A Quick Guide to the Best November Activities in the U.S.
As someone who loves the outdoors, November can be a hard month to find things to do. As well as April, because they are the in-between months. It isn’t really winter because so little snow has fallen or not at all, that I can’t ski. Same in April, it isn’t summer yet and the snow is so patchy that I can’t winter hike or ski anymore.
This is why I struggle to find things to do in these two months. Because, my two favorite outdoor activities are hiking/winter hiking, and Alpine skiing. This is why I created this article, if you find yourself like me, and nothing to do in these two months, I’m here to show you and myself, that there are indeed fun outdoor (mostly outdoor) things to do in the month of November. I also wrote a post about all the outdoor activities you can do in April, that you can find here.
In this article, you will read about the best November activities, best November activities NYC, good November activities, November activity ideas, November activities for adults, November activities, best November events, best fall activities, best fall activities NYC, best fall activities New England, best fall activities Massachusetts, best November activities at home, places to visit in November USA, best November activities for families, and more.
This article is all about the best November activities.
Best November Activities:
Places to Visit in November USA
Okay, I’m going to start this article off with the best places to travel too within the US in the month of November. Now, in the summer, July and August, southern states and places like Las Vegas and Arizona sound miserable to travel to. However, in November it doesn’t sound so bad to travel too these places. It’s probably the perfect time to visit them since the heat has most likely cooled off. Many of these places offer a lot of fun outdoor activities as well.
- Key West, Florida : some cool outdoor activities include : kayaking, sun bathing, swimming in the ocean, surfing, jet-skiing, boating, snorkeling, paddle-boarding, bike ride, and more.
- Orlando, FL : go to the theme parks at this time instead
- Las Vegas, Nevada : take a walk along the Vegas strip, also really cool hikes at Red Rock Canyon and more
- Sedona & Phoenix Arizona : tons of hiking in Sedona, waterfalls, and spiritual activities like yoga to attend
- Charleston, South Carolina : walking on Rainbow Row, South of Broad, the Pineapple Fountain, Folly Beach
- Nashville, Tennessee : walking down/bar crawl on Broadway Street, outdoor music festivals, hiking & waterfalls nearby
- New Orleans, Louisiana : bar crawl on Bourbon Street, football game, crocodile tour/swamp tour, airboat ride, walking tour of the French Quarter, ghost tour/cemetery, haunted booze tour
- San Diego or Los Angeles, California : baseball games, hiking nearby, surfing, going to the beach
- Dallas or Austin, Texas : football game, bar crawl, high ropes course, haunted booze tour, trolley food tour
Places Outside of the US to Travel to
- Southeast Asia : Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Essaouira, Morocco
- Egypt
- Africa
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Malta
- Athens, Greece
- Rome, Italy
Best Fall Activities and Outdoor Activities in November
Okay, while November is still technically apart of fall (even though the leaves have already changed and fallen), there are a lot of fall activities that you can still participate in. Such as the Macy’s Day Parade (NYC), pumpkin picking, different festivals, and more that I will write down below. This section will also include the best November events.
- Turkey Trot
- Hiking (make sure to bring micro spikes)
- Visit National Parks that are usually too warm to visit in the summer such as, Zion National Park & Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah), Death Valley & Joshua Tree (southern California), Great Smokey Mountains (Tennessee), and more
- Cold plunge in local body of water
- Go on a walking tour of a new city
- Christmas Markets (more towards end of November into December)
- Fall Festivals : LuminoCity Festival, Sausage Festival, Wine and Chocolate Festival, Grassroots Unplugged, Hearth & Harvest Festival
- Harvest Festival: Holiday Valley Beer and Wine Festival, NYC Cider Festival, New York State Craft Brewers Festival, Holiday Fineries at the Wineries in Hudson Valley (New York), Syracuse Wine and Chocolate Festival
- Craft Fairs for Unique Christmas gifts: 45th Herkimer County Arts & Crafts Fair, Maker Faire Rochester, different holiday craft festival (usually start last weekend in November), Country Folk Art Craft Show
- New York City Marathon
- Bonfire nights and roasting marshmallows
- Learn something new like sewing, knitting, baking, etc. (you can lookup local beginner classes near you or go on YouTube)
- Bar Hop the night before Thanksgiving (one of busiest nights of the year for bars)
Best Fall Activities in New England
As I’m sure you’ve already noticed, most of the activities listed above are geared towards New York state and NYC. Now, we will talk about the best November activities to do in New England. New England is known for colder weather in November, lots of pumpkins, cider, and leaves. Below you will find some of the best events to attend this November in New England.
- Visit Acadia National Park, Maine
- Gardens Aglow at Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
- Villages of Light, Maine
- Maine Harvest Festival
- Oktoberfest at Pats Peak, New Hampshire
- Manchester City Marathon, New Hampshire
- Jingle Bells Winery Tour Bells, Lee, New Hampshire
- See the Nutcracker Ballet and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Manchester, New Hampshire
- Fairy House Tours in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
- Mixology Workshop, Woodstock, Vermont
- Plimouth Planation, Massachusetts
- Bright Nights at Forest Park, Springfield, Massachusetts
- Old Sturbridge Valley, Massachusetts
- New England Craft & Speciality Food Fair, Topsfield, Massachusetts
- Boston Comedy Festival
- Watch or Attend a Celtic, Bruins, or New England Patriots game, Boston, MA
- Attend a show at Boston’s Opera House, MA
- Candlelight Concerts, Boston, MA
- Snowport Winter Holiday Markets, Boston, MA
- Watefire in Providence, Rhode Island
- Harvest Festival, Greenvale Vineyards, Rhode Island
- Holidays at the Newport Mansions, Rhode Island
Best Fall Activities in NYC
Okay now switching back to NYC, here are the best November activities to do in New York City.
- Visit the Holiday Markets in Bryant Square, Union Square, and Columbus Circle
- Obviously, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
- See a show at Radio City Music
- See another show on Broadway
- Laugh at the New York Comedy Festival
- Enjoy live music at local pubs/bars
- Go to a concert
- See a football game at MetLife (actually in New Jersey)
And that wraps up this post of the different outdoor activities, events, and festivals to attend during the month of November. I find the transition months to be the hardest, particularly in November, because you are waiting for the snow to fall, so you can participate in actual winter activities. I hope you found something interesting to do this November. Thank you so much for reading and take care.
