Ahhh Fall! There are so many things we love about this season. Football, comfort soups and stews, the crispness in the air, the turning leaves and of course the many many activities happening around Birmingham!
If you’re looking for something to do, there’s no shortage!
First up, Pumpkin Patches:
Old Baker Farm – Harpersville – September 24th – October 31st Just off Hwy 280. Open weekdays 3pm – dark, Saturdays 9am – dark and Sundays 1pm – dark
Western Cowboy Day – Saturday October 8, 2011, 9am until Dark and Sunday, October 9, 2011, 1pm until Dark
Shootouts, Western Music, Hay Wagon Rides, Hay Mountain, Pumpkin Patch, & More!
Kids, come dressed in your western attire!
Cotton Pickin’ Celebration – Saturday October 22nd 9am – 5pm and Sunday October 23rd 9am – 5pm. Exhibitors from all over the South including handmade Indian arts & crafts, blacksmiths, basket makers, broom maker, goats milk soap, and many more!
Great Pumpkin Patch – Hayden – 65 North to the Hayden Corner Exit. Open Monday – Thursday 8am – 4pm, Friday and Saturday 8am – 6pm, and Sunday 1pm – 6pm. Admission to the Pumpkin Patch is free, pay for each activity.
Grand Ole Patch – Clanton – 65 South to the Clanton/Lay Dam exit 212. Open Monday – Thursday 8am – 5pm. Friday and Saturday 8am – Dark. Sunday 1pm to dark.
Bennett Farms – Heflin – I-20 toward Atlanta, exit 199. October – Open Thursday and Friday, 2pm – 5pm, Saturday 9am – 5pm and Sunday 1pm – 5pm. Live music every Saturday.
Pumpkin Patch Express – Heart of Dixie Railroad Musuem – Open Every Saturday and Sunday in October. Hayrides, jump stations, coloring and more! It is recommended you purchase tickets in advance.
Tuscaloosa Barnyard
“Petting and Fun Farm” is open every Friday in October from 10am to 1pm, also open Oct. 10th & 11th from 10am to 1pm. Bring your lunch & friends! 248-0773 (Pony ride, boat ride, animal feeding, hands on petting area, pumpkin patch, hayride, playground, etc ONLY $15 per person)
You can always count on the Local libraries for some FREE Halloween fun! *Some of these events require registration.
Alabaster Library
Children’s Costume Capers!
Monday, October 31: Costume Capers Party Children may come in costume to enjoy Halloween treats and the wonder of comic magician Russell Davis. The fun, surprises, and refreshments begin at 4:15 p.m. in the mobile unit. Children 6 years old and younger must be with an adult.
Birmingham Central Library
Spooky Fun Movies for Halloween. Refreshments provided.
October 22nd, 10am – 3pm
Emmet O’Neal
Spooktacular Monster Mania –
Monsterous Movie on the Lawn, Monster Maze, Mini Monster Crafts
October 25th, 6pm – All Ages with a Care Giver.
Homewood Library
Family Pumpkin Carving
Tonight we will have all the makings of a howling good time! For complete details call 332-6619. October 27th 6:00pm
Hoover Public Library –
Turn a pumpkin into a work of art (NO CARVING, PLEASE) and display it at the library! Each entry will receive a prize and a medal and will be entered into a grand prize drawing. Drawing at 9 a.m. on Monday, October 31.
October 15-30, 2011
4th Annual Pumpkin Painting Workshop
It’s time to get out those pumpkins and bring them to the library to decorate and enter our Pumpkin Painting Contest. Call 444-7833 to register beginning Sep. 30.
Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 10:30 am
Scooby Doo’s Howl O’ Ween
Show off your Halloween costume early when you join Scooby and the gang for games, crafts and snacks throughout the Kid Zone.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 6:30 pm
Trick or treat throughout the library on Halloween!
2-6 p.m.
Pelham Library
Halloween Carnival: 2pm- 3pm, Come in your favorite costume to play some carnival games and leave with plenty of treats.
October 22nd
Springville Road Library
Spooktacular Family Event
October 25th, 5pm
Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest
Halloween Family Night
Bring the entire family to an awesome evening of Halloween fun. Refreshments will be served. Registration Required for this event. Register in the Children’s Department or call 978-0158.
October 17th, 6pm
Festivals are always a favorite – We’ve got bunches along with some other activities to enjoy over the next few weeks!
Desoto Caverns –
Celebrate the beauty of fall – Hayrides, Panning for Pumpkins, Scarecrow Scramble Maze, prizes and More!
Every Saturday in October
Chelsea Park Elementary –
Fall Festival lots of games, food, inflatables and a fabulous silent auction!!! We have a lot of vendors who will be there with some great merchandise to sell. Admission is free but games and food require tickets.
Friday October 14th. 5:30pm – 8:30pm
Town of Mt Laurel
Harvest Festival –Farmers Market & Craft Fair, complete with Hayrides, MoonWalks, Cotton Candy, Music and much, much more!
