Looking for some fall events to welcome autumn to the STL area? Haley has you covered!
I know I am going to be in the minority when I say this, but I am not a summer mom. Don’t get me wrong, I love going to the farmer’s market and enjoying all the local festivals throughout the summer, but I am not your hot summer pool day with a slushie kind of mom. Lucky for my girls, I married a summer dad. He has been in his prime outside with our girls all summer long while I was waiting for that pumpkin spice latte to drop to signify it’s time for my favorite season … fall. I can’t wait to bask in the cool weather with my kids and live fall days to the fullest. I’ve packed my calendar full of fantastic local events and wanted to share my favorites with all of you!
Art Outside
September 6-8th
7260 Southwest Ave
This is a fantastic art event hosted in the Schlafly Bottleworks parking lot in Maplewood. It’s very kid-friendly, sometimes I end up going multiple days with my oldest daughter. It’s not uncommon to see stroller families wandering around with dogs in tow. Artists First usually has a kid’s art activity available for a small fee that helps benefit their inclusive non-profit organization.
APA Canine Carnival
September 15th
5300 Donovan Ave
If your family has a dog, I highly recommend experiencing the APA Canine Carnival. It’s full of fun games for the dogs with prizes, kids, activities, and food trucks. This year the event will be moving over to Francis Park. Admission for the event is $20 for an adult, but the kids and dogs get in free!
Greater St. Louis Hispanic Festival
September 20-22nd
812 Lafayette Ave
One thing I really love about St. Louis is all the free cultural festivals available throughout the year. This is a wonderful event in Soulard featuring music, dancing, kids activities, and most importantly great eats! This is another event that I sometimes visit on more than one day.
Eckert’s Apple Fest
Weekends September-October
951 S. Green Mt. Road, Belleville, IL
I think my love of Eckert’s stems from my Kansas roots. It’s a place that reminds me of home and provides exposure for kids to farming and animals. You can purchase a field pass to pick your own apples, and it also overlaps with pumpkin season, which is perfect for fall decorating. There are also wagon rides, pony rides, goat feeding, and, most importantly, enough cider donuts and caramel apples for everyone!
Best of Missouri Market
October 4-6th
4344 Shaw Blvd
This is an event at the Botanical Garden that I have been going to for many years. Makers from all over Missouri come together into one market where you can find food, crafts, plants, jewelry, art, wine, etc. It’s not too soon to be thinking of gifts for the holidays and I always find some great ones shopping here. Tickets are $18 for adults and $9 for kids over 3.
St. Louis VegFest
October 6th
World’s Fair Pavilion
VegFest is a vegan plant-based event with lots of fantastic food that even a picky eater would enjoy! They also have yoga, kids activities, music, and goods produced by vegan makers. Even though we are not a vegan family, we have really enjoyed this event over the past couple of years.
Boo at the Zoo
October 10-30th
1 Government Drive
I always love a visit to the St. Louis Zoo, and this is probably one of our favorite events. Tickets are available throughout the month from $10-15, depending on the date. October 14th is a special sensory-friendly night as well! The smoke-filled bubble machines are a favorite of my kids— they’re as fun as they are spooky.
Harvest Fest
October 13th
Tower Grove Park
This is a larger event hosted by Feast Magazine featuring local restaurants, brewers, wineries, makers, and farmers. We bring along a couple of wine chairs and listen to local music while tasting items from different food trucks. The weather is beautiful this time of year for a local festival in Tower Grove Park.
Science Spooktacular
October 25-27th
5050 Oakland Ave
I love free events at the St. Louis Science Center— it’s one of our favorite places to explore. During this weekend, they have Halloween-themed events for everyone from toddlers to adults. I don’t know about you, but I really look forward to spooky season each year!
