September in Colorado is wonderfully confused.
You can leave the house in a sweatshirt, need air conditioning by lunch, watch the mountains turn gold in the afternoon and somehow find yourself eating a pumpkin-flavored something before dinner. ππ
And we LOVE it.
Fall in Southern Colorado doesn't need to mean spending $150 every weekend at another giant attraction. Some of the best autumn memories are completely free: driving through golden aspens, collecting leaves, wandering a farmers market, packing a picnic or taking the kids somewhere you've never explored before.
So we've created The Buzzy B's Ultimate Fall Bucket List, packed with more than 60 adventures from Colorado Springs to Pueblo, Castle Rock, Teller County and beyond.
Pick five. Do twenty. Try to conquer the whole thing.
There are no rules. Just go make some fall memories. ππ§‘
Venetucci Farm is bringing back Pumpkin Fest every Friday, Saturday and Sunday October 2β31. Families can pick pumpkins, enjoy cider and pumpkin muffins, play giant games, shop fall dΓ©cor and visit weekend craft fairs.
π Colorado Springs
Gillyβs Pumpkin Patch opens September 25 with pumpkins, games, treats and plenty of fall-photo opportunities on a historic Castle Rock homestead.
2026: Sept. 25β26, Oct. 2β3 & Oct. 9β10
π° Admission: $5 individual / $20 family / 3 & under free.
No GPS cheating. π
Let the kids lead and see whether the family ever emerges.
Bonus fall points for one that takes you directly into a pumpkin field.
Forget perfectly round.
Find the ugliest, bumpiest, strangest pumpkin in the patch and make it the family's official 2026 pumpkin.
Buy something actually grown in Colorado.
And here's the rule:
Take the posed picture.
Then take one when everyone is laughing, running or being ridiculous.
That's usually the keeper.
Save this one for older kids and adventurous families.
Happy Apple Farm in Penrose makes a fantastic southern fall day trip, with an orchard, seasonal pumpkin fun and fresh-pressed cider.
π Penrose
Visit Colon Orchards, where apples and cider are part of the fall experience along with seasonal farm activities.
π CaΓ±on City
Hot.
Cold.
Spiced.
We're not picky. π
This is research.
Very important autumn research.
Let the kids choose several apple varieties and conduct a taste test first.
Your house will smell approximately 87% more like fall.
Create a topping bar with chocolate chips, crushed cookies, sprinkles and nuts where appropriate.
Try Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji and whatever Colorado varieties you can find.
Blindfold everyone and choose a winner.
The Pikes Peak region has some spectacular leaf-peeping territory. Mueller State Park's mix of aspens and conifers makes it particularly striking in fall, while Cripple Creek and Victor combine golden aspens with mining-country scenery.
The Cheesman Ranch Loop is specifically recommended for aspen viewing.
Golden aspens + mountain roads + mining history = quintessential Colorado fall.
Walk through historic Victor and explore trails winding through aspen country.
September is particularly fun because you can combine the train ride with the changing mountain landscape.
Fall's lower evening light makes those red rocks glow.
Make it a slow drive rather than simply racing through town toward the next destination.
Pack snacks, make a fall playlist and let the scenery be the entertainment.
Give every family member a phone or camera and choose the best fall photograph afterward.
Green β yellow β gold β orange β red.
Can you find all five?
The 2026 Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival runs September 18β20 along historic Union Avenue, celebrating Pueblo's agricultural heritage with live entertainment, vendors, cooking competitions and, naturally, mountains of Pueblo chile.
September 19
The annual Powwow celebrates Native American cultures and history through dance, drumming, singing, food and handmade crafts.
September 19β20
Historic warbirds, modern jets, aerial performances and interactive exhibits make this one especially good for aviation-loving kids.
September 26
Gather Mountain Blooms celebrates the end of flower season with flowers, makers, food, music and the first pumpkins of fall.
September 26
A free family event at Sandstone Ranch featuring the outdoors, open-space education and community activities.
October 3
Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site fills with wagon rides, old-time music, pumpkins, candy scrambles, historic homes, blacksmith demonstrations and other harvest fun. Pumpkins are $6.
October 3β4
Turn your leaf-peeping trip into a full fall adventure with this free festival, including music, vendors, food trucks, fall photo opportunities and pumpkin-carving contests.
October 18
Festival Park hosts fall vendors, pumpkin decorating, crafts, games, a photo booth, pumpkins and Creepy Crawlies Around the Rock.
π° FREE
Things get delightfully weird in Manitou Springs on October 24 when Emma Crawford Festival brings costumed teams and wheeled coffins racing down Manitou Avenue.
Walk downtown, window-shop, taste the mineral springs and grab a treat.