Saturday, October 15th. 10am – 3pm
Mountain Chapel UMC
Fall Kids Festival, grades 5 and under
Games, Pony rides, food, face painting, shaved ice and more.
$5 Pass covers all rides and games unlimited. Cash for Food and drink
Sunday, October 16th. 1pm – 3pm
Desoto State Park
Spook A Palooza
Ghosts on the Mountain. Family fun – Movies, treats and games, storytelling and more! Guaranteed to run shivers up your spine!
Friday, October 21st. 6pm – 7pm & Saturday October 22nd, 3pm-7pm
Ruffner Mountain
Fall Scavenger Hunt – Enjoy a walk through the forest and search for answers to the clues from Ruffner’s Fall Scavenger Hunt. Once you have found all the answers, return your paper to the front desk and claim your prize! Children of all ages. Scavenger sheets will be at the front desk. • FREE. October 15th, ongoing, all day.
Jack O Lantern Face Off – Join us for a pumpkin carving party. Let your creativity run wild as you create your very own Jack-O-Lantern. Your pumpkin will then displayed along our trail for the evening Faces in the Forest Hike. October 29th
Face in the Forest Hike – Visit Ruffner for a truly spooktacular evening. Walk along the forest trail with only the guidance from glowing Jack-O-Lanterns to lead the way. Booths and other hair-raising activities will be offered as well. Costumes encouraged. Fun for the whole family. October 29th 6:30 – 8:30pm
Homewood Parks and Recreation
Fall Festival – A variety of games, goodies, a concession stand, inflatable and a costume contest.
Thursday, October 27th. 6pm – 9pm
Railroad Park Sunset Cinema:
Poltergeist, October 27th 2010 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Join us at 7 PM for this movie at Railroad Park.
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Fall Pumpkins! Meet Mr. Pumpkin and his cousins! Watch the life cycle of a pumpkin plant unfold, carry out experiments with pumpkins, taste some freshly roasted pumpkin seeds, plant pumpkin seeds to take home, and learn a fun song about pumpkins. All this and more as you join Mary Marcoux and Fontaine Haskell in fun explorations of the fascinating “Cucurbita” family!
Tickets:
$20 Members / $25 Non-Members
Saturday, October 29th. 10am – 12:30pm
Helena Amphiheater
Trunk or Treat
Saturday, October 29th – 4pm – 9pm
Buck Creek Park and Buck Creek Trail – Alabaster
Fall Fest
Saturday, October 29th, 9am – 3pm
Valley Elementary School – Held at Verizon Wireless Music Center
Fall Festival and Silent Auction – A day of fun for the whole family!
10am – 3pm
Crossbridge Community Fall Festival
Free Food, Inflatables, pony rides, games and more!
Sunday, October 30th. 4pm – 7pm
Trick or Treat in the Museum – McWane Science Center
Bring your little monsters for a not-too-scary but totally spooky adventure! Try science “tricks” like sticking your hands in slime, learning how to mix mysterious potions, and even touching pumpkin guts! Wear a costume to the museum and get a special treat!
Included in museum admission, FREE for members
October 30th, 12:00pm – 4:00pm
Trick or Treat for the Pink – Summit Shopping Center
Bring the kids dressed in costume and help them trick-or-treat for a cause. Visit participating stores for yummy treats and bring your change to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama. Stop by the patio at Sephora from 2-5pm to get your FREE trick-or-treat bag.
Monday October 31st 10am – 9pm
Bass Pro Shops – Crafts, Trick or Treating and Halloween Fun
Friday October 28th –
Halloween Reflector Necklace 5pm – 7pm
Trick or Treating – 4pm – 7pm
Costume Parade 6pm – 7pm
Saturday October 29th –
Color a wood pumpkin 1pm – 4pm
Marshmallow roast 1:30, 2:30 and 4:30
Sunday October 30th –
Color a wood pumpkin 1pm – 4pm
Marshmallow roast 1:30, 2:30 and 4:30
Monday October 31st
Peanuts Trick or Treat Bag – 5pm – 7pm
Trick or Treating – 4pm – 7pm
Coloring sheets and Photo Ops also available at various times throughout the week.
Other Halloween staples around Birmingham are the ever popular Boo at the Zoo each weekend in October and if you think you’re brave enough to spend the night in a haunted Museum you can reserve your spot for a Spooktacular Sleepover McWane Center! Event includes dinner, breakfast, midnight snack, Flying Monsters IMAX® film, and all activities.
Reservations are required in advance.
Please call (205) 714-8414 to buy tickets.
If you’re a scary movie buff, the Alabama Theatre will be hosting Halloween Movie Week starting Monday October 17th. Visit their site for a full schedule.
If you have a festival you would like added to our list, email us at: contact@birminghammommy.com subject line, Fall Festival
Will be Open to the Public Oct. 7th,10th,11th,14th,21st,&28th for pumpkin patch, hayride, & farm – $15 per person. (Pony rides, hands on petting, boat ride, animal feeding, fishing-bring your poles, playground & picnic area)