My Autumn Bucket List

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost is a favorite poem of mine and while it isn't exactly about autumn, the idea that those things which are perfect and beautiful are also the most fleeting seems fitting. The fall season is with us so briefly and we really only have a few short weeks to make the most of it while the weather is chilly and the leaves are vibrant.

I'm not the most active and outdoorsy person ever, so my Autumn Bucket List is probably nowhere near as exciting as yours might be, but these are a few of the things I would really like to do this year.


Attend a Fall Festival

Minnesota has no shortage of local and themed festivals during the fall months, typically kicked off with the MN State Fair and descending into a whole slew of Oktoberfests. I'd like to attend one this year!

Order a PSL

Ideally, I'd have my Pumpkin Spice Latte from a place that isn't Starbucks. It might be worth a trek back over to East Saint Paul to visit The Goat Coffeehouse.

Buy Scented Candles

When was the last time I had a candle that smelled like autumn? Maybe it was that pumpkin pie soy candle from Target a few years ago...? Either way, this needs to be remedied.

Bake a Pie

The good news is that great scents don't have to come from candles alone - they definitely come from baked goods. I definitely want to bake a pie from scratch this year, even if it is simply to test the limits of my tiny apartment oven.

Explore a local park

While I'm sipping on that PSL, why not take a stroll a few blocks over to Swede Hollow Park? I lived near this haunting ravine-shanty-town-turned-city-park for a year and it was at its most beautiful in October. The park's history is perfect for ghost stories and playing amateur local tour guide.

Visit the James J. Hill House 

Located on Summit Ave (the oldest and wealthiest street in St. Paul) - the James J. Hill House is one of the best places to stop in for a tour if spiral staircases and pipe organs that span an entire room are your thing. In October, they even do 'haunted tours' and you get to see more of the mansion than usual. Sign me up!

Attempt a New Recipe

I love my go-to Autumn Chowder, but this year I want to try something new. I'd love to cook with an ingredient I don't normally use, like eggplant or spaghetti squash.

Pick Apples or Pumpkins

The last time I visited an apple orchard or pumpkin patch to thoroughly enjoy the autumn experience was probably as a child. How tragic is that? And since I fully intend to bake and cook something new - this might be just the occasion to pick what I need.

Watch Scary Movies

I'm not really a fan of the classic slasher film, but I do enjoy a spooky flick with a serious paranormal bent. Got any favorites? Recommend 'em in the comments!

Marathon Halloween Films

Of course, no good autumn night is complete without bingeing Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. Add in Monster Squad and Casper for good measure.

Decorate For Fall

Sometimes it's as simple as changing your bed sheets and adding a few throw pillows. Or maybe dumping some mums into a vase. Littering your table and counter-tops with pressed leaves. Putting a small pumpkin on every surface. You get the idea.

Read A Few New Books

They don't have to be new, per se, just new to me. And I do have quite a stack in my TBR pile that I ought to tackle this year.

Celebrate My Birthday

The most fun I ever had on my birthday was a weekend trip up to Duluth, MN. We stayed in a cheap hotel, wandered around much of the city on foot, checked out some of the most touristy spots, and even rode an old train. It was wonderful.

I didn't celebrate at all last year because I was completely broke and it was...miserable.

How do I top the whole "I'm turning 30 so I need to go on a trip" thing? Beats me, but I'd like to try.

What's on your autumn bucket list this year?

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

-- Robert Frost