It’s Fall! Check Out All the Fun Fall Events in Our Region

And just like that – it’s fall! Mother Nature isn’t messing around this year, and it seems like we almost got whiplash when temperatures dropped on the first day of fall. If you’re like us, you’re already pulling out your boots and sweaters and chugging pumpkin spice lattes like your life depends on it. Although the lattes can be pretty satisfying all on their own, we put together a list of events happening around Northwest Arkansas, The River Valley, and Northeast Oklahoma to add to your family calendar and help you enjoy the season to its fullest.

ARKANSAS

Fall Harvest Pumpkin Stand
When: Now open daily from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm through October
Where: 3505 S Walton Blvd Rainbow Curve, Bentonville
Contact: 479-659-4700.

They have all the seasonal items to decorate your home for pumpkin spice latte season! Mums, corn stalks, novelty pumpkins and gourds, hay bales, and more. Look for them in the red and yellow tent by the fireworks building on Rainbow Curve.

Girls Shelter Mum Fundraiser
When: October 6, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
Where: The Shops at Brick City, 3215 South 74th Street, Fort Smith
Contact: 479-646-0444

This annual event is always a hit, but be sure to get there early, as they tend to sell out fast! You can choose your color from a selection of bronze, purple, red, tricolor, white or yellow 12″ mums grown by Parks Brothers Greenhouses. They average 22” tall and 24” wide.

Riverside Family Hayride
When: Tuesday & Thursday nights in October, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Where: 17023 Chamber Springs Road, Siloam Springs

Sit back and enjoy a hayride while you listen to a child-friendly spooky story and make some s’mores! What could say fall more than that?? (But FYI: everything needed to make s’mores, as well as hot chocolate and water, will be available for purchase.)

Vanzant Fruit Farms Pumpkin Patch
When: Open Monday – Saturday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Where: 3705 AR-264, Lowell
Contact Info: 479-756-3152

The Vanzant name is synonymous with fresh fruit in Northwest Arkansas, and the fall season is no exception. Drop by their farm in Lowell to find the perfect pumpkins, a few pots of mums, and some jams and jellies while you’re at it!

McGarrah Farms Pumpkin Patch
When: Monday – Friday 1:00 – 6:00 pm, Saturdays 10:00 am – 6:00 pm, Sundays Noon – 6:00 pm
Where: 14804 Miser Road, Pea Ridge
Directions: Take exit 88 off of 540. From 4 way stop in Pea Ridge (highways 94 and 72), go east on Leetown road for 3 miles. Turn left on Miser road. Turn on the only road to the right (about .5 miles) and follow to the end.
Contact & More Info: 479-451-8164

Pumpkins of all shapes and sizes can be chosen by you in the field, or just selected from the ones already picked and waiting. Visitors can also enjoy “mule train” rides, a corn maze, tractor-pulled hay rides and concessions to make it a great family day. Make a list of what you need for the porch, because they have a great selection of fall décor like corn stalks and hay bales, as well as hand-painted crafts.

Sequoyah UMC Youth Pumpkin Patch
When: Open daily through October
Where: Sequoyah Methodist Church, 1910 N Old Wire Road, Fayetteville

Thousands of pumpkins arrive at Sequoyah United Methodist Church each October, as the whole congregation–and especially the youth–get into the spirit of the season. Their patch (i.e. the front yard of the church is crammed FULL of pumpkins and gourds of all kinds. Whether you want to carve one or just decorate, they have something for you. The pumpkins are grown as a fundraiser for the Navajo Indian Reservation in Northwest New Mexico and sold by the youth to support local youth missions.

Walnut Farm Montessori Fall Festival
When: October 6, 9:00 am-Noon
Where: 4208 E. Central Avenue, Bentonville

Everything a kid could want in a fall fest: a pumpkin patch, animals, a bake sale, crafts, even a chance to play in the dirt! For the parents (or a really savvy kid) there’s also a silent auction on the schedule.

Ozark Corn Maze
When: Weekends in October
Fridays 5:00 – 10:00 pm,  Saturdays 10:00 am – 10:00 pm,  Sundays 1:00 – 6:00 pm
Where: 12880 Highway 112, Cave Springs

Under new management (McGarrah Farms!) this Northwest Arkansas favorite boasts three corn mazes that cover over 16 acres!! There’s also a twenty-acre pumpkin patch, and a spot to take fall family photos. Miniature donkeys, face painting, and a sensory activity – a corn bin full of 3,000 pounds of loose corn. They still have the corn cannons, a tractor train, and a pumpkin slingshot. There’s a lot of fun for all, and snacks to keep you going.

