These Tips Will Help You Plan the Perfect Fall Family Picnic

It's starting to get cooler outside all over the country. If you haven't had a picnic with your family this year, what are you waiting for? Fall is the perfect time for self-made outdoor dining. It's still warm enough to avoid the puffy coat, but there's less risk of sunburn or extreme heat. Plus, the sun is going down around dinner time, giving you the perfect opportunity to enjoy a picturesque picnic. Here are our tips for planning the perfect picnic this time of year.

Pick the Perfect Place

The best fall picnics are held at venues with plenty of brightly colored leaves or a festive atmosphere. Find a park or forest preserve near you with lots of leaves that kids can explore or jump in! Take the opportunity to teach kids a little about fall leaves and why they change colors. Think about what time of day you want to go — evening may have more bugs, especially if you're near water, but sometimes a great sunset can be the perfect backdrop for a picnic.

Lunch will be warmer and provide more daylight for your kids to play before or after the picnic. And check the weather first! Even if it's not actively raining, you might not want to sit on the wet ground or try to eat in 25-mile-per-hour winds.

Find Cozy Blankets or Chairs

Flannel blankets are perfect for fall. If you bring more than one, you can sit on one and use the other to keep your body warm. Some people don't love sitting on the ground, so low-slung chairs and a small wooden table can make good accessories for your fall picnic. Bring extra jackets in case the weather changes.

Choose Some Fun Fall Recipes

We have found that picnics with kids are best when kept simple. Our kids love “homemade Lunchables,” aka a charcuterie board with kid-friendly fixings. For fall, you may find that in addition to the traditional crackers, cured meats, and cheese, you can add some seasonal snack foods. Corn bread, roasted nuts or pumpkin seeds, and apple slices all go great on a charcuterie board. In fact, apples lend themselves to lots of fall meals.

Stir them into a chicken salad, bake them into muffins or cookies, or dip them in nut butter or caramel sauce for a fun seasonal snack. We also have a full article of pumpkin recipes, in case you want to add pumpkin butter to spread on your crackers or bread. Popcorn, especially freshly popped, is always a filling snack to add to your picnic basket.

Some families like packing a hot picnic meal with a thermos or other insulated container. Chili and soup, especially a soup with pumpkin or butternut squash, are perfect for a fall day. Or try one of our muffin tin meal recipes, baked right before you head out the door and stored in an insulated container to keep it warm. Chicken pot pie can be especially comforting on a cool evening. Just remember to bring the appropriate silverware!

Dessert can also be particularly appealing with lots of fall options. Try making pumpkin or apple cookies, tarts, or pies. If you have the opportunity to bring or use a grill, you can roast marshmallows to make s'mores. Or if you're feeling less ambitious, buy some caramel apples from the grocery store! Now is the perfect time to get a seasonal coffee or hot cider to pair up with all of these treats.

Figure Out How to Get Everything to Your Venue

We like to walk or bike to a park near our house for picnics, but public transit and driving might get you to a place that's a little farther afield. You may want to plan foods that lend themselves to your preferred mode of transportation. We find that we can pack hard-sided containers into a backpack if we're biking somewhere, but we can use a cute picnic basket if we're walking or driving! Some kids are big enough to help carry the items they want to bring for a picnic, while others may need parents to do the heavy lifting. Consider bringing a wagon if your destination is far from a parking lot.

Make a Plan for Cleaning Up

Most public parks have trash cans, recycling bins, or even compost containers, but if you're going into a forest preserve or state park where you don't know where the nearest bin will be, consider bringing a plastic bag to take out any trash. Remember, you can't just leave things to decompose, even if they're natural!

With these tips, you can make picnics a part of your family's annual autumn traditions.

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