Skip the Weekend Crowds: Why We Plan Our Favorite Fall Adventures During the Week
- 18 hours ago
- 3 min read
Every September, it starts.
The school calendar fills with half days, early release Wednesdays, professional development days, and teacher workdays.
At first, they can feel like an inconvenience.
Another day to rearrange schedules. Another afternoon to figure out. Another reminder that the routine you've finally settled into is about to change again.
But somewhere along the way, our family stopped looking at those days as interruptions...
...and started looking at them as opportunities.
Because if you've ever tried to go apple picking on a Saturday in October, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Cars lined up down the road before you've even reached the parking lot. Long lines for cider donuts.
Crowded pumpkin patches. Everyone waiting their turn to take the same family photo.
By the time you've finally made it inside, the kids are tired, you're checking the time, and somehow the relaxing fall afternoon you imagined feels more like another thing to get through.
So a few years ago, we started doing things differently.
Instead of saving every fall tradition for the weekend, we began looking at our school calendar first.
A half day. A teacher workday. An early release. A random Friday off.
It's one of the best changes we've ever made.
The orchards are quieter. You can actually stroll between the apple trees without weaving around crowds. The pumpkin patch feels peaceful instead of packed.
The kids can run through the corn maze without waiting for the next group to move.
Even ordering lunch or grabbing hot cider feels easier.
Instead of spending half the day standing in lines, you're actually spending it together.
That's what these memories are supposed to be about.
Some of our favorite weekday fall adventures
Apple picking at a local orchard
Pumpkin patches
Corn mazes
Hayrides
Farm stands for fresh cider and homemade pies
Nature walks while the leaves are changing
A picnic after school
A scenic drive through New England back roads
Ice cream before the season ends
Browsing a small-town bookstore or coffee shop before heading home
Checking out the areas of Salem and Marblehead where scenes from Hocus Pocus were filmed
Most of these places are still just as beautiful on a Tuesday afternoon as they are on a Saturday.
Actually...we think they're usually even better.
One thing I've realized over the years is that our favorite family memories rarely come from the biggest plans.
They come from ordinary afternoons that somehow become unforgettable.
A warm apple cider shared on a cool afternoon.
Sticky fingers from cider donuts.
Leaves crunching under little boots.
The excitement of finding the "perfect" pumpkin.
The laughter that happens when nobody is in a hurry.
Those moments don't care what day of the week it is.
So before you automatically save every fall adventure for a Saturday, take another look at your family's calendar.
➡️ Circle the half days.
➡️ Notice the teacher workdays.
One thing that has made this so much easier for us is our Skylight Calendar. We keep everyone's schedules on it, school, work, appointments, activities, travel and having everything right there in front of us makes it so much easier to notice those random little openings in our week.
And sometimes, that random opening is exactly what we need.
Use that early release to head to the orchard before everyone else gets there. Turn a teacher workday into a morning at the pumpkin patch. Take advantage of an afternoon when you realize everyone is actually free.
And if you've been thinking about getting a Skylight Calendar for your family, you can use my PROMO CODE for $40 off.
You might discover that the best fall memories happen on an ordinary Wednesday afternoon.
And..... I think you'll wonder why you ever waited for the weekend.
You aren't rushing. You aren't competing for parking. You aren't trying to squeeze everything into one busy weekend.
You simply get to enjoy being there.
As a photographer, I notice something else, too. People look different when they're relaxed.
Kids aren't overwhelmed. Parents aren't watching the clock.
Everyone has room to slow down.
Those ordinary weekday adventures can also be the perfect time to sneak in a family session.
Instead of getting everyone dressed up and telling the kids you're going somewhere to "take pictures," plan something you're already excited to do together. Go apple picking. Wander through the pumpkin patch. Grab cider donuts. Let the kids run around and explore and invite me along to document it.
Your family photos don't always have to be a separate event on the calendar.
Sometimes the outing can be the session.
And those are the photographs I love most anyway, he ones where you're actually doing something together, the kids get to be themselves, and nobody feels like they're standing around waiting for me to take a picture.
Because those are the moments that become the stories we remember years later.
