50 Fun Things to do in Michigan this Fall
Andrew Norton
I’m continuing my ‘Top 50’ lists for each season in Michigan. Fall is just about my favorite season. Cooler weather, fewer bugs, and the beautiful show our trees put on are just a few of the reasons.
Fall officially starts September 23, but the decorations and plethora of pumpkin spice everything in the stores would beg otherwise. Here we go, my list of 50 Things to do in Michigan this Fall.
Visit one of Michigan’s numerous apple orchards. It’s a family tradition each fall for us to go apple picking at the local orchard. Always a fun time!
Take a wine tasting tour - plan your Michigan wine tour.
Cruise through the majestic beauty of the Sleeping Bear Dunes via the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive.
As long as you are in the Sleeping Bear Dunes area, any drive on M-22 will take you through some beautiful country.
Take a ferry out to Mackinac Island and see how beautiful and quiet the island is after the summer crowds have gone.
Go camping at a Michigan State Park - cooler nights, fewer bugs, and less crowds.
Visit Tahquamenon Falls or any of Michigan’s nearly 200 waterfalls.
Take a hike – really, get out and enjoy the outdoors on any of Michigan’s over 12,500 miles of state-designated trails. Michigan Trails Week is 9/22 - 9/29.
Cheer on your local high school football team. Get out in the crisp fall air and recognize the hard work the local kids have put in.
Take your kids pumpkin picking and maybe even try your luck at a corn maze.
11. Enjoy a drive through the Tunnel of Trees – M-119.
12. Go on a fall brewery tour.
13. Take a canoe or kayak trip down a river and view the fall colors from the water.
14. Take a drive on Brockway Mountain Drive in the Keweenaw. You will not be sorry when you see the fantastic views.
15. Sit around a campfire and relax on a beautiful fall evening.
16. Michigan’s farm markets don’t end when summer is over. A number of them keep going throughout the fall. One of my favorites is the Holland Farmer’s market.
17. Michigan has a number of fall festivals. Nearly every community has something special going on.
18. Go fishing. Fall fishing in Michigan can be a lot of fun.
19. Porcupine Mountains State Park – the view from Lake of the Clouds during the fall is incredible.
20. Thinking about making a camping upgrade? Check out the Fall Detroit RV & Camping Show in Novi.
21. Geocaching – the Michigan State Parks have a Centennial GeoTour to help celebrate 100 years of Michigan State Parks.
22. Go to the Clinton Fall Festival. Easily one of the biggest fall festivals in Michigan. Lots to see, do, and eat!
23. Have you ever hiked 25 feet up in the air through one of Michigan’s forests? Well, you can now at Whiting Forest via their canopy walk in Midland .
24. Get your scare on at one of Michigan’s numerous haunted houses. Niles Scream Park has to be one of the top ones in the sate.
25. Drink your fill of fresh pressed cider at one of Michigan’s cider mills.
26. Oktoberfest, Oktoberfest, Oktoberfest. Find one near you.
27. Experience Fort Fright at Colonial Michilimackinac.
28. Run in one of the numerous fall themed 5ks across the state.
29. Take your kids to the ZooBoo! The Detroit Zoo, Binder Park Zoo, and John Ball Zoo all have special events.
30. Take a Pictured Rocks Boat Tour along with your best camera to capture some of the best views in the state.
31. Eastern Market in Detroit is great all year long, but there is something special when you visit in the fall.
32. Greenfield Village Hallowee’en Event.
33. See the view from the Copper Peak Adventure Ride. Copper Peak is the largest man-made ski jump in the world. At the top it is 1,180 feet above Lake Superior.
34. Check out the Buy Michigan Now Fall Fest in Jackson.
35. Art Prize in Grand Rapids – it’s now a biennial competition so check their site to see what is currently happening.
36. Haunted Mine Tour at the Quincy Mine in Hancock is probably one of the more unique haunted houses in the state.
37. Kitch-iti-kipi is absolutely gorgeous in every season, check it out this fall.
38. Go on a fall color tour on the Southern Michigan Railroad.
39. Scarecrow Festival in Oxford.
40. Get some great fall foliage views at the Cut River Bridge and hike the trails down to Lake Michigan.
41. If you get hungry while out for a drive in Southwest Michigan, stop in at Drier’s Meat Market in Three Oaks. Their famous ring bologna is famous for a reason!
42. Take a trip along M-23 on the sunrise coast of Michigan. There is so much to see along M-23 that I should make a future post just about it.
43. Watch the salmon run at any number of places around the state. Check here for a list of possible places.
44. Visit the iconic Root Beer Barrel in Douglas for a quick meal while on the road touring the southwest Michigan countryside. Just a heads up, it is cash only.
45. Take part in the Color Cruise and Island Festival in Grand Ledge for a chance to take in the fall colors from a riverboat.
46. Use this map tool to find out when the colors will be at their peak in your area.
47. McCourtie Park in Somerset Center right on U.S. 12 is home to a number of cement bridges and other structures that were constructed to look like wood. It’s a beautiful park with a river winding through it. Great photo opportunities abound here.
48. One of the most unique hikes you can take this fall can be found at Dinosaur Gardens in Ossineke.
49. Did you know you can take a ski lift outside of the winter skiing season? Boyne Mountain is one of many Michigan ski resorts that offer their chairlifts for great fall views.
50. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is home to numerous “ghost towns” and a great one to visit this fall is Old Victoria.