As the temperatures cool and the leaves start to change colors, Fort Wayne provides a warm welcome for a fall getaway weekend with your family! Fall is a great time to visit Fort Wayne, with many of the fall festivities and orchards opening, plus some of the great summer attractions are still open and available to enjoy.
On your next visit to Fort Wayne in the fall, here’s a bucket list of activities you will not want to miss!
FORT WAYNE FALL CHECKLIST
1. Enjoy one of the great fall festivals in Fort Wayne!
Johnny Appleseed Festival | Experience this period-authentic festival celebrating the life and times of Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman). Spend the day visiting the Johnny Appleseed gravesite and enjoying some great food. Plus, there are plenty of fun children’s activities, entertainment, shopping, and more.
Kuehnert Dairy Fall Festival | Experience life on a farm, plus fun fall activities. Visitors can explore the 6-acre family-friendly corn maze, learn about dairy cows and baby calves, and enjoy the straw mountain, games, pick out a pumpkin, and much more!
Amazing Fall Fun Corn Maze | Wind your way through the 16-acre, corn maze — the largest corn maze in Northeast Indiana — and tackle the other 18 activities on-site with friends and family. End the day with a hayride through the beautiful countryside.
Fall Harvest Festival | Celebrate the history of the American farm through wagon and barrel trail rides, a farmers market, parade, and much more! This festival is great for kids and adults, so bring the family along and celebrate the fall with this two-day festival.
2. Apple Orchards & Pumpkin Patches
On the search for the perfect pumpkin or delicious apple? There are plenty of pumpkin patches and apple orchards for your search. Here are a few suggestions that can help:
- Cook’s Apple Orchard
- J & L Pickin' Patch
- Plus, many more in the surrounding areas!
3. Fall Foliage
Catch a glimpse of the beautiful fall colors in Fort Wayne at Fox Island or Lindenwood Nature Preserve, offering settings with ample opportunities to view great Indiana fall colors. Plus, all of the other great parks in Fort Wayne provide more opportunities for gorgeous views. Want to capture the fall colors in photos? Check out these top 8 fall photo spots in Fort Wayne!
Photo Credit: @nickchisel on Instagram
4. Fort Wayne Apple Trail
Apple season is upon us! This fall, grab your friends and family and set off to take in all things "apple" in Fort Wayne. The Apple Trail invites you to enjoy up to 19 activities — from visiting Johnny Appleseed's gravesite and picking apples at a local apple orchard, to DeBrand's Caramel Apples and enjoying locally-sourced ciders and brews.
5. Fall at the Zoo
The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is open for guests to enjoy through the end of December! That means you can visit Fort Wayne anytime during the fall to catch a glimpse of the zoo animals enjoying the cooler temperatures. For some weekends in October, visit the zoo for spooktacular activities during Wild Zoo Halloween! Enjoy spooky Animal Enrichment, treats throughout the zoo, a mystery maze, and special themes each weekend.
6. Fright Night and Zombie Walk
Break out the costumes for the annual Fright Night, filled with spooky (and not-so-spooky) fun for the whole family! The main event of the day, the Zombie Walk, invites all ghosts, goblins, superheroes, and other Halloween characters to join the zombie "parade" through downtown Fort Wayne. Younger kids will also love the Punkin' Path and Garden Trick-or-Treating at the Botanical Conservatory and all-ages fun at the downtown library. For those looking for a truly spooky time, join the Raven Scavanger Hunt at Promenade Park or lantern tour at The Old Fort. See the full Fright Night Survival Guide for details.
This fall, take a break and embrace all the colors, flavors, and festivities of the season. Discover all that awaits on your fall weekend getaway to Fort Wayne!
