Area Fall Activities

Looking for some family-friendly Fall activities around the area? Check out what is happening near you:

San Marcos:
Farmer Fred's Fall Carnival: October 27th, 6-9pm, Plaza Park. Kids can enjoy carnival games, a barrel train ride, tonds of candy and prizes an dmuch more! Dress up for the costume contest too! Admission, carnival games, and the costume contest are FREE. Concessions and some atractions will have a small fee.

Creature Crawl: Sunday, October 28th 4-7pm at the San Marcos Nature Center. Come meet all of the creepy-crawly creatures up close and personal. Touch a tarantula! Pat a python! Stroll through the wildscape gardens and visit Halloween themed stations: face painting, crafts, storytelling, Tarot readings, meet the animals and Halloween games. Come in costume to trick-or-treat. Food & drink will be available for purchase. $2 per person and all proceeds benefit the San Marcos Nature Center.

Fall Carnival at First Baptist Church San Marcos: October 31st, 5:30-8:30pm. Fun for the whole family! Carnival and activity booths, obstacle course and giant slide, trunk decorating contest, train rides, food booths and more! Trunk-or-Treat is from 7:30-8pm.

Old Towne Faire at First United Methodist Church: Saturday, October 27th, 10am-2m. Face painting, games, petting zoo, pony rides, bounce house and dunking booth! Activity package prices are $5, $7 or $10 per child. There will be an outdoor grill serving a variety of food.

Travis Elementary's 3rd Annual Fall Fest & Monster Mash: October 26th, 5-8pm in the Travis Elementary cafeteria and gym, anyone in a costume is welcome! The best costumes will win prizes. For more info call 512-393-6450.

Fall Bash at Chick-fil-A San Marcos: October 30th, 4-7pm. There will be a petting zoo, pumpkin carving contests and a puppy costume parade.

Halloween Kids Fest: Wake the Dead Coffee House, October 27th, 4-6pm. Kids can enjoy a costume contest, musical chairs/pass the pumpkin, a Skeleton Scavenger Hunt, pinata, Jack-o-Lantern contest, live music and more!

Fall Fair: Calvary Baptist Church, October 31st, 6-8pm, free food, bouncy house, train rides, face painting, puppet show, cake walk, carnival games and candy! Open to the public, Free event!

Mimi's Spookylicious Halloween Bash: Mimi's Trailer Park Eatery, October 31st, 11am-9pm. Kids eat FREE from 6-7pm, trick-or-treat, pumpkin carving contest, cookie decorating, and costume contest.

Pumpkin Patches:
First United Methodist Church: October 11th-31st, Noon-8pm every day.


New Braunfels:
Fall Fest at First United Methodist Church New Braunfels: October 13, 4-7pm. Carnival games, pumpkin painting, train rides, jump castles, dunk tank and more. Concessions will be available.

Fall Festival for Special Needs Families: Head to Dayspring Christian Fellowship (1895 S. Walnut Ave) on October 20th from 10am-2pm. FREE admission, train rides, dietary specific treats, carnival games, crafts and more! Call 830-620-9363 or click here for more info.

New Braunfels Girl Scouts Fall Festival: October 20, 4-7pm at the Girl Scout House. Admission is $1, tickets for games are $.50.

Cross Lutheran's Fall Festival: October 26, 5-9pm, $15 admission- $10 meal plate/$5 activities. Open to the public!

Yogi Bear Jellystone Fall Festival: October 27, 9a-9p, $10 day passes available, open to the public. Costume contest, pumpkin and treat bag decorating, mini carnival, face painting, pony rides, camper-treating and much more! For more info click here.

Sts. Peter & Paul Fall Festival: October 27, 5-9:30pm, open to the public. Trunk or treat, pumpkin carving contest, costume contest, haunted house and more!

Haunted Haus: Visit the Landa Haunted Haus and experience chills that tickle your funny bone and make your hair stand on end. Guests will travel through a maze of mysteries and tricks an leave with a treat! All ages welcom, $5 per person, at the Landa Park Aquatic Center. Thrusday, October 25 & 26, 8-10pm.

Soul Searching Night in the Comal Cemetery: The Comal Cemetery is the burial ground for some of New Braunfels' founders and notable citizens. Hear stories of these illustrious soulds told by actors as living history portrayals. October 26 & 27, tours will begin at 6:30pm and continue until 9pm. Each tour will take about 1 hour. Tickets are $15 per person and available at the Parks and Recreation office. Call 830-221-4350 for more info.

4th Annual YMCA Trunk or Treat: The event will be held at Peter Piper Pizza on October 26th, 6-8pm

Halloween Festival at the Fairgrounds: October 28, 2-7pm, admission is one canned good per family. Safe trick or treating, free candy and prizes, free games for kids!

Stones & Bones Cemetery Tour: A guided tour of the New Braunfels Cemetaery to learn more about the cultural and historical heritage of New Braunfels. Examine the artistry of the monuments and headstones and discuss the contribution of the people buried there. All ages are welcome, $3 per person, 4pm Sat, November 3rd at the New Braunfels Cemetery. Pre-registration is required, call 830-221-4350.

Trick or Treat Downtown Spooktacular: Wednesday, October 31st from 3-6pm along West San Antonio Street. Safe trick or treating, costume contest at 4pm, free kids costume photos, and more! Call 830-221-4091 for more information.

Fall Fest: Head to the Landa Park Dance Slab on November 17th for the first annual New Braunfels Fall Fest! Families will enjoy square dancing, activity booths, food, live music, a pie baking competition and much more! The fun will begin at 3pm.


