October brings the best of autumn: cooler weather and fun activities for those in Minnesota. Don’t spend your next visitation weekend sitting around the TV and playing video games. Try one of these family-friendly activities instead:

Find a U-Pick Center

Cider mills and U-Pick centers are full of nature’s bounty. Find a pumpkin patch or an apple orchard to spend the day. Sample those yummy apple cider donuts. Let your kids pick out their own pumpkins and carve them as a family. Don’t forget to roast the seeds!

Discover a Corn Maze

Local farms set their corn mazes for the season. The mazes range from courses suitable for preschoolers to the truly challenging for all ages. Consider attending at nightfall for a spookier experience with older children.

Go to the Scarecrow Festival

Visit the Scarecrow Festival in Belle Plain now through October 30. Admission is $5.50 and includes tractor trikes and wagon rides.

Visit the Como Zoo

Have preschoolers at home? The big kids are back in school. Try Lil’ Explorer Thursdays where your little one can learn all about the animals in the exhibits. Bring the whole family on the weekends to explore the Halloween exhibits and everything else that the zoo has to offer.

Visit the Library

Looking for something fun and also free? Visit your local library. Libraries offer story time hours free of charge for toddlers and preschoolers. Even older kids can get involved with workshops. Visit your county or town library’s website to see what’s available in your area.

Prepare a Meal

Pick a dish, and let your kids get involved in the meal preparation. Let them pick the recipe, get the ingredients from the store, and do the cooking. It could be something as easy as pizza, or it could be a new food the family’s never tried before. Always provide supervision around the oven, stovetop, and sharp knives. Pumpkin pie? Pumpkin seeds? Pumpkin bread?

Go to the Museum

Travel to one of the Twin Cities’ museums on a cold or rainy day. Younger children will love the Minnesota Children’s Museum. Older children will enjoy the Science Museum of Minnesota. They’ll be having so much fun that they won’t even notice that they’re learning something new.