Outdoor Entertaining Ideas for Fall

We New Englanders love the Fall. Beautiful colors, delicious food, and less humidity, among other things. We are able to go outside and enjoy our decks and porches in a whole new light than we did in the summer. Autumn is the last hurrah before the harsh winters that Mother Nature usually puts us through. By all means, we should enjoy them as much as possible. We’ve put together a few tips to make your end-of-season get-together a little more special.

Pumpkins as Containers

Pumpkins aren’t just for jack o’ lanterns. Their thick sides make them great as coolers and serving bowls as well. Cut off the top third of a pumpkin and hollow out the inside, fill it with ice, and you’ve got a great table-top cooler for refreshing drinks! You can also use pumpkins as great decorative bowls. Cut a pumpkin in half, hollow out the inside, and cut a decorative edge. Insert a plastic container of dip and off you go!

Rustic Accessories and Autumn Colors

Nothing says fall like a lovely centerpiece for your patio table. Pair a garden crate with some autumn vines and Spanish moss from your local craft store. From there, you can add decorative gourds, small pumpkins, apples, pears, and mums.

Feel free to adjust your patio furniture color scheme to suit the autumn weather as well. Traditional colors for fall are burnt oranges, browns, and dark reds. Feel free to accent these with some neutrals, like a taupe or beige. Add an old-school feel to your patio table with placemats in corresponding colors.

Another perk to entertaining with autumn colors is that many stained decks look absolutely wonderful decorated with the traditional autumn colors. Play around with different swatches to see which looks best with your particular stain!

Fall Get-Together Essentials

With any fall get-together in New England, there are some time-honored traditions that you can’t miss: Caramel Apples and Hot Mulled Cider. Hot cider can be conveniently kept warm on your deck by using a crock pot. Guests can ladle cider into mugs right from the pot. Here’s a great recipe from Food Network.

A great activity for guests old and young alike is make-your-own Caramel Apples. Have a decorating station ready for creative inspiration. Guests can eat their artwork right away or take it home as a souvenir. Either way, these apples are sure to please!