Pumpkin Patches:
Gruene United Methodist Church: Open Sept. 24th-Oct. 31st, 9am-dark everyday. Starting Oct. 2nd, every Wednesday and Saturday in October they will have Storytime at the Patch at 10am. Fall stories and crafts for all ages. On Saturdays, there will be hay rides at 10am & 11am and there will also be face painting and caramel apple decorating!

First United Methodist Church New Braunfels: October 7th-31st, 10a-8p every day.

Hill Country Gardens: 9a-5p M-Sat, 11a-4p Sundays, mini pumpkins, carving, baking, novelty and more! Click here for more info.


Buda:
Boo-da Halloween: October 28th, 6-8pm at the Downtown Buda Greenbelt. Enjoy a safe alternative for kids to trick-or-treat! FREE admission, Halloween stories, crafts, games and more at the Buda Public Library too! Call 512-295-7170 for more info.

Pumpkin Patches:
Presented by the Buda Methodist Church, dowtown next to the Stagecoach House and Visitors Center. (880 Main St.) September 27th-October 31st. They will have storytime available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10a-2p and 2p-4p.


Kyle:

Pumpkin Patches:
Kyle Methodist Church: October 14th-30th, M-F: 2:30p-7p, Sat: 9a-7p, Sun: 12p-7p


Wimberley:
Wimberley United Methodist Church: Fall Carnival 10/20, 10a-4p: Fall carnival, games, pumpkin patch, pumpkins for sale, music, car show, silent auction, concession food for sale. Habitat for Humanity Walk

Pet Parade and Pumpkin Fest: Saturday, October 13th, 10a-5p, on the Wimberely Square: Activities include a bounce house, train rides, face painting, balloon art, and pumpkin painting. Specialty pumpkins, Cinderella Pumpkins, Fairy Tale Pumpkins, and Jack-o-Lanterns will be for sale.

Pumpkin Carving Contest: Saturday October 20th: On Wimberley Square, 10am-5pm.

Trick-or-Treating on the Square: Wednesday, October 31st, 4-7pm.

Pumpkin Patches:
Pumpkins will go on sale throughout Wimberley starting October 5th!

Wimberley United Methodist Church: Oct. 17-31, 10a-7p


*If you don't mind a short drive, here are some fun places to take the kids for tons of fall activities that will make it worth your while:

Sweet Berry Farm
Elgin Christmas Tree Farm

Halloween Safety

With Halloween right around the corner, make sure to keep in mind these important safety tips when taking your little ones out to trick or treat:

• Kids should only go to well-lit houses and remain on porches instead of going inside
• Have full name and phone number attached to child's costume if they are too young to remember them
• Bring treats home before eating so an adult can inspect them
• Costume accessories should be flexible, not rigid or sharp
• Use flashlights and have children wear reflective gear so cars will be able to see your group in the dark
• Prepare your home for trick or treaters: clear sidewalks and porches of any obstacles, mow lawn
• Drive slowly on neighborhood roads
• Look carefully when backing out of driveways
• Have children exit the car on the curb side and not traffic side 

Not sure of a safe place to take the kids trick or treating? Here are some places in your area that will be holding trick or treating events:

San Marcos:

• Storybook Parade, Oct. 28th, 10:30am-1:30pm
• Relay For Life at Tanger Outlets, 7pm, booths, trick or treating and a costume contest!
• Farmer Fred's Harvest Fall Carnival, Oct. 29 6-9pm, food, games, costume contest and more!
• Halloween Festivities and Art Market, Oct. 29 3-10pm @ Wake the Dead Coffee House
• Creature Crawl at the San Marcos Nature Center, Oct. 30th 4-7pm, $2 per participant
• Trunk or Treat at the Plasma Center, Oct. 30th 5:30-7:30pm, games, candy and Halloween fun!
• Tanger Outlets
• First Baptist Church Fall Carnival: Free games, food and Trunk or Treat, open to the community, 5:30-8pm

New Braunfels:

• Trunk or Treat
• Downtown Halloween Spooktacular
• Cross Lutheran School Fall Festival, Oct. 28th
• Fall Festival, New Braunfels, Oct. 28th-30th

Buda:

• Boo-Dah Halloween: Oct. 27th, downtown Buda serves as a safe and fun opportunity for children to trick-or-treat for Halloween and includes Halloween stories, crafts, games and more Halloween fun at the Buda Public Library.

Wimberley:

• Free Safe Halloween at the Fire Station, 6-8:30pm
• Halloween on Wimberley Square

Gruene:

• Gruene Harley Davidson Halloween Bash
• Gruene Lions 5th Annual Halloween Fest 2-7pm

You can find details to all events on the Event Calendar. Have I missed an event? Leave a comment and let me know or look for Mom Spot on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mom.spot

DIY: Halloween Style

Are you still debating which pricey Halloween costume you are going to buy for your kids? I dropped $20 on a Halloween costume for my youngest the other day. $20 for an outfit he will wear once. *Sigh* But....it was so cute, I justified it in my mind all the way to the register. If you are still debating whether to break down and buy a brand new costume...WAIT! These are some super cute ideas that you can do yourself. Now, I know what you're thinking, "I don't want it to look homemade!" My mother once paraded me down the street on Halloween when I was 7 years old in her version of a bunny costume. It was white panty hose, a white trashbag and some bunny ears. I loved it because I didn't know any better and thought my mother was amazing for making this great costume! Now a days there are a few more ideas out there that you can reproduce that will look more presentable than the "Trashbag Bunny". Hope you find one that works for your kids!

Cute Halloween party snack idea

If your kids love corn dogs, this creepy crawly treat from Hungry Happenings will be a hit for Halloween!