All about having some fall fun, but unsure what to do? Check out my Cincinnati fall bucket list for 2021.

Go to a pumpkin patch

Starting off this list is the most obvious idea for fall – go to a pumpkin patch. With over 20 pumpkin patches or festivals within an hour and half drive of Cincinnati, you’re sure to find your perfect spot for pumpkin fun on my pumpkin patch list. From farms with all the frills to ones with hayrides to u-pick pumpkin fields.

Carol Ann’s Carousal

Take a spin on this one-of-a-kind, Cincinnati-themed carousal. Carol Ann’s Carousal recently reopened after an extended pandemic-related closure. This attraction features artwork and animals unique to Cincinnati’s culture and history. Where else can you find a flying pig and Oktoberfest horse in the same place?

This is a great outing to save for the weekend. Carol Ann’s Carousal is currently open Friday to Sunday, from 11am to 4pm. Tokens can be purchased online or at the carousal.

Carol Ann’s Carousal is located near the riverfront at 8 East Mehring Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Haunted Poasttown School

Looking for some spooky fun? How about leading your own paranormal investigation at a REAL haunted school? At Haunted Posttown School, near Middletown, you can lead your own investigation through the school.

While I’ve never done an investigation of my own (self-admitted scaredy cat over here), I do have a personal connection to the school. My mom taught at Posttown up until it closed – and I’ve spent many hours there helping her in her classroom.

This activity is probably best for bigger kids and grown ups – unless you enjoy staying up all night with your little ones.

Posttown School is located at 6600 Trenton -Franklin Road Middletown, OH 45042

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery

One museum I’ve been excited to check out is the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, Ohio. This children’s museum is all about science, technology and natural history – and is only about an hour drive from Cincinnati.

Some exhibits that caught my eye include the Kids Place for kids 4 and under, Strictly Briks where visitors can enjoy a building station with a variety of oversized “briks”, Science On a Sphere® which features a giant suspended globe to teach visitors all about Earth and space, and of course, the Discovery Zoo. The zoo is home to over 100 animals and insects, including river otters and a sloth named Patience.

The museum is currently open 7 days a week, and reservations are not required.

Boonshoft Museum of Discovery is located at 2600 Deweese Pkwy, Dayton, OH 45414

Inwood Park 

This newly renovated playground is best explored on an overcast day – making it the perfect fit for some fall fun. The PNC Grow Up Great® Playground in Inwood Park is located near Christ Hospital. It reopened in August 2021, and was designed with input from children and accessibility experts and built with a grant from PNC.

Inwood Park has one of the largest playground areas for the littlest little ones. And don’t worry – there’s still an area for bigger kids to play too. If you haven’t had a chance to check out this playground yet, make sure to add it to your fall bucket list!

Inwood Park is located at 2308 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH 45219. However, use directions to this location to navigate to the playground.

Drive-in Movie

One of the few pluses of the sun setting earlier is that drive-in movie screen times now begin before bedtime. We really wanted to try this outing during the summer, but it just wasn’t worth keeping a toddler up that late. But this time of year, the movies begin just after dinner.

The two drive-in movie theatres closest to Cincinnati and open during the fall are Holiday Auto Theatre in Hamilton and Starlite Drive-in in Amelia. Tickets can be purchased online. Both spots offer concessions, but also charge a flat fee to bring your own food.

Holiday Auto Theatre is located at 1816 Old Oxford Road State Route 130, Hamilton, OH 45013

Starlite Drive-in is located at 2255 Ohio Pike, Amelia, OH 45102

Fall Colors Scavenger Hunt

Looking for an easy, outdoors fall activity? Fall Colors Scavenger Hunt took about 5 minutes to put together and got us out the doors and enjoying the great autumn outdoors for over an hour.

To make the color guide, I used a piece of printer paper, drew 6 boxes and colored them in with fall colors. There are so many different ways to make a color guide for this activity – from using paint sample squares to magnetic tile toys, it’s easy to make this activity your own.

Two of our favorite spots to search for fall colors is Blue Ash Nature Park and Pioneer Park in Montgomery. But this is an activity you can do in your own backyard!

Craft Fairs

We’re all a bit anxious to get a jump start on our holiday shopping this year. A great way to support local vendors while doing your holiday shopping is to stop by one of the many craft shows and markets taking place during November. Some of my favorite craft shows include:

• Greater Cincinnati Holiday Marketing – November 12-14
• Lakota East Craft Show – November 13-14
• The O.F.F. Market – November 20

American Sign Museum

Looking to find some fall colors, but indoors? Spend a morning or afternoon exploring the American Sign Museum. The AMS is the largest public museum of its kind in the country dedicated to signs. Here you can find over 100 years worth of signs spread throughout 20,000 sq. ft.

Reservations are required and advanced timed-entry tickets can be purchased online. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, closed Monday and Tuesday.

