Autumn Family Fun in Kentucky

From pumpkin patches and orchards to ghost tours and Halloween festivities, Kentucky is full of autumn family fun. Here's your guide to local-favorite season traditions to help plan your fall trip to Kentucky. 

Fun on the Farm

Several of Kentucky’s orchards and roadside markets have play areas for kids as well as U-pick offerings, fresh produce, pumpkins and more. In central Kentucky, Eckert’s Orchard near Versailles, Evans Orchard and Bi-Water Farm & Greenhouse near Georgetown, Country Pumpkins in Grant County, Buckmeadow Farms in Lawrenceburg and Mulberry Orchard near Shelbyville are popular weekend spots for picking up a pumpkin and enjoying outdoor play areas. Be sure to sample all the fresh fall-flavored goodies, too, from donuts to slushies and more!

Dennison’s Roadside Market in Hart County near Mammoth Cave National Park is a local favorite, and it’s worth a trip just to see all the decorations. Near Lake Cumberland, check out over 25 varieties of apples, homemade apple butter and more at Haney's Appledale Farm. In western Kentucky, Reid’s Orchard offers fresh fruit, jams, apple cider, fudge and more inside the Apple House. The kids will love the games and activities at the Reidland Play Area & Barnyard. Jackson’s Orchard and Christian Way Farm both offer great selections of seasonal fruits and vegetables, plus Christian Way Farm has animals to feed and Jackson's Orchard hosts its annual Pumpkin Festival each fall. In northern Kentucky, enjoy fun fall activities during the week and weekends at Neltner’s Farm. Imel’s Greenhouse in Greenup is a great option for eastern Kentucky. 

Is it fall without visiting a pumpkin patch? We think not. Devine’s Farm near Harrodsburg offers corn mazes and fall fun including bonfires, a hay maze, trike track and more during September and October. 

Spooky Fun

Kentucky has plenty of ghostly attractions, too. Ghost encounters are a common occurrence at the 240 year-old Talbott Tavern Bed & Breakfast in Bardstown. Some claim to have seen the infamous outlaw Jesse James walking the old hallways, and others have seen a pale lady dressed in a 17th-century white dress. The historical Boone Tavern Hotel and Restaurant in Berea has a myriad of ghosts wandering its halls and basement. And in the Daniel Boone National Forest lies the Blue Heron Mining Community, an abandoned coal town that has been restored for historical mining tours. The annual Ghost Train tour is the best time to see the shuttered town. The creaky buildings and echoing breeze can make even the most seasoned paranormal seeker feel on edge.

 
Near Cave City, you’ll find two fun haunted attractions for your family. J.B.’s Haunted Mansion is a dark and scary kid-friendly attraction. Visit the Hill of Terror for some truly scary fun with acres of farmland with professional-level themes, props and actors poised to make you “scream your head off.” 

Louisville’s annual Jack O’Lantern Spectacular is a must walk-through experience at Iroquois Park. There’s also Louisville Ghost Tours, offered nightly at 7:30 p.m. through mid-November in Old Louisville, one of the city’s most historical neighborhoods. The 90-minute guided walking tour will lead you through the neighborhood, past frightening favorites such as the Witches Tree and Pink Palace, as well as a few lesser-known haunted homes. There’s also the Covington Haunted & Historic Tour and the Newport is Haunted Tour in northern Kentucky. 

Usually offered in October and November, visitors can make their way through two decks of pure horror aboard the USS Nightmare, America’s premier haunted steamboat. Docked on the Newport waterfront, the experience delves into the murky history of the wreckage and mysterious, maniacal Captain Mitchell.

Other Fall Fun

Take a fall hayride through a safari at the Dutch Country Safari Park in Hart County to view exotic animals, such as zebra, wildebeest, water buffalo, camels and more. Then, meet and feed the animals, buy a pumpkin and take a kiddie train ride. In Louisville, take the whole family to the annual Boo at the Zoo on weekend evenings in October for trick-or-treating and more Halloween fun.

On select nights in October, Whispering Woods Riding Stables in Georgetown offers haunted wagon rides deep into the woods. The thrilling tour through the dark Kentucky night will be an exciting experience for the whole family.

In the days leading up to Halloween, join the Kentucky Historical Society for a Haunted By History tour in Frankfort or hit the road in south-central Kentucky to see all the fall décor on the Tri-County Hay Bale Trail in Logan County, Simpson County and Todd County. Click here for easy driving directions along the trail.