15 Things to Do in Småland This Fall – Our Top Tips
Fall in Småland! The forest is beginning to change color, the air is getting clearer, and life is slowing down a bit. It’s a wonderful time to go hiking and take little trips to farm stands, flea markets, and coffee shops.
A nice fall day in Småland might involve a long hike, but it could just as easily consist of a short walk in the woods and a long coffee break at a cozy café.
Here we've put together a list of 15 things to do in Småland this fall—including both well-known destinations and some of our own local favorites.
1. Hike in Store Mosse National Park
Store Mosse is one of the most unique natural areas in Småland. Here, marshes, forests, lakes, and long boardwalks come together, taking you right out into the countryside. It’s especially beautiful in the fall. The colors become softer, the air clearer, and there aren’t as many visitors to the park as there are in the summer.
Feel free to pack a backpack with coffee and a snack and make it a half- or full-day outing. There are both shorter and longer trails to choose from. Our personal favorite is the orange trail, the Lilla Lövö Loop. Here, you’ll walk both on boardwalks across the open marsh and on trails through the pine forest.
Our advice is not to rush—let the hike take as long as it takes.
2. Hike directly from Smålandstorpet
You don’t always have to get in the car to experience nature. From Smålandstorpet, you can put on your hiking boots right outside the house and head straight into the forest. There are several different hiking options here, ranging from shorter walks to longer trails. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast, borrow a backpack and a thermos, and start your day’s hike right from the house. Isn’t there something special about being able to leave the car behind and just walk? The longest route you can take is 15 km, which takes you along gravel roads, trails, and across a large stream.
3. Pack an autumn picnic
A picnic doesn't have to be a summer activity.
On the contrary, we actually think it's even cozier in the fall.
Bring a thermos of coffee or tea, sandwiches, something sweet, and preferably a picnic blanket.
Stop by a lake, on a rock with a view, or right in the middle of a hike.
When the air is a little chilly, coffee and pastries taste even better!
4. Look for mushrooms in the forest
Fall is the perfect time to head out with a basket and look for mushrooms.
If you’re lucky enough to come back with mushrooms you’ve picked yourself, you can borrow a sandwich grill at Smålandstorpet and make some mushroom toast for dinner.
Some good bread, cheese, and mushrooms sautéed in butter can make for a really nice dinner after a few hours out in nature.
5. Visit a farm shop or local producer in Småland
One of the things we highly recommend when you’re spending a few days in Småland is to leave the main roads behind and seek out smaller producers.
One of our recommendations is Ängabacken’s Björksoda. There, you can book a tasting of Björksoda paired with Småland tapas. Björksoda is a beverage made from birch sap. It’s more than just a trip to the store—it’s a little culinary adventure in itself.
Another local tip is Hultens Organic Vegetables in Vrigstad, where you can buy locally grown vegetables—and maybe let what you find there inspire tonight’s dinner at home.
You can also visit Hagshultskossornas Kopensionat, a farm shop selling local meat and other products. It’s stops like these that we think make a trip to Småland especially enjoyable: you drive along the smaller roads, buy something local, and take a little piece of the region back home with you.
Don't forget to always check the current opening hours and any advance booking requirements before you go!
6. Take a road trip along the back roads
Avoid the fastest route and instead take the smaller roads through the countryside.
Here you’ll find forests, farms, stone walls, lakes, and small communities that you’ll never see from the highway.
Set a single goal for the day and let the rest happen spontaneously. If you see a farm stand sign, a flea market sign, or a scenic road—take a detour. One of the best things about the area around us is that the road itself can become part of the outing.
7. Visit the Vandalorum Museum of Art and Design in Värnamo
Not every fall day brings blue skies. On those days, Vandalorum in Värnamo is a great place to visit. It features art, design, and temporary exhibitions, and a visit here makes for a perfect half-day outing. Feel free to combine it with lunch or coffee at Vandalorum’s renowned restaurant, Syltan. This outing is a great option when you want a day that isn’t just about nature.
8. Take a long coffee break
You don't have to fill a weekend with sightseeing.
Sometimes it’s perfectly fine to just pick a nice café and take a little longer over your coffee break. One of our favorites is Vaggeryds Gårdscafé, right on the outskirts of Vaggeryd. And if you’re wondering what to order there: the Silviakaka is one of our favorites. Vaggeryd is also home to Ritz Konditori, which serves delicious marzipan cakes.
If you’d like to take a trip to Jönköping, you can also stop for coffee and pastries at Konditori Rosetten or the slightly more old-fashioned Lindströms Cafe & Konditori. A few stops at flea markets, a long coffee break, and then the back roads back toward Smålandstorpet can make for a perfect fall outing.
9. Go on a little flea market tour
Småland and flea markets go hand in hand, in a way. Some places we like to visit ourselves include Erikshjälpen Second Hand in Vrigstad, Värnamo, and Jönköping, as well as the Red Cross secondhand stores in Skillingaryd and Jönköping.
