Ahh, October. Cooler temps, changing leaves, pumpkins and Halloween! We love October, and we also love how many FREE activities there are this month in Cincinnati. Cheers to a lovely October, Cincinnati Parents!
Here’s our roundup of 31 days of free fun this October in Cincinnati:
Country Pumpkins Fall Festival
Daily through Oct. 31
Experience fall in the country on a 250 acre dairy farm! Hayrides, U-Pick Pumpkins, Barrel Train Rides, 4 Acre Corn Maze, Corn Boxes, Farm Animals, Kiddie Corn Maze, Hay Pyramid, play area, concessions, pumpkins, gourds, squash, mums, straw bales, corn stalks and more! Free admission and free parking – please note that certain activities do require a small fee.
Shaw Farms Festival Weekends
Through Oct. 29
Weekends at Shaw Farms provide an exciting opportunity for terrific family memories, photo ops, and, of course, some awesome, farm-grade adventures. Take the family on a ride around our scenic farm property in one of our traditional tractor hayrides or climb into our nostalgic horse-drawn wagons (available weekends only). Free admission; some activities require a small fee.
Fall Park Fest
Oct. 1 from 1-4 p.m. at Winton Woods
Head to Winton Woods harbor for an afternoon of outdoor activities that will get you moving. Take part in fitness challenges, tour the lake on a pedal boat or the Winton Queen, dance to live music from local bands, clown around with Circus Mojo, play mini golf and more!
Halloween Craft
Oct. 2 from 6-8 p.m. at Mt. Washington Branch Library
Join Laurie Dean for a festive seasonal craft. All materials provided.
Teen Tuesday: Creepy Eyeball Craft
Oct. 3 from 4-5 p.m. at the Clifton Branch Library
Make a realistic eyeball that you can use as a prop for Halloween!
Melrose YMCA Fall Festival
Oct. 7 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Features a variety of family friendly activities such as arts and crafts, snacks and a Happy Haunted Trail. Activities vary by location! FREE.
Under One Roof – Sukkah Art Exhibit
Oct. 8-19 at the Mayerson JCC
Step inside our 1,300-square-foot sukkah highlighting works of art created by over 40 organizations from around the city. These large multimedia fabric panels will explore this year’s theme, “Beyond Beauty” to celebrate the festival of Sukkot (The Jewish Harvest Festival, which is celebrated by building an outdoor booth (sukkah) and welcoming guests.) Under One Roof is a unique space where people are invited to meet and linger in this one-of-a-kind community art collaboration.
Turtles All the Way Down Release Party
Oct. 9 from 10:30-midnight at the new Blue Manatee store
The wait is over! The new John Green novel, TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN, will be available on Tuesday, October 10th! To celebrate, we’ll be having John Green book trivia and handing out pre-ordered copies of TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN at midnight!
Art Club: Kandinsky Tree Collage
Oct. 10 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at the Reading Branch Library
Learn about artist Wassily Kandinsky and create a project in his style.
Story Tree Time with the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati
Oct. 11 from 11-11:30 a.m. at the Cincinnati Museum Center
Story Tree Time takes place from 11-11:30 a.m. every Wednesday in the Duke Energy Children’s Museum. Bring your little one and join us as we play, dance, sing and listen to a new story each week! Free with Museum Center admission. Story time on Oct. 11th features a special guest from The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s Peter Pan Jr!
Peter Pan Storytime
Oct. 13 at Blue Manatee’s new location
Our friends from the Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati are bringing PETER PAN JR. to their stage, and they’re sharing the star of the show with us to read stories and take pictures! Join us for this fun, free event for the whole family! For information about PETER PAN JR., visit https://www.thechildrenstheatre.com/mainstage/shows.
Harvest Moon Family Festival
Oct. 14 from 5-8 p.m. at Swaim Park
Celebrate the harvest season with hayrides around the park, pony rides, crafts and face painting. The fire department will be serving coneys and other concessions. Kids can explore a smokehouse and a firetruck.
The Great Pumpkin Fest
Oct. 14 from 2-6 p.m. at Keehner Park
Free family-friendly event features the Primrose School of West Chester costume contest (ages 0-12), horse-and-wagon rides, petting zoos, a not-so-scary haunted trail, crafts, games and more. This year’s event will also feature a rescheduled, mini version of Touch A Truck which was canceled in June due to inclement weather. Kids will be invited to climb into the driver’s seat of Township vehicles including police cruisers, snow plows, street sweepers and more! WCPD will bring its Ident-I-Kid unit for children and families.
Blue Ash YMCA Fall Festival
Oct. 14 from 3-5 p.m.
Features a variety of family friendly activities such as arts and crafts, snacks and a Happy Haunted Trail. Activities vary by location!
Leaf Art and Fall Hike
Oct. 15 from 2-4 p.m. at Winton Woods
Try your hand at identifying some local trees by their leaves. Learn a bit about tree lore and usage as we enjoy a hike and create some leaf art to take home.