The American Sign Museum is located in Camp Washington at 1330 Monmouth Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45225

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No matter what type of fun you’re looking to have this fall, there’s something for everyone on this bucket list. From pumpkin patches to spooky fun, and a Cincinnati-themed carousal to cool museums, you’re bound to find something fun to do this fall in Cincinnati.

Bummed about this lovely, rainy October weather? Here are 5 easy Halloween activities to keep your toddler or preschooler entertained at home.

[ONE] Halloween Bubble Foam

Break out your sensory bin and body wash for this sudsy fun activity. Bubble foam is an easy activity to whip up, and becomes a Halloween activity by adding food coloring and spooky trinkets. For this activity you’ll need:

• Mixer (stand or hand held)
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of body wash
• Food coloring

Combine water, body wash (any brand), and food coloring (4 drops of yellow and 2 drops of red to make orange) in bowl. Mix on HIGH until enough foam is made to fill your container. Pour foam into sensory bin or large, shallow container. Add in smaller sized containers and scoops, paint brushes and a whisk. Top off with spooky Halloween trinkets such as eyeballs and spider rings.

[TWO] Toilet Paper Tube Monsters

You really can’t go wrong with this activity. Grab a few empty toilet paper rolls, a variety of age-appropriate art supplies, and presto – you’re ready to create your own hoard of monsters.

When making TP monsters with my four year old, we used markers, colored pencils, Halloween foam shapes, glue, and googly eyes. The googly eyes were a huge hit during this activity, but really, any art supplies you have around the house will work.

[THREE] Glow Stick Bath

Glow sticks are an easy way to jazz up bath time. This time of year you can find glow sticks by the Halloween candy or the party supplies at your local grocery store. Just crack 2 or 3 glow sticks, toss them in the tub, and turn off the lights for some spooky splish splash fun.

And it doesn’t have to be pitch black in the room for a glow stick bath to be fun! Just dim the lights slightly for a mid-day bath.

[FOUR] Popsicle Sticks Spider Web

This Halloween activity is best for slightly older kids or adults – as I enjoyed making a popsicle sticks spider web, but my son did not. For this activity, you’ll need:

• 3 popsicle sticks
• Glue
• Yarn
• A decorative spider or spider ring

Arrange the 3 popsicle sticks in an asterisk* shape. Glue together in the center of each stick. Once dried, cut a long piece of yarn and tie to one stick towards the center of the asterisk. Begin weaving the yarn around the shape, looping the string once or twice around each stick. To finish, tie off the end of the web, and welcome your little spider friend to their new home.

[FIVE] Halloween Sensory Bin

This easy Halloween sensory bin takes about 10 minutes to put together and can be used all month long. You’ll need a large container, red lentils, smaller containers & scoops, and some spooky trinkets. You can check out all the details – including shopping links, through the button below.

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Rainy days are no fun when you’re trying to squeeze in all that outdoor Halloween fun. But these spooky activities can help make the days stuck indoors a bit less gloomy.

Looking for an easy Halloween activity? Look no further than this Halloween Sensory Bin! This sensory bin is easy to put together and will keep your kiddos entertained for hours.

Most of the items for this sensory bin can be purchased at your local grocery or dollar store. But if you’d rather have it all shipped to your doorstep, check out the shopping links below.

Here’s what you’ll need for the Halloween Sensory Bin:

• Large, shallow container
• Fill (such as red lentils or dyed orange rice)
• Assorted containers and scoops
• Halloween / spooky items

The Setup

For our family, I’ve found that the best easy sensory bins have four key elements: a big container with lid (for easy storage), fill (such as beans, dyed rice, water, bubbles, etc.), a variety of smaller scoops and container, and themed-trinkets.

For the Halloween Sensory Bin, I used my large, 28QT container as the base container. This container is great for sensory bins as it is large, but still shallow enough for little ones to use – plus it has a lid for easy storage.

Inside the bin, I used dried red lentils for the fill. Despite the name, red lentils are the perfect orange color for a spooky sensory bin. You could also use orange dyed rice for the fill.

For the smaller containers, I included some Halloween-themed items, such as a witch’s hat, mini pumpkin pail and black cat cup. Lastly, I threw in some spooky trinkets, such a spider rings, plastic bats and rats, eyeballs.

Halloween Sensory Bin Supplies Shopping Links

_{Disclosure: One Little Small is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The links in this post are affiliate links, meaning if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission. I selected the products in this guide because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.}

You can pick up most of the supplies needed to make this Halloween sensory bin. But if you’d rather have everything arrive at your doorstep, you can use the shopping links below. I selected these items based on their similarity to the items I own and used for this sensory bin.

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And that’s it – a simple setup for a sensory bin you can use all spooky-season long. You really can’t go wrong when it comes to creating a Halloween Sensory Bin for your kiddos. Just follow these steps for creating an awesome bin.