Combine mining history with leaf peeping.
Pack a picnic and slow down.
Pair an orchard stop with a walk through town or another local attraction.
Add lunch downtown and turn it into an easy family day trip.
Walk Festival Park, explore downtown and find somewhere new for lunch.
Fossils + Colorado scenery + hiking = sneaky educational field trip.
Walk, picnic and watch the colors begin changing around the foothills.
Pick a safe road you've never explored.
Go.
No itinerary.
Sometimes those become the best adventures.
Bring home your favorites for crafts.
Paper + crayons + leaves = practically free entertainment.
Bring blankets because Colorado has opinions about temperatures.
Use our upcoming Best Parks for Every Age Guide to choose one.
Use them later for our September crafts.
Find:
π Yellow leaf
π² Pinecone
πͺΆ Feather
πͺ¨ Interesting rock
πΏοΈ Squirrel
π° Acorn or seed
π¦ Bird
β€οΈ Something heart-shaped
Bring blankets and hot chocolate.
Castle Rock's Festival Park Farmers Market continues into October with produce, baked goods and artisan products.
Where permitted and safe, make s'mores and tell stories.
Cardboard + tape + whatever treasures you find outside.
Parents are required to participate.
I don't make the rules.
Blankets. Popcorn. Cider.
Phones away.
Let everyone vote on the first official soup of fall.
Make two loaves and surprise a neighbor with one.
You don't need to buy anything.
Leaves, pinecones, branches and mini pumpkins make great decorations.
Apples + cinnamon + orange + cloves + water.
Your house now smells expensive. π
Turn off the screens and pull out games nobody has played lately.
Add books and flashlights.
September Reading Challenge accomplished. βοΈ
Pumpkin pancakes absolutely qualify.
Write something you're grateful for on a pumpkin every few days.
By Thanksgiving, you'll have a pumpkin covered in memories.
Conveniently, we happen to have 30 Days of September Crafts. π
Picture book, chapter book, mystery, spooky story... everybody counts.
These are the ones I especially want families to remember.
Give them the budget and let them decide.
Find one from several years ago and recreate the pose.
It doesn't need to be elaborate.
Maybe it's:
First cider of fall.
Same pumpkin patch every year.
Annual leaf drive.
Fall family picture.
Apple-pie night.
Grandma's soup.
Traditions become important because we repeat them.
Within reason. π
Let the kids choose the park, snack and activity.
Seriously.
Open the windows.
Put on music.
Make something warm.
Let everyone stay in pajamas.
Not every fall memory needs tickets.
β Pick a pumpkin
β Visit an orchard
β Drink apple cider
β Eat a cider donut
β Get lost in a corn maze
β Take a hayride
β Visit a fall festival
β See Pueblo chile roasting
β Go leaf peeping
β Drive to Cripple Creek
β Explore Victor
β Hike Mueller State Park
β Visit CaΓ±on City
β Explore Manitou
β Visit Castle Rock
β Explore Pueblo
β Visit Florissant
β Take a mystery drive
β Have a fall picnic
β Collect leaves
β Make leaf art
β Find pinecones
β Take fall pictures
β Watch a sunset
β Visit a farmers market
β Make s'mores
β Bake apple crisp
β Make caramel apples
β Bake pumpkin bread
β Make soup
β Have a movie night
β Build a blanket fort
β Read a fall book
β Make a fall craft
β Have breakfast for dinner
β Take a nature walk
β Jump in leaves
β Do a scavenger hunt
β Photograph the aspens
β Find five leaf colors
β Decorate for fall
β Make a simmer pot
β Have family game night
β Start a gratitude pumpkin
β Visit a new playground
β Take a family photo
β Recreate an old photo
β Let the kids plan a day
β Start a new tradition
β Have a YES afternoon
β Spend $0 on a fall adventure
β Try something NEW
β Make one unforgettable memory π
You don't need to complete all 70.
You don't need matching outfits, professional pictures or an Instagram-worthy pumpkin patch.
Maybe your family's favorite fall memory ends up being an expensive attraction.
Or maybe it's the night you grabbed a $4 jug of cider, piled everyone into the car and drove into the mountains until you found a ridiculous patch of golden aspens.
That's the point of the bucket list.
It isn't another checklist parents have to finish.
It's permission to notice the season while it's here.
Because Colorado fall has one particularly annoying habit:
It is absolutely gorgeous... and then approximately 11 minutes later, it snows. πβοΈπ
So grab the sweatshirt.
Take the drive.
Eat the donut.
Let the kids choose the weird pumpkin.
And go Find Your Family Buzz this fall. ππ§‘
The Buzzy B | Making Parenting Easier & More Fun
