9 Incredible Early Fall Festivals In Florida Worth Planning A Trip Around
The heat finally breaks and Florida starts smelling like cinnamon and cut hay. That combination alone is worth clearing a weekend for.
Would a cornfield maze or a plate of fresh Gulf seafood win your Saturday? Either answer is correct, and both are on the table this season.
Farms across the state throw open their gates for pumpkin patches, hayrides, and slides built from old machinery. Downtown squares fill up too, with artists, live music, and food that smells like a fair.
You do not need a big budget for any of this. Most stops cost very little, and a few charge nothing at all to walk in.
Kids and friends are welcome, or wander alone at your own pace. Nobody is going to make you act your age here.
1. Southern Hill Farms
Blueberry farm by spring, autumn playground by fall. Southern Hill Farms flips the switch every September and turns its Clermont acreage into one of the busiest fall parties in central Florida.
Carnival rides spin near the entrance, and a big corn maze waits just beyond. Getting turned around in there with your family is half the fun.
Arguments over which way is north usually end in laughter.
The u-pick sunflower and zinnia fields are the real showstopper. You cut your own blooms, carry them around all day, and take them home looking like you just won something.
Little ones gravitate toward the petting zoo and the covered playgrounds. Wagon rides roll through the property at an easy pace, giving tired legs a break while you take in the rows of crops.
Food trucks handle lunch, and the pumpkin patch barn handles your porch decorations. Sizes range from tiny to barely liftable.
Stick around until dusk. Fire pits open up for s’mores, and roasting marshmallows under a Florida sky is a simple pleasure worth staying for.
Face painting, yard games, and live music round out the day. Buy admission tickets online ahead of time, because weekends fill up fast and walk-up entry is not guaranteed.
The fall season runs select Thursdays plus Friday through Sunday from late September into November at 16651 Schofield Rd, Clermont, FL 34714.
2. HarvestMoon Fun Farm
A cannon that shoots candy into the air. That alone earns HarvestMoon Fun Farm a spot on your calendar, and the Candy Cannon Blast goes off several times a day.
The five-acre corn maze changes its design each season, so returning visitors get a fresh puzzle. Younger explorers get a Kiddie Maze that is far less likely to end in tears.
Then there is the 70-foot jumping pillow. Adults claim they are supervising.
Adults are lying. Everyone bounces.
Pedal carts race around a track, ball toss games invite friendly trash talk, and duck races give little ones something to cheer for.
Animal lovers, head straight to the petting farm. Nigerian Dwarf goats mob the fence, and a baby Highland cow and baby llama round out the crew.
Grab an apple cider slushie. Florida afternoons stay warm well into October, and that frozen cup makes the hayride much more pleasant.
Weekends bring live entertainment, so plan for Saturday if you want the fullest version of the day.
When the sun sets in October, Fright Nights takes over with three haunted attractions and a nighttime corn maze. Not for the easily spooked.
Daytime festival season runs late September through early November, with Fright Nights on October Fridays and Saturdays, at 24007 Prospect Rd, Masaryktown, FL 34604.
3. Harvest Holler Corn Maze And Pumpkin Patch
Ever slid down a retired combine harvester? At Harvest Holler in Polk City, the Big Frank-n-Slide turned an old piece of farm machinery into a set of slides, and it is genuinely wild.
Everything here feels like a real working farm, because it is one. The Green Swamp stretches out nearby, and the adventure hayride takes you past cows, crops, and honest Florida landscape.
The corn maze rewards teamwork. Split into teams if you want bragging rights, or just wander and see where you end up.
Hands-on animal science sessions let you watch chicken and calf demonstrations. You can even try milking Betsy, the learn-to-milk cow.
KT’s Mini Moos steal every photo. Miniature cows have a way of doing that, and nobody leaves without at least five pictures.
Younger kids love the Cow Train Ride, while corn tubs, tire swings, and Hay Mountain handle the rest of their energy.
A vintage farm miniature golf course adds some friendly competition. Loser buys cobbler.
Speaking of which, Maw-Maw’s Country Store serves cobblers and Paw-Paw’s Vittles dishes out country plates that taste like a proper county fair.
Fall season runs mid-September through mid-November, open Friday evenings, Saturday afternoons and evenings, and Sunday afternoons. Check hours before driving out to 950 Tavares Rd, Polk City, FL 33868.
4. Raprager Farms
A passion fruit maze. Not corn, passion fruit.
Raprager Farms in Odessa does things a little differently, and that quirky twist sets the tone for the whole visit.
Show up and you immediately face a choose-your-own-adventure situation. There is more here than most people can finish in one afternoon.
Start with the pumpkin patch, then decide how brave you feel. The mechanical bull waits for volunteers, and the hay chute slide sends you flying faster than expected.
The giant bounce pillow is pure joy. So is Fort Merlin, where kids invent elaborate storylines nobody else can follow.
Gem mining slows things down nicely. Sifting for sparkly stones is weirdly calming after all that bouncing.
Pumpkin painting gives you something to carry home, and the corn pit swallows shoes whole. Consider yourself warned.
The petting zoo introduces you to the farm’s animal residents, and hayrides give your feet a well-earned rest.
Live entertainment pops up on busy days, and the farmers market sells fresh produce and treats worth packing into the car.
Florida families have quietly turned this place into an annual tradition, and it is easy to see why.
The fall festival typically starts in late September and runs on weekends and select days through November. Buy tickets online first, then head to 16907 Boy Scout Rd, Odessa, FL 33556.
5. Long & Scott Farms
Sixty feet of slide. That is the first thing most people mention about Great Scott Farms, and the ride down is every bit as fast as it looks from the bottom.
