Fall festival season in Cincinnati brings a long list of farms, patches and parties competing for your Saturday. We’re handing out awards to 10 of the area’s best, each standing out for a different reason. This isn’t a comprehensive list, just a guide to help narrow down your search.
Our 10 Favorite Fall Festivals in Cincinnati
Best Overall Festival: Blooms and Berries Fall on the Farm
For a one-stop-shop experience, Blooms and Berries in Loveland delivers. Fall on the Farm runs daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., September 19 through November 1, and one ticket covers 15-plus attractions: a 40-animal petting farm, unlimited hayrides, a 5-acre corn maze, a pumpkin bounce pad, farm games, a low ropes course and a barrel trike track. New this year, the farm added a pizza barn open seven days a week and a burger grill open on weekends, on top of the existing Beer Garden and coffee trailer. Tickets are priced by date, with September weekdays running cheapest and weekend prices climbing as the season goes on. Buy tickets and see current pricing here.
Worth the Trip: Young’s Dairy Fall Farm Family Fun
Young’s Fall Farm Family Fun runs September 19 through November 1 at the Yellow Springs dairy, and it’s worth the drive. Cowvin’s Corny Maze and Playland is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. through November 1, and the pick-your-own pumpkin field is open daily through October 25, also 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. A wagon ride out to the field runs $11 per pumpkin, or $30 for three, $40 for four, or $48 for five. The Moo-it-All wristband ($27.50 for ages 12 and up, $20.50 for 11 and under) covers Cowtherine’s Carousel, mini golf, batting cages, the driving range, the Kiddie Corral, wagon tours and the corn maze. Don’t skip the Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Donut Holes.
Best Value: Brown’s Family Farm Market
Brown’s Family Farm Market’s Fall Family Fun Weekends run Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., through October, and farm admission is free. That covers the corn maze, sunflower walk, straw maze, climb-on combine playscape, slide tower, crazy maze, rock pits, farm animals, play village and photo scenes. Hayrides are $6 cash per person for ages three and up, and the barrel train is $3 cash per rider (or two rides for $5). Pumpkins are sold by the pound at $0.49 each. The farm market itself is open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Bring cash, since the outdoor ticket booth is cash only.
Most Beautiful Location: Neltner’s Farm
Neltner’s Farm sits in a scenic valley in Melbourne, Kentucky, and every corner of it photographs well, from the covered bridge to the hillside pumpkin patch. Fall Fest runs September 25 through October 31. Weekend hours are Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a $7 admission for ages three and up that includes horse-drawn wagon rides, the 3-acre corn maze, a toddler maze and live music from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Weekday visits (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) have no admission fee, though the corn maze runs $3 per person. Leashed dogs are welcome.
Most Epic Sunflowers: Sunflower Festival at Gorman Heritage Farm
Gorman Heritage Farm’s Sunflower Festival takes over the Evendale nonprofit farm October 3 and 4, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival features a four-acre sunflower field where guests cut their own for $1 a stem, plus hayrides, live music, food trucks and vendor booths. Advance tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children ages 2 to 17 and seniors 60 and up; day-of prices rise to $15 and $10. Kids under two get in free, and current GHF members get in free but still need to register ahead. No cash is accepted at the gate.
Best Alternative Fall Festival: Ohio Renaissance Festival
For a break from pumpkins and hayrides, the Ohio Renaissance Festival runs Saturdays, Sundays and Labor Day, September 5 through November 1, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., in Harveysburg. Nearly 100 live shows run daily across 14 stages, including the Full-Armored Tournament Joust. Each weekend layers a theme onto the regular lineup: Time Travelers Weekend (October 10 and 11) opens costuming to movie, TV and sci-fi characters, and Heroes and Villains Weekend (October 31 to November 1) closes the season with free admission for kids 12 and under. Online adult tickets run in the $30s and climb by month, so check the official ticket page for the specific date you’re planning around.
Favorite Hidden Gem Festival: Burwinkel Farms
Through October, Burwinkel Farms in Ross Township offers two corn mazes, a skid maze, a Halloween scavenger hunt, a corn pool and a sunflower field, with weekend hayrides Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting. The hayride option is $12 per person and includes a small pumpkin and a sunflower when blooms are in season; the walking option is $8 and covers the same. Kids 24 months and under get in free either way.
Most Fun for Littlest Cincy Kids: Tricks and Treats at Kings Island
Tricks and Treats runs select daytime dates at Kings Island from September 27 through November 1, included with regular park admission, no separate event ticket required. It’s built for younger kids: mischievous tricks, seasonal treats and drinks, a costume contest, entertainment and family rides, all before the park’s nighttime Halloween Haunt (which is a separate, more intense event not recommended for kids under 13) takes over on select evenings.
Best Trick or Treating: HallZOOween
Dressing the kids up to trick-or-treat at the Cincinnati Zoo makes the whole thing more fun. HallZOOween runs October 10 and 11, 17 and 18, 24 and 25, and October 31 to November 1, noon to 5 p.m., and it’s free with zoo admission. Bring your own treat bag for the trick-or-treat stations scattered through the zoo, catch the Costume Cavalcade parade at noon each day, and stop by the animal chats and enrichment sessions. The Pumpkin Express train ride and the Not So Scare-ousel both carry an additional charge.
Most Spectacular Lights: Louisville’s Jack’s Lantern Trail
Thousands of hand-carved pumpkins line a walking trail through the woods of Iroquois Park in Louisville, formerly known as the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular and rebranded this year as Jack’s Lantern Trail. It runs nightly, October 1 through November 1. Sunday through Thursday hours are 6:30 to 10 p.m., with adult tickets at $16, seniors 65 and up at $13, and kids ages 3 to 12 at $12; kids two and under are free. Friday and Saturday hours extend to 11 p.m., with adult tickets at $22, seniors at $17, and kids at $15. Proceeds support the Parks Alliance of Louisville.
