Before we begin, I would like to take a moment of silence for summer. While many of my best friends absolutely can’t wait for fall to start and get all excited about things like boots and pumpkin spice lattes, I’m more of a summer girl myself; I love the slower pace of life, the outdoors, the pool, and the long, sunny days.
Sigh…
Ok, now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about all the great events that the metro area has to offer for the fall. They even make me a little more excited to embrace the new season. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it should give you a good idea of places to go with your family. As always, leave us some tips in the comments for your favorite fall activities.
Food and Drink Festivals
A Taste of Colorado Labor Day Weekend – A Denver tradition in Civic Center Park includes over 50 Colorado restaurants for you and your family to sample. If you’re bringing the littles, a kids stage and carnival rides are available!
Festival Italiano {September 12-13th; Belmar in Lakewood} – Celebrate Italian culture {and all the yummy food} during this two day festival in Lakewood.
Denver Oktoberfest {September 18th-20th, and again September 25th-27th}
Fall Festivals
There are so many fall festivals that offer loads of family fun. Here’s a sampling:
Pumpkin Harvest Festival at 4 Mile Historic Park {October 3rd and 4th; 10-4} Highlights to this festival include building a scarecrow and hayrides at this landmark in Cherry Creek.
Berry Patch Farms Harvest Festival {October 10th and 17th, 10-4} Geared for families with children under 10, come pick fruit and pumpkins, as well participate in crafts and hayrides!
Littleton Museum Harvest Festival {October 10th, 10-3} The Littleton Museum is one of our absolute favorite places to go in the area. Their fall Harvest Festival is FREE, but some activities and food do require tickets. Their 1800s farm turns into an old fashioned country fair on festival day, with pumpkins to pick, old fashioned games to play, along with exploring the animals and old farm houses. This one is a must-do!
Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield Pumpkin Festival {October 9-11; 9-5} In addition to picking your pumpkin, come for a hayride, corn maze, face painting and more! Admission is $7/adult, $5/child over two, plus an additional fee for the corn maze.
Farm Fun: Pumpkins, Corn Mazes, Etc
Anderson Farms- This farm in Erie has a lot of your standard family fall fun: corn maze, hayrides, pumpkin launching, and farm lights {like Christmas lights but with Fall flair}. What caught my eye, though, was the things for older kids and teens like zombie paintball and haunted hayrides.
Rock Creek Farms- Located in Broomfield, Rock Creek Farms has tons of fall fun for families. Activities include: a HUGE pumpkin patch for picking pumpkins off the vine, a corn maze, petting zoo, and bounce castles and slides. Don’t forget to get a caramel apple!
Mile High Farms – Fall Into Fun -This farm in Bennett boasts a pumpkin patch, Two corn mazes, pumpkin patch {priced by size}, petting zoo, antique tractor hayrides, straw castle, rope maze, bounce house, barrel carts, and more. Open weekends from October 3 through October 31. Adults: $13; Kids 4-12: $10; Free for 3 and under.
Miller Farms- After Labor Day through November, this farm in Platteville, Colorado has many fall activities such as hayrides, picking your own vegetables, and a petting zoo. Admission includes 5 bags of produce (!).
*A note for those of you who want to do apple picking: most of the area’s apple picking orchards have no or very few apples this year due to weather. However, check out Ya-Ya Farms in Longmont for their activities and to keep in mind for next year!
Fall Nature Programs
Fall Campfire at Lair O’ The Bear– Long ranked as one of the best family hiking spots near Denver, Lair O’ the Bear has an Autumn campfire 6:30-8 pm on Friday, September 18th. Join in with the whole family for stories and hot drinks around the fire.
Halloween Tales and Trails at Lookout Mountain Nature Center {October 17th from 1-7} A whole family hike, craft time, and stories – costumes encouraged!
Events at Local Attractions
Denver Zoo Nature Connects {Lego Exhibit-through November 1st}- Come see theseamazing Lego sculptures at the zoo {Our favorite was the polar bear}. Included in zoo admission.
Museum of Nature and Science “The Power of Poison” Exhibit– Now through January, the wonderful Nature and Science Museum has a unique exhibit on all things poison. Older kids will especially love to see how poison was an integral part of some of their favorite stories {Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket, to name a few}. Free with admission.
Foxy and Schmoxy: Art Detectives {Denver Art Museum} The Denver Art Museum {which is now FREE for kids under 18} has a neat activity for families: starting September 13th, you can pick up a letter from the “fox box” and get clues to find Foxy and Schmoxy the foxes finding treasures and solving mysteries in the museum.
Day Out With Thomas {Colorado Railroad Museum, September 12, 13, 19, 20, 26 & 27, 2015} – Get your little train lover and head out to Golden for a Day Out With Thomas!
