Must-Do Fall in KC: 10 Things to Add to your Bucket List

Autumn is upon us and so are all of the FALL things! Grace Pritchett guides us through her top ten crisp weather activities.

1. Go camping

You’re going to notice a theme in this bucket list: it largely circulates around the idea of “holy shit, it’s actually nice outside! Let’s go do things!” So, to start us off: camping. Take advantage of our location in the middle of the country for easy access to nearby campgrounds. A quick search online shows a dozen camping spots within an hour of downtown Kansas City so whether it’s in the direction of Lee’s Summit or Lawrence, you’re bound to hit land.

2. First Fridays

First Fridays is a year-round event but as you’ll find with most outdoor activities, it’s a lot more fun to do them when you’re not sweating through the humidity. Venture out to the Crossroads the first Friday of the month and see what the Kansas City art community has to offer. In between dance sessions or gallery crawls, you can grab a bite from one of the many food trucks that will be parked nearby.

3. Get your scare on at the local haunted houses

I have never been to the haunted houses in Kansas City, but I hear really great things about them. Seriously, I’m not a haunted house person (I would probably pee my pants) but I’m almost swayed after finding out the Kansas City is the “Haunted House Capital of the World.” Who knew?! Between the Edge of Hell and the Beast, the West Bottoms is perfect for your spooky night on the town.

4. Tour a “real” haunted house

Since Kansas City is the “Haunted House Capital of the World,” you may as well visit some historical haunts too. The John Wornall house in KCMO offers ghost tours and paranormal investigations or you can spend the night in the Glore Psychiatric Museum (originally built in 1874) in St. Joseph if you really want a scare.

5. Catch a spooky flick

Scary movie fans rejoice! Alamo Drafthouse is the place to be if you want to catch a spooky flick (other than on your couch hiding under a blanket). Throughout the month of October, Alamo Drafthouse is showing spooky movies including Halloween, The Shining, and Donnie Darko. They’re even having a Beetlejuice movie party on October 31.

6. Volunteer

There is never a bad time to volunteer or donate but this time of year really makes us think about what we can give to others. There are more than enough charities and causes in Kansas City that benefit from our time and donations so you surely can’t go wrong with a quick google or even asking a good friend what charities they love. If you can’t decide, groups like Serve KC and SocialHeart have frequent events that benefit local charities.

7. Visit a pumpkin patch

Nothing screams fall quite like a trip to the pumpkin patch. At the Weston Red Barn Farm, you can pick pumpkins, take a hayride, meet farm animals, and buy fall goodies from the country store. The Red Barn Farm throws a fall festival every weekend through the month of October, which means you have a reason to go to Weston every weekend through the month of October.

8. Go apple-picking

Cider Hill Family Orchard heard you like apples so they got you some apples. At Cider Hill, you can pick fresh apples or indulge in all the apple-inspired goodies they offer. Between cinnamon-cider donuts, apple cider slush, apple butter, and baked apple crisp, your apple cravings will be satisfied. Take advantage of one of their hayrides so you can have your apples and see the sights too.

9. Have a bonfire party

When we were younger, we always wanted to have a friend with a swimming pool. Now, we just want friends who have fire pits. It’s finally nice enough to sit outside so we’re going to celebrate before that Midwest winter hits. Grab some beers or mix a seasonal cocktail, turn on a nostalgic playlist, and enjoy the night. Be sure to grab a bag of marshmallows because where there’s smoke, there’s s’mores.

10. Find your favorite fall cocktail in town

There’s so much more to fall than pumpkin spice (but no knocks against pumpkin spice, I’m still here for it.) I suggest venturing out to the cocktail bars of Kansas City to get a true taste of fall flavors. Between hot toddies at Julep, beer cocktails at SoT, and the apple brandy/mole bitters/masala chai mixture that caught my eye on the Rieger menu, you have plenty of options to keep you warm before winter.

GuidesGrace PritchettOctober 11, 2018Guides, Fall, autumn, Tourism, Things to Do & See