Everyone loves a good trip to the apple orchard, but there’s more to do in fall than come home with a bushel of apples. You can add some excitement to your upcoming vacation by coordinating it with a fall festival. Pumpkin patches, fall brews and, of course, fall foliage should all have a space on your itinerary. Here are some of the best fall festivals to explore with your family.
Nestled in the North Georgia mountains, Helen, Georgia, was built with Bavarian architecture and tradition in mind. Oktoberfest in Helen brings scores of visitors and hotel, restaurant and bar staff wear lederhosen and traditional German wear while serving beer, bratwurst and pretzels. It’s still fun for the kids with authentic German music, gift shops, treats and nearby hiking and playgrounds to run to from Hofer’s Bakery and Cafe or fried cheese from Muller’s.
© Sean Pavone | Dreamstime
Halloween is either a blast for your family or night of terror for the kids who scare at the sight of a scarecrow. Not everyone enjoys being scared or indulging in Halloween events, but Pumpkintown U.S.A. blends non-scary fall fun with pumpkins and hayrides. The Pumpkintown Village offers life-sized characters that are sweet and charming. Just imagine delightful scarecrows topped with smiling, painted pumpkin heads.
International Gourmet Festival in Puerto Vallarta
If you need an excuse to book a trip to Mexico, make it one of the fall festivals in Puerto Vallarta. Their upcoming International Gourmet Festival attracts foodies from around the world. Although the food is geared toward grown-up tastes, there is still plenty for kids to do with live entertainment and copious amounts of sweets.
Puerto Vallarta also has fall festivals you can plan around your foodie trip like Dios De Los Muertos to celebrate the dead with fantastical costumes, colors and parades. Plan ahead as rooms can book up.
Photo: Ritu Jethani | Dreamstime
Autumn at the Arboretum in Dallas
If fall flowers and foliage are your family’s thing, Autumn at the Arboretum in Dallas delivers. They feature more than 4,500 flowers, 150,00 fall blooming plants and an internationally acclaimed Pumpkin Village. It really makes us wonder how long it takes them to set it all up.
And it’s not just the kind of acclaim because there aren’t enough villages to compete with. Dallas’ Arboretum houses more than 90,000 pumpkins, squash and gourds and has a stunning Children’s Adventure Garden. Spend the entire day there, and task the kids with pumpkin counting and see how long they last.
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