Fall Bucket List for Staten Island Families 2023
Isn’t fall the is absolute best season for families? The house smells like a pumpkin everything, the leaves are beautiful colors and the kids are counting down the days until trick-or-treating. What a season!
One of the biggest reasons to love fall is the beautiful weather! The just-right temperatures make for the perfect family day out – indoors or outdoors. That means there is no excuse not to check off everything on your fall bucket list.
And we have plenty of ideas to get you started below!
1. Go for a whirl around one of New York’s many carousels before they close for the winter. Favorites include Jane’s Carousel, Central Park, Seaglass Carousel and Bryant Park.
2. Leaf peep in one of Staten Island’s many parks and check out the changing leaves (it happens later in the city than Upstate)
3. Take the older kids (or brave tweens) to one of NY’s many haunted houses for a scary good time. Some top-rated ones include Blood Manor and Long Island’s Bayville Scream Park.
4. Pick the perfect pumpkin from a nearby farm and carve it into a jack-lantern to display on your front porch
5. Hstoric Richmond Town is bustling in the fall! Enjoy the changing leaves and crisp fall air at Historic Richmond Town’s Pumpkin Picking at Decker Farm weekends and explore the haunted history of Staten Island with nighttime tours and special programs
7. Catch a ball game without sweating through your clothes. Fall marks the start of football, basketball, and hockey season
9. Pedal your way past colorful foliage on a scenic family bike hike
10. Geek out at NY Comic Con, coming to the Javits Center Oct. 12-15, and meet your favorite stars up close.
11. Pack the family in the car or head out on foot to explore the over-the-top spooky decorations and local haunted houses. They’re totally getting scarier every year!
12. Leave the kids with a sitter and head to Long Island to tour its many beautiful wineries while you take in breathtaking autumnal views.
13. Take advantage of the Culture Pass and visit the amazing cultural institutions that participate.
14. Is it even fall if you don’t enjoy some cliche treats, like hot apple cider? Pick up a steaming cup (and a doughnut or two) at your local farmers’ market this season.
15. Take a fall road trip and explore all the beauty New York and our neighboring states have to offer.
16. Join a Fall Walk or 5k with your family in honor of a cause close to your heart; these events occur through both spring and fall.
17. Corn mazes are a fall staple, and there’s plenty nearby to choose from. The cream of the crop includes Von Thun’s, Hank’s Pumpkintown, and Harbes.
18. Take in a Broadway show -some favorites are The Lion King, Aladdin, Harry Potter, and The Cursed Child; these are kid-friendly and help support the theatre district.
19. Check out the Lego Store on Fifth Avenue (636 Fifth Avenue), where kids will have a fun experience at the brick lab, customizing a Minifigure at The LEGO Minifigure Factory or just doing the free stuff and enjoying the store.
20. Take your wizards to the Harry Potter Store, where they can visit three stories of 21,000 square feet of magic and have an in-store experience via digital technologies that integrate with the Harry Potter Fan Club app.
21. Head to Summit One Vanderbilt and take in the beautiful city skyline from 1,000 feet in the air! This skyscraper lets visitors look over NYC in their all-glass enclosed elevator and transparent glass sky-boxes!
22. Exploring the American Museum of Natural History never gets old. The best part is New York residents decide what they pay for general admission. Carve out time to check out its new addition, The Gilder Center (free with regular paid admission to the museum.)
23. Hop on a ferry and explore Governor’s Island before it closes for the winter.
24. If you have done this walk before, you know walking the Brooklyn Bridge is not only one of the most iconic things to do in New York; it is gorgeous.
25. Head to The Central Park Boathouse (Mid-park at 74th Street) and take a rowboat ride for up to four people. Note: Children must be at least 3 feet tall.
Wanna read more stuff like this? Get our newsletters packed with ideas, events, and information for parents in Staten Island.
