What to do in the Fall in DFW
The first year our family moved to DFW the Texas summer seemed to extend endlessly through the autumn months. I missed the festivities and feelings that accompany the season. My family didn’t know what to do in the fall in DFW.
After several years here, I’ve learned that what Texas lacks in crisp, cool air it makes up for with a multitude of activities and festivals. I can find numerous events to create a unique and exciting time of year in DFW.
1. Wander Your Local Pumpkin Patch
You can find small pumpkin patches in many locations, but a few of our favorites to visit are
Hall Johnson Pumpkin Patch–
.Climb and slide on the playset, pet the animal and browse the pumpkin displays. Pay for a corn maze or Wagon ride. Free to enter the opening weekend. $5/adults $3 kids after Sept 26
Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch
. You’ll find hundreds of cartoon characters painted on wooden displays. Your kids will want a photo with all their favorite characters. There are also hay bale mazes, wagon rides, bounce houses, jungle gyms, food trucks and more. $10 per car or $5 on weekdays
Nash Farm in Grapevine
Nash Farms offers free admission year-round. It’s like stepping into the past. In the Fall, on Roundup day (Oct. 19, 2019)they offer wood stove cooking demonstration, apple pie making station, historic carnival games, toys, corn shuck doll making and the last butterfly release following Butterfly Flutterby.
2. Ride in a Hot Air Balloon at the Balloon Festival
Enjoy live entertainment, kids play zone, food, and fun at the Plano Balloon Festival. Hot Air Balloon rides available. Balloons launch at 7 am and 6 pm. Enjoy a Balloon Night Glow at 8 pm along with a fireworks show.
3. Visit Big Tex at the Texas State Fair
This Texas classic State Fair is the biggest around. Everything is bigger in Texas, amiright? Entertainment, food, and fun rides make this an event for the whole family to love.
4. Seach the Pumpkin Displays at the Arboretum
While the Gardens at the Dallas Arboretum are gorgeous and visit-worthy year-round, the fall season brings a new form of beauty. Find the changing colors throughout the Garden as well as pumpkin displays. Our favorite way to spend the day is in the Rory Children’s Garden. With educational activities, movement opportunities and beauty in abundance, there is something for everyone at the Arboretum.
5. Trick or Treat with the Animals at Boo at the Zoo
Boo at the {Fort Worth} Zoo includes treat stations, carnival games, animal shows. Wear your costume and the animals just might look at you more than you look at them.
6. Enjoy Outdoor Movies at the Drive-in Theater
With the weather cooling down and the sun setting a bit earlier, this is the perfect season for a movie under the stars. Coyote Drive-in Theater Fort Worth offers a double feature of new release movies for only $8/person and $4.50 for kids. Arrive early to enjoy food and play areas.
7. Attend a Local Fall Festival
Most of the cities offer a local festival targeting the kids. Most of these city-produced festivals are free!
Here are a few festivals we love, with many more offered around the metroplex. Leave a comment with your favorite and I’ll add it to my list!
- North Richland Hills Hoot-N-Howl NRH offers costume competitions, local entertainment, crafts galore, carnival games, bounce houses, petting zoo, and a miniature train ride…. all for free.
- Southlake Oktoberfest
- Hurst Fall Festival
- Dallas DFW Kids Fall Fest
8. Ride a Thriller at Fright Fest
As if the roller coaster rides aren’t thrilling enough, for the fall season Fright Fest at Six Flags over Texas offers haunted houses, Halloween shows and scare zones throughout the park.
9. Walk Through a Halloween Wonderland at Pumpkin Nights
Plan a fun Family Night at Pumpkin Nights. Located at Howell Farms in Arlington, your family can embark on a hero’s quest and dig for treasure in Pumpkin Pirate Cove. For kids and parents, experience fun festival activities as you journey through seven magical pumpkin-themed lands.
10. Send a Glowing Lantern up in the Sky
While going to Thailand for the official Lantern Festival may not make it on your calendar this fall, the beauty of the lights on the water comes to Fort Worth. Release your lit lantern and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere with music and food at the Water Lantern Festival.
11. Scare the Kids at a Haunted House
If Haunted Houses are your thing, here are 4 that may be more kid-friendly
- Hangman’s House of Horrors (Fort Worth)
- Kiwanis Haunted House (Lewisville)
- Screams – A Halloween Theme Park (Waxahachie)
- Terrorplex (Mansfield)
12. Take a Drive to Discover Fall Leaves
As the season progresses there are beautiful areas of old trees and foliage that will turn the colors of fall. Check out a few of these areas for Autumn leaves and Fall feelings.
- White Rock Lake (Near the Arboretum in Dallas)
- Japanese Garden (Fort Worth Botanical Garden)
- Spring Creek Forest (Garland)
- Cedar Hills State Park (Southwest of Dallas)
- Cedar Ridge Preserve (Dallas)
- Ray Roberts Lake Greenbelt (Denton)
- Lake Mineral Wells State Park & Trailway (West of Fort Worth)
Do you have more ideas for what to do in Fall in DFW? Leave them in the comments and I will update this article.
Find another 75 things to do in the DFW area!
Get away from the kids for a date night in Downtown Dallas!
Make a plan for all that Halloween Candy your kids will get this fall.
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