Autumn is upon us, and with the season comes much more than beautiful foliage; it also brings a bounty of fall family festivals. Catch your breath at the sight of hundreds of hot air balloons in Albuquerque, New Mexico; savor the taste of the nation’s best apples in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; or witness thousands of jack o’lanterns light up in New York’s Hudson River Valley. Consider one of these fall festivals for your next weekend adventure with the kids.
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1. Yellow Daisy Festival – Stone Mountain, GA
One of the largest fall fests in the Southeast, the annual Yellow Daisy Festival is a four-day event at Stone Mountain Park, just outside of Atlanta. Running Sept. 5 to 8, 2019, the show features more than 400 artisans, live entertainment, children’s activities, craft demonstrations and more.
Recommended Hotel: Atlanta Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort
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2. Arts and Apples Festival – Rochester, MI
Apples bring visitors to Eastern Michigan for this annual event that combines the fall harvest of apples, plus artwork. For nearly 50 years, Rochester Park has welcomed festival-goers and this year opens its doors again to nearly 300 artisans displaying their wares for purchase. The Arts and Apples fall festival also features apple treats (of course!), live entertainment and a Kids Art Zone. The annual event will take place Sept. 6 to 8, 2019.
Recommended Hotel: The Royal Park Hotel
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3. Linde Oktoberfest – Tulsa, OK
The Linde Oktoberfest brings authentic Bavarian culture to Tulsa, Oklahoma. This family-friendly Oktoberfest event is modeled after the annual festival in Munich, Germany, with German bands and arts and crafts vendors, carnival rides and traditional Bavarian food and beer. This fall festival takes place Oct. 17 to 19, 2019, but visit on October 18 for Family Free Day and enjoy free admission for the whole family between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Children under 12 are free to enter the festival at any time.
Recommended Hotel: DoubleTree at Warren Place
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4. West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta – Tualatin, OR
This regatta is like nothing you’ve seen before! The West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta just outside of Portland, Oregon, is a paddling race of 1,000 pound pumpkins. Participants (fully decked out in crazy costumes!) climb inside giant pumpkins and paddle across the Lake of the Commons in several wacky races. The regatta also features pie eating contests, kids’ costume contests, pumpkin golf, pumpkin bowling and plenty of food. This year’s event takes place on Oct. 19, 2019.
Recommended Hotel: Kimpton RiverPlace Hotel
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5. Lowville Cream Cheese Festival – Lowville, NY
Who says a fall fest has to be all about pumpkins and apples? On Sept. 21, 2019, Lowville, New York—about 1.5 hours northeast of Syracuse—will celebrate cream cheese at this annual event, which includes recipe contests and live entertainment. There’s also a Children’s Park with a rock climbing wall, giant slide, ziplining and more.
Recommended Hotel: SpringHill Suites Syracuse Carrier Circle
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6. Luminata – Seattle, WA
The Luminata festival at Green Lake Park in Seattle, Washington, bids farewell to summer and celebrates the autumnal equinox on Sept. 21, 2019. All are invited to bring lanterns, glow sticks, laminated costumes, or other glowing creations to parade around the lake. Throughout the park, families will find illuminated art installations, music, live performances and more.
Recommended Hotel: Hotel Max
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7. The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze – Croton on Hudson, NY
This one is part Halloween festival, part attraction, and a must-see for any family. Every fall, families can get into the spirit of the season at The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze in the Hudson River Valley. Here, more than 7,000 hand-carved, illuminated jack o’lanterns are on display in an evening walk-through experience at Van Cortlandt Manor. The fall family festival takes place on the following dates in 2019: Sept. 20 to 22 and 26 to 29; Oct. 3 to 31; and Nov. 1 to 3; 8 to 10; 15 to 17; 22 to 23; and 29 to 30.
Recommended Hotel: Castle Hotel and Spa
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8. Sonoma County Harvest Fair – Sonoma, CA
The Sonoma County Harvest Fair in Sonoma County, California, is a celebration of the grape harvest in California’s wine country. While families can participate in the World Championship Grape Stomp, this fall festival isn’t all about wine. There are plenty of family-friendly activities, including pumpkin tosses, sheepdog trials and cow-milking contests. Animals are a key theme for children—there are miniature donkeys, pet pigs and pygmy goat shows. Water fowl and poultry even get recognition. Kids might enjoy riding carnival rides or participating in the Easy Bake Oven Bake-Off. Parents will appreciate live jazz music and art shows. In 2019, the Sonoma County Harvest Fair will take place October 4 and 5.
Recommended Hotel: Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa
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9. Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta – Albuquerque, NM
There’s nothing like the sight of hundreds of vibrantly colored hot air balloons drifting through the desert sky of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It’s all part of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, which takes place Oct. 5 to 13, 2019. Events kick off as early as 6 a.m. each day with a “dawn patrol,” in which balloons are inflated and launched in a choreographed musical performance. Mass balloon ascensions follow at 7 a.m. many mornings, while evening offerings include fireworks shows that everyone in the family can enjoy. Kids of all ages will become awestruck over the Balloon Glow—a magical event in which the balloons are lit from within like colorful paper lanterns. Visit on October 10 for Kids Day.
Recommended Hotel: Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa
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10. National Apple Harvest Festival – Gettysburg, PA
Head to Gettysburg, Pennsylavania, for the National Apple Harvest Festival, Oct. 5 to 6 and 12 to 13, 2019. The annual autumn festival features arts and crafts, live entertainment, contests, and, of course, lots of apple treats. Schedule a ghost tour while you’re in town—Gettysburg is notoriously haunted and especially spooky around Halloween.
Recommended Hotel: Gettysburg Hotel
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11. New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival – Laconia, NH
The New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival (formerly the Keene Pumpkin Festival in Keene, New Hampshire), is a grand event—the biggest annual event in the state, in fact, with more than 30,000 pumpkins! Live music, crafts, hayrides, fireworks, a kids’ costume parade and a pumpkin pie eating contest keep visitors entertained. Teens enjoy events specifically geared toward them, too, including wall climbing and seed spitting contests. This year’s fest will take place Oct. 18 to 19, 2019.
Recommended Hotel: Summit Resort
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12. World Championship Punkin’ Chunkin’ – Rantoul, IL
After more than 33 years at its Delaware location, the World Championship Punkin’ Chuckin’ has moved locations to Rantoul, Illinois, less than 90 minutes from Springfield. Tens of thousands of people flock to this family-friendly fall festival to see pumpkins launched into the air by home-engineered devices like catapults, giant sling shots, cannons and trebuchets. This year’s event takes place from Nov. 1 to 3, 2019.
Recommended Hotel: President Abraham Lincoln Springfield – a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
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