal made around the bonfire

The story of Stone Soup is a classic because it nourishes both through food and also through the power of generosity and community. The European folktale tells the story of how hungry travelers creatively convinced town residents to feed them and to feed each other in the process. The travelers claimed to make a magical soup made of stones, while successfully convincing the residents to each contribute a single ingredient ‘to add to the flavor”. The result was a bountiful and delicious real meal made possible through collective spirit.

You can recreate the experience with friends, family, or neighbors by holding a collective soup making party. Simply invite your friends over and ask they bring a single ingredient. It doesn’t have to be planned or coordinated- the idea is that most any contribution adds in meaningful. As host, it may be easiest to provide a primary ingredient like a meat, and to have some seasoning ready, like salt or herbs.

How to cook the soup:

Cooking over a fire, either place on a grilling attachment or a stand like used for camping.
Create a strong fire, but wait to the soup on until the embers are strong- they matter more than the flame for a good cooking.
Add a decent amount of water (or broth) as the start, and add ingredients as people arrive. (Meat and certain things like carrots of course will take a little longer).
Monitor the soup, stirring frequently (a long-handled spoon or utensil will be handy given the heat). Cook for around 30 minutes, or as needed.
If feeling fun, add a (pre-cleaned) stone to the pot as well. The person who gets the stone can be wished a year of good luck!

To read or reread the Stone Soup Story: Stone Soup picture book by Marcia Brown

2 | Participate in a Progressive Dinner

Bring country charm into the city

Autumn is a wonderful time for this tradition as the weather is ideal for travelling- whether by foot, caravan, or even bike. A progressive dinner is where each course is hosted by a different home, and the dinner is consumed over the course of several stops. It makes for a different and very fun experience, and lends itself well to an Autumn-themed menu.

Think squash soups, pumpkin seed-sprinkled salads, warm and savory meats or root vegetables, pecan pies- the options are endless.

How to host:

1) Organize a group of willing friends, neighbors, or family that live in a reasonable proximity to one another. It’s up to you how wide you want to cast the net- and how you plan to travel.

2) Assign each host/stop with a course.

3) Each host decides what specific dish they want to make to fit the course. This could involve as few or as many courses as desired. A general suggestion:

Starting Drinks & Appetizers
Soup and Salad
Entree
Dessert

For autumn cooking inspiration:

Half Baked Harvest Quick & Cozy: A Cook Book by Tieghan Gerard

The Complete Autumn & Winter Cook Book by America’s Test Kitchen

3 | Do an Urban Hayride

Bring the classic country tradition to the city

Hayrides are a quintessential autumn tradition, but are usually reserved for kiddie rides at the pumpkin patch or as part of a haunted house excursion with long lines. Another path is to bring the country to wherever you live- whether in the city, the suburbs, or the country. Enjoy the ride with hot cocoa and coffee while nestled in warm blankets. It promises to be a entertaining and memorable experience.

What you’ll need:

Pickup Truck + Borrowed or Rented Trailer
A willing driver
Bags of dried leaves (or haybales if you have access)
Blankets who don’t mind using outside (or can be washed after)
A Slow-Moving Placard (which can be attached with zip ties)
(Check with your city or municipality to determine if anything else is required)

I’ve done this twice now with friends and family in various methods. Both times were done in Minneapolis, so not exactly a slow rural area, yet both times were a huge hit and they’re still talked about. I thought for sure there would be some urban code against it, but when I called the city officials and even the police department to see what kind of permit would be required, was told surprisingly, none. All that was needed was to have a slow-moving placard attached to the vehicle- a triangular farm sign we bought online. It was incredibly easy, but do be sure to check your area’s codes to understand what is legal and required.

You can do this a few ways- depending on what you have available, but the core elements needed are
a truck and a trailer. The first time we did this we used a pickup truck and rented a flatbed trailer for a day from the local U-Haul. It was about $100 at the time, and worth every penny.

What Can Make it Extra Special:

Hot Cider and/or Coffee
Bring a couple thermoses of your favorite warm beverage and disposable, insulated cups to share with your fellow passengers
Extra blankets for snuggling under
A portable speaker for music- it could be a spooky Halloween track or even your favorite playlist

Tips for an enjoyable ride:

The right route

Have a pre-planned route in mind that you communicate with the driver- aiming for less busy streets and definitely avoiding major thoroughfares or highways.
Scenic routes enhance the viewing. Each time we’ve done this, we’ve chosen a scenic path that winds around a chain of lakes. They are busy during the day but dead quiet after dark, making for a perfect path.

What mood do you want?

Nighttime rides make for a spookier, more Halloween-esque ride. Perhaps past a neighborhood of old Victorian homes, a lonely road, or past a cemetery.
Daytime rides are perfect for admiring fall colors wherever they are vibrant like parks, past wooded areas, or the like.

Safety

Have young children ride in the interior, with older kids or adults on the outsides, and ensure they are watched or held.

