Fall is such a fun time to get outside. The weather is cooling….well if you are in Texas then it is kind of cooling. The leaves are changing. There are spooks in the air! It is the tip of the holiday marathon that runs from now until after the new year! If you have kids, you cannot help but see it all through their eyes and re-visit some wonderful memories of your own! Here is a quick list of things we think you need on your list to see and do…..and several of them are FREE!! Grab your kids and your Pumpkin Spice Latte, and head out the door!
TRader Joe’s
Location: multiple
Open: Daily
Cost: Free!!
It is so fun to browse all of the fun pumpkin spiced items that they have! Love their ghost-shaped potato chips! OR maybe their pumpkin pasta sauce! Our kids are super fans of Pumpkin Os and Spiced Cider! Plus, they have the prettiest and most reasonably priced “pretty” pumpkins in the metroplex!
CREEKWOOD UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Location: 261 Country Club Rd Allen, TX
Open: Now
Cost: Free
Pumpkin Patch – Open daily from 9am to dusk
Fall Festival – October 19 3-6pm FREE Petting zoo, bounce house, carnival games, balloon animals, face painting, children’s craft table, hayride, popcorn, cotton candy, hot dogs, and much more.
Cottonwood Art Festival
Location: Cottonwood Park 1321 W. Belt Line Rd. Richardson, TX 75080
Open: Oct. 5 10am-7pm and Oct. 6 10am – 5pm
Cost: Admission to Cottonwood Art Festival is FREE, however some activities in the ArtStop Children’s area require a nominal fee.
From its humble beginnings in 1969, the Cottonwood Art Festival has developed into one of the most prestigious fine art festivals in the United States. Local artists staged their first Festival at the scenic Cottonwood Park in Richardson, Texas. It was all tie-dye, bell-bottoms and braids back then where the artists laid down blankets and set up easels with the hopes of selling s few pieces of art. Since that first weekend nearly five decades later, Cottonwood has established itself as signature art event, become a tradition in the community and the home to the finest artists in the country for the first weekend of May and October.
St. James Episcopal Church
Location :: 9845 McCree Rd., Dallas 75238
Open :: September 28 – October 31, 2019;Sunday-Thursday: 1-7pm, Friday & Saturday: 10am-7pm
Cost :: FREE
Your classic churchyard pumpkin patch. They’ve done it here for years and usually have various pumpkin-related fun throughout the month. None of those activities are on the website as of yet, but check back in at the link for updates, for sure.
Steinfest
Haggard Park in Historic Downtown Plano will also host a big Oktoberfest-style event this year. It’ll include the finest beer, German-inspired cuisine, live music, an artist village of craftsman and makers, a wiener dog fashion show and other fun contests, keg bowling, a kid’s zone, and more.
Location :: Haggard Park, Plano
Date :: October 25-16, 2019; Friday: 5-11pm & Saturday: 11am-11pm
Cost :: FREE (food and drink coupons $1 each)
Farmers Branch Halloween in the Park
Location :: Farmers Branch Historical Park, 2540 Farmers Branch Lane, 75234
Date :: October 26, 2019; 5-10pm
Cost :: FREE admission for residents, Haunted Hedge is $5 for non-residents (Recommended for ages 9 and up only)
This is another family-friendly Halloween party for those who want to celebrate in a more communal way. There’s bounce houses, face painting, carnival games, trick-or-treating, live kids entertainment, and lots more. New Boo-ville area for kids 5 and under. Definitely wear your costume. Lots of contest opportunities!
Denton’s Day of The Dead Festival
Location :: E Hickory and Industrial Street, Denton, TX
Date :: October 26, 2019; 11am-9pm
Cost :: FREE
Celebrate the harvest, Dia des los Muertos, and Halloween at the family-friendly Day of The Dead Festival in Denton. Delightfully macabre and spooky but with families and kids in mind. They’ve got a pumpkin patch with crafts for the littles, a haunted house designed and run by Denton High students, a Cirque Du Horror show filled with spooky stories and performances for all, a Twilight Lantern Parade, and the super popular Coffin Races. Costumes encouraged!
Nash Farm fall roundup
Location :: Nash Farm, 626 Ball St. Grapevine, TX
Date :: October 19, 2019, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Cost :: FREE but some activities require coupons. Concessions will be available for purchase.
This family-friendly event takes you back in time. Events include an Agricultural Expo where guests can learn about processing grain, see farm animals, enjoy campfire cooking demos, make apple pie, experience rope making, pony rides and more. A historic carnival includes old-fashioned games, bucket brigade races and other competitions. The Farmers Institute, located just outside Nash Farmhouse, will have demonstrations on farm skills, such as maintaining livestock, carpentry, sewing and food preservation.
Boo on Ballard
Location :: Historic Downtown Wylie
Date :: October 24, 2019; 6-8pm
Cost :: FREE
Go booth to booth picking up lots of candy and goodies from local vendors. Olde City Park (also on Ballard) will have a bungee trampoline, foam cannon, zip line, and DJ as part of Glow in the Park, put on by Wylie Parks & Rec.