Fort Smith Fall Festival
When: October 6 – 7
Where: Fort Smith National Historic Site, 301 Parker Avenue, Fort Smith
Contact & More Info: 479-226-3727

Be a part of the very first event of its kind! This fun festival will be a part of the yearlong Bicentennial Celebration and will offer all kinds of free programs favorite attractions like the Trolley Museum, Fort Smith Museum of History, and the Fort Smith National Historic Site. Visitors will enjoy vendors, food trucks, living history encampments, an antique tractor show, and so much more we can’t list it all here. But let’s just leave you with this: how about a recreation of an Old West shootout??

Pumpkins & Ponies
When: October 20, 7:00 am – 1:00 pm
Where: Fort Smith Farmers’ Market

Music, pony rides and a pumpkin carving contest – what more do you need? That’s a pretty full day already, but bring your market bag and grab some groceries while you’re there!

Greenwood Fall Festival
When: October 6, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Where: Bell Park in Greenwood

Celebrate the Fall Season at this 15th annual event hosted by the Greenwood Parks & Recreation Department. Arts and Crafts Vendors, lots of food, entertainment, pony rides, a petting zoo, bounce arounds, hay rides, carnival games, and face painting will be available, so bring the whole family and plan to spend the day!

Fayetteville Oktoberfest
When: October 7, 1:00 – 7:00 pm
Where: Downtown Fayetteville Square, 98 S. Block Avenue

Join the Arkansas Brewer’s Guild and member breweries from across the state to celebrate the fall season with craft beers, live music, local businesses, and vendors. This is a beer tasting event and community festival, but it’s also a family-friendly festival with a kids zone featuring inflatables, games, crafts and more.

OKLAHOMA

Annabelle’s Fun Farm & Pumpkin Patch
When: Fridays 1:00 – 4:00 pm, Saturdays 10:00 am – 6:30 pm, Sundays 1:00 – 6:30 pm through November 1st
Where: 444606 E. 110 Road, Welch
Directions: 1 mile east of Welch Oklahoma, 1 mile south, 1/2 mile west
Contact: 918-323-6352

Take the family to pick out some pumpkins, wander through the corn and hay bale mazes, shoot the corn cannon, and enjoy a hayride. You can’t miss the petting zoo and bounce house, and there are also concessions on site and a picnic area. Sounds like hours of fun!

Pelican Festival
When: October 10 – 13
Where: Wolf Creek Park, 963 N. 16th Street, Grove
Contact & More Info: 866-588-4726

Each year American White Pelicans return to the waters of northeast Oklahoma’s Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees, so of course there should be a parade to welcome them home! Come join the fun and enjoy a parade, arts and crafts and food vendors. Kids will enjoy the carnival, and the whole family can see the pelicans up close via the daily viewing tours onboard the Cherokee Queen.

Oktoberfest
When: October 13
Where: Holy Ghost Catholic Church, 120 W. Sequoyah, Vinita
Contact & More Info: 918-256-7133

What is fall without Oktoberfest?? This annual event showcases live music, delicious food, and booths filled with arts and crafts. You’ll also find plenty of children’s games, fall foliage, and those universal signs of fall: pumpkins and scarecrows. Kids will love the pony rides, you will appreciate the family-friendly entertainment and delicious fair food. Everything from German bratwurst with sauerkraut to savory turkey legs are on the menu, as well as funnel cakes, homemade desserts and shaved ice. Yum!

Jay Fall Fest
When: October 20
Where: Downtown Jay
Contact & More Info: 918.705.1898

This free event has everything you could ask for in a community event – games, food trucks, vendors, bounce houses… and we assume there is candy involved as well. Grab your favorite people and head over for a day of fun downtown.

Route 66 Punkin’ Chunkin’ Festival
When: October 27
Where: John’s Tractor Works, 444934 US-60, Vinita,
Contact & More Info: 918-256-7133

There’s no other fall activity like this one! Participants from around northeastern Oklahoma will bring their finest home-made contraptions and set up to launch pumpkins as far as possible. You can enjoy some local cuisine as you watch the competition, and be sure to stroll the streets to appreciate this quintessential American town. Besides the high-flying competition, visitors will also have a chance to take in some arts and crafts, do some pumpkin bowling, decorate a pumpkin to take home, and even shoot something besides gourds in an archery exhibition. A chili cook-off and costume contest will round out all the fall fun at this community celebration.