We especially like Erikshjälpen in Värnamo, but the real fun is actually combining a couple of larger thrift stores with smaller flea markets that pop up along the way.
Feel free to plan two or three stops and let the rest happen spontaneously. If you see a handwritten garage sale sign by the roadside—take a detour. And if you’d like to take a longer trip, you can combine shopping at secondhand stores in Jönköping with a coffee break at Rosetten or Lindströms.
10. Basta by the Lake
After a few hours out in the fall air, there’s nothing quite like a warm, wood-fired sauna! At Smålandstorpet, our little sauna is located down by the lake—it’s just a ten-minute walk away. After enjoying the heat of the sauna, anyone who wants to take a dip can simply use the ladder from the dock to get into the water.
In the fall, the contrast between the warm sauna, the cool air, and the lake is truly wonderful! Of course, you don’t have to go for a swim. It’s just as nice to simply enjoy the warmth, sit outside for a while, and just look out over the lake.
11. Cook dinner with local ingredients—or get takeout
When you live in your own house with a really nice kitchen, going out to a restaurant doesn’t have to be the highlight of the evening. It can be just as enjoyable to pick up something local during your day trip and cook dinner together when you get back. Maybe vegetables from Hultens, mushrooms from the forest, or something else you found along the way.
If you don’t feel like cooking dinner yourself, Nha Trang Take Away in Vaggeryd is one of our top recommendations. They serve really delicious Asian food that you can pick up and take home—perfect after a day of hiking, sightseeing, or relaxing in the sauna. We really love their food, and it’s an easy way to enjoy a truly delicious dinner without having to cook a thing.
12. Discover a small nature reserve or a local hidden gem
Not all nature experiences in Småland are large and well-known. In the area around Smålandstorpet, there are several smaller spots that we enjoy visiting ourselves.
One such place is Alnaberget in Svenarum. Hike up the hill and enjoy a beautiful view of the Småland countryside. It’s perfect for a short outing when you just want to get out for a while, without going on a full-day hike.
Another great place to visit is the Hatten Nature Reserve, also in the area around Svenarum. Here you’ll find ancient forests, tranquility, and a waterfall—a great option if you’re looking for a slightly more secluded nature experience.
A third recommendation is Tabergstoppen, where you’ll enjoy a completely different kind of nature experience. Here, the view is the main attraction, and it’s perfect for a short outing to combine with a coffee break or a stop in Jönköping.
Those are exactly the kinds of places we like—the little hidden gems that might not always be listed in the big travel guides, but that are perfect for an autumn weekend.
13. Take a walk with no particular destination in mind
A walk doesn't have to follow a set route or have a specific destination. Step outside and choose the path that looks most inviting. Stop when you find something beautiful, turn back when you feel like it, and let your own pace set the rhythm. Look for mushrooms, take pictures of the fall leaves, or sit by the lake for a while. Sometimes it’s precisely the lack of plans that makes a few days away actually feel like a vacation.
14. Have an evening with no plans
In the fall, the house becomes a bigger part of the experience itself. Head back before it gets dark, cook dinner together, or pick up something tasty in Vaggeryd, and let the evening stretch out. Read a book, do a puzzle, play games, listen to music, or drink tea—without feeling like you have to fit anything else in.
Bad weather doesn't have to mean a bad weekend. It just changes the pace. Maybe you'll stay in all evening, or maybe you'll take a short evening walk with the headlamp hanging inside the door.
15. Make a whole weekend of it
The great thing is that you don’t have to choose just one thing from this list. In two days, you can experience quite a lot without the weekend feeling completely packed. An autumn weekend, for example, could look like this:
Friday:
Arrive in the afternoon, unpack, and take a short walk before making dinner or picking up Asian food from Nha Trang in Vaggeryd.
Saturday:
Take your time enjoying breakfast, then head to Store Mosse National Park, Vandalorum, or go to a few flea markets.
Stop for a coffee break, pick up some local goods, and end the day with a wood-fired sauna by the lake.
Sunday:
Sleep in.
Have breakfast, go for a walk right from Smålandstorpet, or hike up Alnaberget in Svenarum.
Finish with a coffee break at Vaggeryd’s farm café.
Or do almost none of the above. That’s also an option.
Fall in Småland doesn't actually have to be packed with activities
Maybe that’s exactly what we like best about Småland in the fall. There’s plenty to do here, but you don’t have to do it all. You can go hiking for a whole day or just take a half-hour stroll along the gravel road. Go on an outing or stay home. Hunt for mushrooms, visit a museum, shop locally, enjoy a coffee break, browse a flea market, take a sauna, or read a book while the rain beats against the window.
Perhaps what matters most isn’t how many things you manage to check off your list. It’s that you get a few days where the pace is a little slower. At Smålandstorpet, you’ll stay in a private house for two, nestled in the heart of Småland’s natural beauty, with hiking trails starting right from the property and the option to book our wood-fired sauna by the lake.
Are you planning a whole weekend? See also:
A weekend for two in Småland—48 hours of forests, saunas, and little adventures.
