Photo: Melanie Holtsman/Flickr
There’s so much great stuff happening this fall, it’s hard to know where to begin. To keep it simple, we’ve gathered up our top picks for October! (Looking for Halloween things to do? That’s a whole ‘nother roundup – don't fret!)
Farm fresh fun
Take your city mice into the country for some fresh air, wide-open spaces, and an appreciation for agriculture. The Keep It Simple Farm Anniversary Festival in Redmond on Oct. 10 has animals, pumpkins, a cider press, games, food, and live music, including family band Pig Snout!!. You’ll find similar harvest activities at the Kelsey Creek Farm Fair in Bellevue, also on Oct. 10.
A little further south is the Orting Pumpkin Fest, with pumpkin farm tours, all manner of pumpkin food items, music, and – cuteness overload alert – a kids’ pumpkin costume parade. Meanwhile, the Vashon CiderFest is an ode to apples, with lots of family fun to be had.
Starting Oct. 16, Camp Korey in Carnation welcomes families to its three-day Fall Festival. Pick out a pumpkin, go on a hay ride, enjoy tasty treats and other fun activities, all while helping support their camp programs for kids with serious illnesses.
Want a simple, sweet little farm to visit? Like, a really FARMY farm? On Oct. 24, the Jubilee Farm Pumpkin Weekend in Carnation is your best bet. It’s a serene setting with low-frill, high-fun farm activities.
Animal adventures
There’s more to fall than just farm animals. We’ve got events that celebrate birds, reptiles, zoo animals, and even sea life. Oct. 10 is Birds at the Burke. Remember the story of the Seattle girl who gets gifts from crows? She’ll be there, showing off her collection!
The weekend of Oct. 17 is the Seattle Reptile & Exotic Pet Expo at the fairgrounds in Puyallup. You can purchase pets and/or their accoutrements, as well as talk with experts. If you’d rather admire reptiles than own them, go see the Reptile Man show in West Seattle instead.
Want to see animals get into the Halloween spirit? Head to Zoo Boo at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium the weekend of Oct. 17, Pumpkin Bash the weekend of Oct. 24 at Woodland Park Zoo, or Slither & Scream at Cougar Mountain Zoo on Oct. 31. Hoot ‘n’ Howl Oct. 23-24 at Northwest Trek features human Halloween fun and a nighttime tram tour that only happens during this event.
What goes splash in the night? Come see during Pier Peer in Tacoma on Oct. 24. Use a flashlight to look at all the nocturnal sea life right there at the dock. Plus, divers will bring up critters to observe in tanks.
Harvest festivals aplenty
Of course, you don’t need to be on a farm to celebrate the harvest. Imagine Children’s Museum is hosting a Harvest Festival on Oct. 10 with pumpkin sculpting, produce art and experiments, and more.
The Harvest Festival on Oct. 17 at Molbak’s in Woodinville will have music by Recess Monkey, a master pumpkin carving demonstration, crafts, snacks, a puppet show and more. Meanwhile, in Downtown Seattle’s Occidental Park is the Fall Family Harvest with bouncy houses, games, music, treats, and activities with KidsQuest Children’s Museum.
Cama Beach holds a Harvest Festival Oct. 24 with pumpkin carving, veggie car races, a haunted boathouse and more. Next day, the West Seattle Harvest Festival features a farmers market, trick-or-treating, food, crafts and activities.
