The Ultimate Fall Bucket List (Written From My Bed, Mid Rewatch)

The Ultimate Fall Bucket List (Written FromMy Bed, Mid Rewatch)

‍

Writing this under a blanket, candle lit, fall movie playing in the background — honestly the only way I know how to write a fall bucket list. If you start counting down to September in July, hi, you're my people. 🍁If you're somehow surprised that September is actually here, consider this your gentle little reminder to catch up!

‍

Here's everything I'm trying to get to this season before life gets busy and my free time starts disappearing.

‍

Get Out and Do Something

‍

‍Four Peaks Oktoberfest at Tempe Town Lake (Oct. 9–11) is basically a walk from home and has been a Valley tradition for 50+ years. I go for the pretzels, stay for the wiener dog races — yes, that's real, and yes, it's the highlight of my weekend every time.

‍

The Arizona State Fair runs weekends Oct. 9–Nov. 1, and there's a very specific nostalgia only a fairground gives you — funnel cake in one hand, a Ferris wheel view of the whole Valley. If you want something quieter, Día de los Muertos at Mesa Arts Center (late Oct.) is a genuinely beautiful evening of altars and live music, and Arizona Fall Festival at Hance Park (Nov. 7) is a free, dog-friendly Saturday with 200+ local vendors.

‍

For pumpkins and a corn maze you'll definitely get lost in, Schnepf Farms and Vertuccio Farms are both close by. But my real recommendation, and I only feel comfortable sharing it because I know most of you won't make the drive: Mortimer Farms in Dewey is so cute. Market, corn maze, animals, farm-to-table restaurant onsite. Worth the trip.

‍

‍

Chase the Desert Version of Fall

‍
Okay, yes, we live in Arizona, so changing leaves are basically out of the question. BUT we
do get something pretty good in return: the sunsets.

‍

‍
Catch one from "A" Mountain, grab a blanket and picnic at Papago Park, or honestly just
find a cute spot, bring your favorite coffee, and romanticize your life for a minute. That
counts as a fall activity in my book.

‍

And if you're really craving the whole actual fall experience, make a weekend out of it. Oak Creek Canyon, Flagstaff, and Strawberry are all close enough for a little escape from the city. Cooler temps, trees that are actually changing colors, cute little mountain towns —basically everything Phoenix refuses to give us in October.

‍

Honestly, I'm convinced fall in Arizona is all about finding the most fall-looking version ofArizona and pretending we have four seasons. And I fully support that.

‍

‍

Stay In and Get Cozy

‍

Some of my favorite fall moments never leave the couch — movie nights on the balcony, anew coffee order every week, a candle that makes the whole apartment smell like a bakery.

2nd Sundays on Mill downtown is a good low-key option too.

‍

And since we're talking cozy, here's my annual rewatch list, no exceptions:

‍

• Hocus Pocus — the original October comfort watch.

• Gilmore Girls — start Sept. 22, watch 4 episodes a week, and the show's holiday timeline lines up perfectly with real life. Try it, it's one of my favorite little rituals.

• The Vampire Diaries — a non-negotiable yearly rewatch. Mystic Falls in the fall is exactly the mood.

• Halloweentown — early-2000s Disney nostalgia that somehow still holds up.

• The Nightmare Before Christmas — the one movie that gets to claim both October and December.

• Practical Magic — witchy, moody, criminally underrated.

• Over the Garden Wall — a short animated series that's basically fall in visual form.

• Twilight — say what you want, but that overcast Forks lighting is unmatched autumn atmosphere.

‍

‍

The Only Rule

‍

Fall doesn't stick around long here, so I'm not waiting for it to feel "official."

‍

Grab your friends, pick one thing from each section, light your candle, put on your comfort movie, and let's make it a season worth remembering. Because if you're anything like me, fall isn't just a season. It's a whole personality for the next three months. 🍂