Fabulous Fall Funday
Oct. 15 from 1-4 p.m. at the Taft Museum
Halloween is on its way—start the fun at Fabulous Fall Funday! Make a fall decoration to take home, learn about the Taft’s spooky art and friendly ghosts, and become an expert puzzle solver at the Art Cart. Learn about and meet a few bats during a presentation by EchoBats at 1:30 p.m. or 3 p.m.
Fantastic Beasts of the Harry Potter World
Oct. 17 from 6-7 p.m. at the Mt. Washington Branch Library
Celebrate the magical creatures that Harry and Newt cherish, and discover the fantastic adaptations that 3 of our local avian ambassadors possess! RAPTOR, Inc. will bring live birds to the library to show all of their magical abilities. All ages. No registration required.
The Big College Event
Oct. 19 from 4-9 p.m. at the Duke Energy Convention Center
The Big College Event is a new event for thousands of students around the Cincinnati region to get introduced to the area, make community connections, search local internships/co-ops, discover more about the professional landscape, and find activities/groups that best match their personal interests and aspirations.
Fall Ramble
Oct. 21 from 2-3 p.m. at Sharon Woods
Take a stroll through the autumn woods with the naturalist and find out how the plants and animals are preparing for winter.
Animal Tracks & Signs
Oct. 22 from 2-3 p.m. at Miami Whitewater Forest
Animals leave all kinds of signs for us to see. With a bit of practice and patience, anyone can learn the basics of the ancient art of animal tracking. Join the naturalist on this hike to see how you can read the stories left in the ground. Miami Whitewater Forest/Timberlakes Program Shelter
M. E. Lyons YMCA Fall Festival
Oct. 24 from 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Features a variety of family friendly activities such as arts and crafts, snacks and a Happy Haunted Trail. Activities vary by location!
Pumpkin Painting
Oct. 25 from 3-4 p.m. at the Oakley Branch Library
Decorate a pumpkin to take home! Ages 3-12. Registration recommended.
Clermont County YMCA Fall Festival
Oct. 26 from 5:30-7 p.m.
Features a variety of family friendly activities such as arts and crafts, snacks and a Happy Haunted Trail. Activities vary by location!
Halloween Treat Street
Oct. 27 from 6-8 p.m. at the Deerfield Towne Center
Deerfield Township and the Deerfield Towne Center have cooked up a spell-binding evening of fun for the whole family! Free; best for families with kids 12 and under.
Books by the Banks
Oct. 28 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Duke Energy Convention Center
The premiere event is the Books by the Banks Cincinnati Regional Book Festival held annually in downtown Cincinnati. The day-long festival, which is free and open to the public, features national, regional, and local authors and illustrators; book signings; panel discussions; and activities for the entire family to enjoy. This year’s festival features visits from Kate DiCamillo, Will Hillenbrand, Loren Long and Mike Lowery. Admission is FREE.
Carol Ann’s Carousel Trick-or-Treat Event
Oct. 28 from 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Enjoy family friendly crafts, coloring, games and contests! Come dressed in your costume to receive a free ride on the Carousel, and $1.00 off coupon for Krohn Conservatory’s Cincinnati Choo Choo Holiday Show! Enter into the ‘Best Dressed Like a Carousel Character’*Contest, for a chance to win a basket full of Park goodies, valued at over $60! Seeing you at the Carousel will be a ‘treat’ for the animals!
Halloween Walk in the Woods
Oct. 28 from 12-3 p.m. at the Blue Ash Nature Park
Get dressed up early for Halloween and spend the afternoon trick-or-treating at the Blue Ash Nature Park! This event is geared towards children 10 and under, and is free and open to the public!
Halloween of Heroes Trick-or-Treat Party
Oct. 28 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Saturday Morning Heroes Toys
Stop into this cool cool vintage toy store for free trick or treat candy, free photo ops with in store Stay Puft Marshmallow Man character or in front of their life size Star Wars display and enter their Halloween coloring contest!
Nature at Night Pumpkin Hike
Oct. 28 from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve/Ellenwood Nature Barn
Jack-o’-lanterns will light your path as you discover the wonder of nature at night along the Pin Oak Trail. Bring a flashlight and arrive any time between 6:30–7:30 p.m. to check in for this self-guided hike. A limited number of pumpkin tickets will be sold for the 8 p.m. jack-o-lantern drawing. Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve/Ellenwood Nature Barn (Free, some crafts available for an additional fee)
Trick or Treat at IKEA
Oct. 29 from 2-6 p.m.
On Oct. 29, trick-or-treat in IKEA from 2-6 p.m. Kids under 12 eat for free (up to 2 meals) with an adult entrée in the restaurant.
Pumpkin Palooza!
Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. at the Wyoming Branch Library
Drop in and enjoy a variety of pumpkin themed games, activities and crafts. Costumes are welcome, but are optional. Children ages 10 years and younger with parent or caregiver. Registration required. FREE.