Trails and Treats at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge
Location: 9601 Fossil Ridge Rd, Fort Worth, Texas 76135
Open: Saturday, October 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m
Cost: Adults (13-64) $5, Seniors (64+) $3, Children (3-2) $2, Children Under 3 Free, $1 Discount w/Military ID (Active/Retires)
Preston Trail Farms (f.k.a. The Big Orange Pumpkin Farm)
Location :: 15102 TX-289, Gunter 75078
Open :: September 14 – November 27, 2019; 8am-8pm, daily
Cost :: $8/person (M-F) and $10/person (weekends), children under 2 are free. Includes feed for petting barn, hayride, roping pen, hay maze, plus one pie pumpkin (M-F) or a hot dog and farm train ride (weekends).
THIS IS MY FAVORITE!!! It feels like stepping on the set of a Hallmark movie! It is so cute and fun with the kids. They have everything to make a memorable afternoon! Worth the drive!
Storybook Ranch
Location :: Storybook Ranch, 3701 S. Custer, McKinney 75070
Date: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 31
Cost: $15/child and $5/adult
Cost is $15/child and includes a Hay Maze, Pony and Horsey Rides, Pettin’ Zoo, Bounce Houses, Field Day Games and a Wagon Ride through our 1800s western town. Adults are $5/each and includes access to the Pettin’ Zoo and the Wagon Ride through the 1800’s western town.
All proceeds from our annual Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser support River Ranch Educational Charities’ programs for low income and at-risk youth and the high-functioning special needs communities.
Halloween at the Heard
Location :: Heard Natural Science Museum, McKinney, TX
Date :: October 19, 2019; 6-10pm
Cost :: Adults: $15, Children ages 3-12: $10, Children ages 2 and under: free
SAVE THIS ONE FOR NEXT YEAR! THIS YEAR IS SOLD OUT! Experience Collin County’s premier family-friendly Halloween event at Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary. Halloween at the Heard features a safe environment to experience the joy of trick-or-treating along the eerie Dinosaurs Live! Live-Size Animatronic Dinosaurs trail. Families will enjoy an evening full of fun activities including a presentation of a family-friendly movie on the Heard’s outdoor amphitheater stage.
AUTUMN At the ARboretum
Location :: Heard Natural Science Museum, McKinney, TX
Date :: Now – October 31st
Cost :: Adults: $17, Seniors: $14, Children ages 2-12: $12, Children ages under 2 free, PARKING: $15
For the 14th year, Autumn at the Arboretum, presented by Rogers-O’Brien, highlights the nationally acclaimed Pumpkin Village featuring pumpkin houses and creative displays utilizing more than 90,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash. The festival opens on September 21 and runs through October 31. With the theme, “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,” The Dallas Arboretum’s favorite fall festival features a ‘Great Pumpkin’ topiary; Linus, Sally and Franklin topiaries looking through the pumpkin patch; Snoopy and Woodstock topiaries sitting atop his dog house; Lucy giving garden advice at her booth; and a Schroeder topiary standing near his giant topiary piano. Guests can snap selfies with Charlie Brown, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie topiaries behind the iconic brick wall, get lost with Pig Pen in the hay bale maze, and see the Peanuts Gang at their school house along with their multi-gourd decorated house for their autumn carnival. Named one of “America’s Best Pumpkin Festivals” by Fodor’s Travel, the festival features breathtaking colors of fall including 150,000 autumn flowers accented by pumpkins, gourds and squash.
FRight Fest at Six Flags
Location :: 2201 Road To Six Flags St E, Arlington, TX 76011
Date :: September 21 – November 3
Cost :: Buy your advance purchase tickets online and save up to 40% off the regular price of $82.99. Tickets must be purchased online.
Fright Fest, presented by SNICKERS®, is back for select days this fall. It’s a spooky time of year as zombies and ghouls take over the park. Enjoy thrills and activities for the whole family throughout the day and come back for a truly frightening evening of fun after the sun goes down. Fright Fest offers a wide variety of places to get your scare on including several haunted houses and scare zones located throughout the park. The stuff of nightmares lurk around every corner as the dark of night washes over the park. The ghouls are set free for their daily hunting rituals. BEWARE! There is no place to hide!
The State Fair of Texas
Location :: 2201 Road To Six Flags St E, Arlington, TX 76011
Date :: September 27 – October 20
Cost :: Vary by packages, click here
Since its establishment in 1886, the State Fair of Texas has promoted Texas agriculture, education, and community involvement through quality entertainment in a family-friendly environment. As a nonprofit organization, the Fair advocates for the community and is committed to preserving Fair Park – building on its legacy as a National Historic Landmark.
At 24 consecutive days, the State Fair of Texas is the longest-running fair in the nation, as well as one of the largest. Through its rich and lengthy history, it remains evident that the State Fair serves not only as an annual celebration but as a unique destination that brings people from all walks of life together to create lifelong memories.
AND ONE EXTRA just outside of dfw:
Magnolia Silobration
WACO | OCT. 17–19
October’s fifth-annual Silobration is its crowning jewel. Magnolia enthusiasts can look forward to more than 90 artisan vendors from across the country, plenty of delectable snacks, and games on the lawn. Folk duo Johnnyswim rounds out the festivities.
Xoxo,
Kate & Chan