The corn maze here is the main event though. A new design gets cut every year, which means repeat visitors never solve the same puzzle twice.
Bring a competitive friend. Finding the exit becomes a lot funnier when someone insists they know the way.
The jumping pillow draws a crowd all day long, and the castle playground turns ordinary kids into knights and dragons within minutes.
Tractor-driven farm tours give you a calmer view of the property. You learn a bit about how the place runs while the breeze does its thing.
Pumpkins cover the patch in every size, from carving giants to little decorative ones that fit on a windowsill.
Food and craft vendors set up throughout the grounds, so snacks and handmade souvenirs are never far away.
Vintage tractors serve as photo backdrops, and honestly those pictures always turn out better than the posed ones.
Toddlers get their own mini corn maze and a Tot Lot play zone, which keeps the whole family happy.
Open weekends from late September through mid-November, roughly 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 26216 County Road 448A, Mount Dora, FL 32757.
6. Harvest Fields Corn Maze / Fields Of Fright
Two completely different experiences share one address in DeLand. Daylight brings wholesome family fun.
Darkness brings screaming.
By day, Harvest Fields Corn Maze runs on hay rides, pumpkin picking, and a sprawling maze that eats up a solid chunk of your afternoon.
The corn cannon is ridiculously satisfying. You load it, aim, and launch an ear of corn across the field with a loud pop.
Gem mining uncovers small treasures, duck races get loud, and round bale racers send kids zipping around with big grins.
Mini Highland cows show up with their shaggy hair and gentle eyes, and the giant hay fort becomes climbing headquarters.
A mini hay maze keeps the smallest visitors busy while older siblings tackle the big one. Food vendors handle the rest.
Now the night shift. Fields of Fright takes over the same property with two haunted houses, a haunted corn maze, and a haunted hayride.
That hayride starts in the cornfield and heads into a dark sinkhole. Yes, an actual sinkhole.
Florida provides excellent scare material.
Recommended for ages ten and up, so plan accordingly.
Daytime maze runs weekends in October from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with Fields of Fright on Friday and Saturday nights, at 3000 N Spring Garden Ave, DeLand, FL 32724.
7. Pensacola Seafood Festival
Free admission and fresh Gulf seafood. Hard to argue with that combination, and the Pensacola Seafood Festival delivers both every single fall.
Downtown Pensacola clears space for the crowds, with Historic Seville Square, Fountain Park, and Bartram Park all joining in. The whole area turns into one big open-air gathering.
Come hungry. Vendors serve up the freshest catch the Gulf Coast has to offer, and the variety goes well beyond fried shrimp.
Shrimp, fish, crab, and regional specialties fill the plates. Sharing is encouraged so you can taste more.
Over 150 arts and crafts exhibits line the walkways. Paintings, sculptures, handmade jewelry, and textiles fill the tents.
Artists here are happy to chat about their work, which makes buying a souvenir feel a lot more personal than grabbing something off a shelf.
Live music runs continuously across the weekend, giving the whole festival a steady, easygoing rhythm.
Kids get their own activity area, so parents can actually finish a plate of food while sitting down.
Northwest Florida shows off beautifully in late September, with breezes off the water making the stroll comfortable.
The festival returns in late September, running Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with extended evening hours on the first two days. Join the crowd at Historic Seville Square, 311 E Government St, Pensacola, FL 32502.
8. Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival
Thirty-five years of pumpkins says something. Hunsader Farms out in Myakka City has been running its festival long enough that grandparents now bring grandkids to the same fields they wandered as teenagers.
Walk in and the country fair energy grabs you immediately. Craft booths stretch on and on, live shows fill the stages, and someone is always roasting sweet corn nearby.
That farm-roasted corn deserves its own paragraph. Add homemade ice cream and a slice of pumpkin pie and you have made excellent choices.
Kids have their own zone here. Tiny Town sparks imaginations, the barnyard playground burns off energy, and pumpkin games keep everyone giggling.
Pony rides, face painting, and a seriously large petting zoo round out the family side. The Pioneer Trades Village is quieter and surprisingly cool, showing old-fashioned skills most of us never learned.
Hayrides loop the property, scarecrow displays pop up in odd corners, and the train rides please both toddlers and adults pretending the ride is for their kids.
One important tip: admission and parking are cash only. Hit an ATM before you drive out, because service in the countryside can be spotty.
Festival weekends land in mid and late October, running 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Costume contests and trick-or-treating close things out.
Find it at 5500 CR 675, Myakka City, FL 34211.
9. Fall Festival Of The Arts DeLand
Picture an entire downtown boulevard turned into an art gallery with no walls and no ticket price. That is the Fall Festival of the Arts in DeLand, now in its thirty-third year.
More than 150 juried artists set up along Woodland Boulevard. Juried means the work had to pass a selection panel, so the quality stays high.
You will find paintings, sculpture, glasswork, jewelry, leather goods, photography, printmaking, wood art, ceramics, and fiber art. Something for every taste and budget.
Entry costs nothing. Bring a little spending money anyway, because resisting everything is genuinely difficult.
Live music plays across multiple stages, including the main stage at Pioneer Park. The sound follows you as you wander from tent to tent.
Food vendors serve local favorites, and downtown restaurants stay open for anyone wanting to sit and rest a while.
The Kid’s Zone hands children real materials and lets them make their own art. A Youth Art Exhibit shows off what local students have created.
Poetry slams add an unexpected twist, with the Grand Slam at Chess Park awarding cash prizes to the best performers.
Historic DeLand is one of the prettiest small downtowns in Florida, full of boutiques worth browsing afterward.
Held on a November weekend, Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday until 4 p.m., along Woodland Blvd, Downtown DeLand, FL 32720.