Correction appended.

Fall starts Tuesday, which means a whole new season to enjoy with the kids. For many families, there are the annual traditions of pumpkin patches and corn mazes – check out these survival tips for corn maze fun from the Maize at The Pumpkin Patch – and Halloween, but there's plenty of other stuff to do in the Portland area, too. Here's our list of suggestions – add yours in the comments below.

See the swifts: Every September, thousands of migrating Vaux's swifts stop at Portland's Chapman School (see a video) to feed on insects and then spend a night in the school chimney. You can bring a picnic and a blanket and watch them from a nearby lawn.

Pick apples: Try these U-pick orchards in the Portland area: Sherwood Orchards, Bells Orchard in Beaverton and Morning Shade Farm in Canby. Learn more about apples at the Cider Squeeze Sept. 27 at the historic Philip Foster Farm in Eagle Creek. Or hit the Apple Harvest Festival Oct. 4 at Champoeg State Heritage Area in St. Paul, which will feature cider and apple dessert tastings, apple circle stringing and bobbing for apples.

Go leaf-peeping: The Oregon Fall Foliage blog uses "leaf reporters" to post updates on where to find the best autumn colors throughout the state. Their suggestion for the Portland area: Hoyt Arboretum, which has plenty of family-friendly trails.

Celebrate China: The Lan Su Garden's special "Suzhou Summer" program series -- Suzhou, China, is among Portland's sister cities -- continues into early fall with demonstrations and kid-friendly activities in traditional Chinese arts.

Follow the yellow brick road: Portland Children's Museum hosts a "Wizard of Oz" exhibit Sept. 20-Jan. 18. Kids can enjoy hands-on activities in areas depicting the farm where Dorothy lives, Munchkinland, the Wicked Witch's Castle and, of course, Emerald City.

Party with a librarian: The Multnomah County Library plans to celebrate its 150th birthday with a Sept. 27 block party outside and inside the Central Library. The event, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., will include storytimes in multiple languages, author appearances, music and dance performances and free food.

Learn about animation: OMSI hosts an exhibit on animation from Sept. 27 through Jan. 11. Visitors will be able to explore how animators create motion, create their own sound effects, and see how animators use art, math and science.

Get a clue: The Northwest Children's Theater presents "Sherlock Holmes," a child-friendly take on England's best-known detective, with Sherlock Holmes and John Watson as boarding school buddies. The production runs Sept. 27-Oct. 26.

Go for a ride: The popular Sunday Parkways series wraps up Sept. 28 in Southwest Portland, which missed out last year due to inclement weather. The 6-mile route takes in both Gabriel Park and the family-friendly Multnomah Village business district.

Learn about astronomy: Take advantage of free public star-gazing nights in October, November and December at the Haggart Observatory on the Clackamas Community College campus in Oregon City. Members of the Rose City Astronomers run the events.

Meet our winged friends: The Friends of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, in Clark County, are holding their 15th annual BirdFest & Bluegrass Celebration Oct. 4 and 5. Many events, including the family activities, are free.

Love your neighborhood park: Parke Diem, taking place Oct. 10 and 11, will enlist volunteers in sprucing up parks throughout the city. Last year's Parke Diem saw 1,400 volunteers tackling 74 projects at 70 sites.

Rock on: The Portland Regional Gem and Mineral Show runs Oct. 10-12 at the Washington County Fair Complex in Hillsboro. It includes a kids corner with games and activities, and children ages 12 and younger are admitted for free.

Get folksy: Storyteller Emmy Blue will share tales about the magical forest creatures of the Pacific Northwest during the Washington County Museum's free Family Day on Oct. 11. The event includes fall crafts and activities.

Get spooked: Warning – this one is for older/non-nightmare-prone kids only. Every October, the Davis family in Milwaukie turns its yard into the Davis Graveyard, filled with quip-filled tombstones, spooky sound effects and haunting props. Some nights, only the lights come on; other nights, visitors get the full effects, including shadowy figures that appear and disappear. This year, there's an open house from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 12.

Listen to a story: The Oregon Writers Colony holds a Stumptown Lit festival Oct. 19 at the World Forestry Center that will include a free children's story hour with picture book authors Susan Blackaby, Carolyn Conahan and Barbara Kerley.

Make a new friend: The Oregon Children's Theatre presents a musical based on the popular children's book series "Ivy + Bean," about two girls who become friends when one moves into the other's neighborhood. It runs Oct. 25-Nov. 23.

Celebrate India: Rasika, a nonprofit that promotes India's arts and culture, will present a free program during the Washington County Museum's Nov. 8 Family Day.

Go swashbuckling: The Oregon Symphony offers a pirate-themed Kids Concert on Nov. 9, with a program that includes the music from the hit "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie series.

Have fun with physics: Science educator Rhys Thomas will explain the physics behind favorite toys during the Washington County Museum's Dec. 13 Family Day. The event includes the opportunity to make a toy.

--Amy Wang

An earlier version of this post gave an incorrect date for the Cider Squeeze at Philip Foster Farm and misspelled the name of the nonprofit Rasika.