If you like the previous idea #2 of a progressive dinner, this can be an excellent way to travel between hosts. This is how we first came up with the idea, while organizing a Halloween progressive dinner with friends.

Invite some friends to join your epic adventure!

4 | Create a Scavenger Hunt

Mystery, Thrill, Hidden Codes – A Perfect Pre-Halloween Activity

There is something about scavenger hunts that makes them feel like a perfectly appropriate pre-Halloween activity- deciphering hidden codes, solving cryptic riddles, racing against time and each other. Whatever you celebrate Halloween or not though, creating a scavenger hunt can be as fun as solving one.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, a scavenger hunt is where each clue strategically directs the participant or group to the next clue, which is strategically hidden or placed in a specific location.

The hunt can be localized within a certain boundary like a backyard, a neighborhood, or even across an entire city.

Each clue is typically cryptic, to give insinuate or give an idea where the next clue may be found, without giving the direct answer. You can make the clues as easy to solve or as challenging as you want, depending on who the hunt is designed for.

Ideas for Creating Mysterious Clues:

Code & Cipher Using a Cryptex Wheel

Use a cryptex wheel- a deciphering device used by spies through history and created by Thomas Jefferson. You as host provide a lettered code to the participants as a clue. When the letters are arranged on the wheel, the true message is conveyed elsewhere on the wheel.

As an example- imagine you are hosting a city-wide scavenger hunt with your friends. You want one of the stops to be at a well known site at the core of folklore- a fictional Seymour Mausoleum. In the image here- the code means nothing by itself, but when used, creates the phrase “CMRMAUSOLEUM”.

Cryptography

Create a custom alphabet, where symbols, numbers, or characters replace certain alphabetical characters. In the example here, 16 letters are coded, represented by a combination of Greek letters, numbers, and original simple illustrations.

As host, you create the phrase the participants must decipher (the clue), along with a key. Once they are in possession of the key, they can translate and break the code.

Invisible Ink

To make things even more interesting, try using invisible ink and blacklight in order to identify the key. The key can be hidden in between lines of a decoy clue, or perhaps on a blank sheet of paper. (You’ll want to provide a blacklight if so, so participants will know to look for these hidden clues- making this accessible even for younger participants).

Wax Sealing

Protect the secrecy of the mission with historic flair. Seal each clue with wax sticks made for a glue gun for a satisfying craft (this truly is as much fun for the host as the participants!) You can just drop the wax and let harden, or can use a brass stamp to add an icon- which can be bought off-the-shelf or custom created.

An Identifying Icon

Alternatively, you could also create a custom icon that identifies your clue as part of the game, like a handwritten symbol or a stamp and inkpad used on each clue card.

How to design a hunt:

1. Determine the scope/geographic size of the boundaries.

2. Have an idea who will participate, in order to know how hard to make the hunt.

3. Is there a theme to want to create the hunt around? Pick one if so.

4. Decide what the end reward will be- it can be any prize of your choice.

5. Start backwards- by determining where the prize will be located, then where the last
clue will be that leads to the prize, the second to last clue, etc. until you have all locations determined.

6. Write the clues in this order.

7. Be creative and feel free to use any and all methods you can think of to enhance the problem solving- riddles, puzzles, code breaking, etc.

8. The day of the hunt- go and place the clues/prize (being sure to make them well hidden if using public landmarks or buildings, to avoid an uninvited participant from finding them).

9. When ready to play- give your participants starting instructions- the boundaries, how long of a clock they have to work with, their team assignments (if working in teams), and the first clue.

For more inspiration for creative clue making while enjoying fun puzzles to solve yourself in the process: The Junior Code Breaker Book by Dan Moore & Andy Hardwood

5 | Organize a Pie Swap

What could be more Americana than celebrating the autumn harvest with pie baking?

Get a group of willing bakers together and arrange for a ‘tasting get-together’. It doesn’t have to be a full-on party, even just a relaxed morning or afternoon with tea or coffee, where everyone gets to sample all the delicious goods.

The remaining pies are sliced and divided up for each baker/guest to part ways with a slice of all the other pies, which can then be reluctantly shared or frozen for future treats to look forward to.

Some tips:

Be prepared to bring the pie home

You can bring (or provide if hosting) unused aluminum pie tins + waxed paper and/or aluminum foil for this.
Wrap each piece in the waxed paper and wrap around the sides of each slice to avoid losing the gooey goodness. Cover with aluminum foil for transporting and freezing.

Ensure A Variety
It can be a good idea to have people ‘sign up’ or at least signal what they plan to make both to ensure a variety and to avoid it appearing to be a contest of who did it better.

Come prepared to share the recipe, as people will inevitably want it!

6 | Whiskey Tasting

A flight of assorted whiskeys, a cool Autumn evening, and a crackling fire

This is an activity can be enjoyed with company, a partner, or even solo. It additionally can be done as blind tasting without knowing any of the labels, or as a challenge where the bottles are provided, and the sippers try and identify which is which.