Kids of all ages can participate in the parade and costume contest at Hocus Pocus Pops in the Woodlands. (Courtesy The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion)
Discover Houston’s best autumn attractions, from family-friendly farms to seasonal festivals that celebrate the harvest season.
It may still feel like summer in Houston, but don’t let the temperature fool you—fall has officially arrived. And with it comes a host of activities to round out what Houston’s already got going for it as a top tourist destination.
Houston embraces all things fall with pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and hayrides, all with a Texas twist. In this curated list, you’ll find opportunities for live music, family games, petting zoos, and enough festival food to keep you in treats—not tricks—for the next couple of months. Happy fall Houston!
Houston Pumpkin Festival
Discovery Green
Sept. 20-Nov. 2
Monday to Thursday from 3-10 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
$18 tickets must be purchased in advance on the website
Have an otherworldly adventure at the Houston Pumpkin Festival, where you can bounce on giant pumpkins, sit atop a whimsical train, and take photos among sunflowers and a glowing pink tree of life.
Choose your mode of transportation—clear kayaks, bumper boats, or Cinderella’s carriage—and make your way around Discovery Green’s field of fun. Steer roping and a giant corn pit bring a little bit of Texas to the festivities.
Dewberry Farm
Brookshire
Sept. 13-Nov. 9
Times vary by day, so check the website
$44.95 per ticket
Gather the kids and head to Dewberry Farm, where donkeys, pigs, and ponies await petting, and goats line up to be hand-fed. Start with a cup of the farm’s “magical butter brew,” and move on to funnel cakes, fried Oreos, and turkey legs.
You’ll love following the pumpkin trail through hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns and life-sized lanterns and getting lost in the 8-acre corn maze. Don’t forget to snap some pics by the pumpkin house, and if you’re feeling energetic, stay for the family-friendly and spooky BOOriffic Nights.
Sugar Land Fall Fest
Sugar Land Town Square
Sept. 20
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Free
The great thing about Sugar Land Fall Fest is that no matter your age or interest, there’s something for everyone.
For the kids, expect a covered hayride, inflatable corn maze, petting zoo, and face painting. Adults will love the live performances by country artist Trey Gonzalez and guitarist Randy Burns. And everyone will enjoy ice cream from Kilwin’s and scrumptious eats from Escalante’s, Bar Louis, and Fish City Grill.
Follow @sugarlandtx.gov on Instagram to get a head start on the fall festival scavenger hunt, and compete with your friends to see who can finish first.
Tastes & Treasures Pop-Up Artisan Market: Fall Edition
Lyric Market, Theater District
Sept. 20
4:30-8:30 p.m.
Free
If you love shopping local in a place that gives you all the fall feels, spend a day at Tastes & Treasures Pop-Up Artisan Market: Fall Edition. This market features 18-plus small businesses selling handcrafted, one-of-a-kind items.
At this special fall edition, you can sip seasonal cocktails while you stroll through the shops, all decorated with fall décor and photo ops. You’ll feel so festive, you might even get a jump start on your Christmas shopping. Enjoy dinner from one or more of the eclectic food vendors, all selling fall-inspired bites.
Bonus points: This event is dog-friendly, and even the parking is free (for up to two hours) with any food or beverage purchase!
Halter, Inc. Pumpkin Patch
Clay Road, Houston
Oct. 18-19
Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday noon-5 p.m.
$5 per person, $5 to park, $1 per activity ticket
A nonprofit organization that supports kids with special needs, Halter, Inc. holds this very popular fundraiser every fall—and it’s a huge hit. It is one weekend only, so you’ll want to get this on your calendar now.
You can come here just for the pumpkin patch, snap some epic photos, and enjoy the energy of the festival. Or you can buy a pocketful of tickets and do it all: pony rides, a haunted trail, a spooky maze, a petting zoo, archery, carnival games, duck races, an obstacle course, and on and on.
Froberg’s Farm Corn Maze and Fall Festival
Sept. 20-Nov. 2
8 a.m.-6 p.m.
$10 weekdays, $15 weekends
Ever heard of an emoji cannon? Well, there’s a first time for everything, and Froberg’s Farm is pleased to be the first to introduce you to shooting tennis balls at emoji targets at this fun fall festival.
And that’s just the beginning. Practice your aim with Friendly Fire, a nerf ball form of dodge ball, take the little ones on the bee coaster, or climb aboard the unique bee barrel tractor ride (we’ll let you be surprised by this one.)
Of course, Froberg’s newly designed corn maze will challenge you, and you are free to wander the flower garden and pick to your heart’s content. There are numerous photo opportunities here, so be sure to charge up your phone and get in line for the jumping pillow, mega slide, and sand pit. And whatever you do, don’t miss digging for treasure under the water chute of a mining sluice.
Nature Discovery Center Pumpkin Patch Fall Festival
Bellaire
Oct. 25-26
11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Free
What can you do with a pumpkin, other than carve it? Well, at the Nature Discovery Center Pumpkin Patch Fall Festival, you can go pumpkin bowling, compete in pumpkinhead bean toss, do a pumpkin push, or try your hand at pumpkin ring toss.
Plus, there are wagon rides, a costume contest, loads of festival games for kids of all ages, and even axe-throwing for the adults. Last year’s most popular craft activities will return, as will friendly animals and lots and lots of—you guessed it—pumpkins!
Hocus Pocus Pops
Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Woodlands
Oct. 24
7:30 p.m.
Free
The Houston Symphony performs a slew of spooky songs at Hocus Pocus Pops, an evening event that offers trick-or-treating, ghoulish games, and just a tiny bit of scary fun, all wrapped up in a lot of entertainment.
Don your best costume for a chance to strut on stage during the concert. The first 100 boys and girls to check in at Hocus Pocus Central in the North Plaza, fully costumed, will have the chance to march in the Goblin Parade.
While you’re encouraged to get crazy with your costumes, note that accessories that resemble weapons are not permitted. It’s all the treat without the trick!
ArBOOretum Family Festival
Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Oct. 18
10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Free to Arboretum members, $20 for non-members
Boasting the only Trick-or-Treat Nature Trail in Houston, the ArBOOretum Family Festival celebrates all things fall, including Halloween. Wear your costume, if you please, but make sure you also wear good walking shoes, as you’ll be enjoying the great outdoors at the Houston Arboretum.
Picture carnival swings, a Halloween market, live animal encounters, pumpkin decorating, train rides, and your choice of food truck refreshments.
Note that there is no onsite parking for this event. Visit the Arboretum website for parking and shuttle details.
P-6 Farms Fall Festival & Pumpkin Patch
Montgomery
Sept. 27-Nov. 2
10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
$25.95 per person
Located just outside of the Woodlands, Houston, Conroe, Tomball and College Station, P-6 Farms hosts a festival that is worth the drive into “the country.”
The giant you-pick pumpkin patch will draw you in, and the pig races, Ferris wheel, and vintage rides will keep you there all day. Get lost in the corn maze, capture fall-themed photos, cut a bevy of fall flowers from the garden, and snuggle with the adorable farm animals.
You’re just a few miles outside of the city, but you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to another time and place where pumpkins sprout, animals graze, and the noise of the city is nowhere to be found.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Related: 8 Houston hikes with plenty of shade
