Austin Kids Fall Bucket List
It’s September, so we’re getting excited for all things fall. Here’s an Austin kids fall bucket list to help inspire your adventures, including seasonal events, pumpkin patches, parks, day trips, and family-friendly food.
Austin Kids Fall Bucket List
September Events
Bubblepalooza + Free Community Day at the Long Center: Sept 19, 2026
Community Day at the Long Center is a free day of fun that also includes every kid’s favorite event: Bubblepalooza!
Pumpkin Patches & Fall Festivals
Looking for a good pumpkin patch in the Austin area? Here’s where you should go if you’ve been searching “Austin Pumpkin Patch Near Me“.
Free Fall Events
Here’s a roundup of all the free fall events that are kid-friendly in Austin.
Austin Museum Day: September 20, 2026
Get into dozens of museums around Austin for free on Austin Museum Day!
Truck-or-Treat (formerly Touch A Truck): October 24, 2026
This annual Touch-A-Truck event is getting a Halloween twist this year! Now called Truck-Or-Treat, you can dress up in costumes and visit all the trucks and vehicles you love!
Fortlandia: October 3, 2026 – January 31, 2027
A trail of unique forts called Fortlandia awaits at the Wildflower Center! We love to go every year and see all the different creations.
Pumpkin Nights: September 17 – October 31, 2026
Pumpkin Nights is one of those annual traditions we always look forward to! It’s a trail of Halloweeny (not scary) displays that gets you into the holiday spirit!
Halloween Events
Here’s a round up of all the Halloween events in Austin!
Texas Book Festival: Nov 14-15, 2026
Texas Book Festival is a free festival in downtown Austin that celebrates authors and books! There’s a whole children’s section where you can meet children’s authors, hear them speak, get their autographs, and buy their books! Plus lots of crafts and activities for kids throughout the fest.
See Live Music
Music on Main starts back up again in the fall! Dates TBD. See free live music every Wednesday night in the fall. Bring blankets or chairs to Prete Plaza in downtown Round Rock and enjoy free live music from 7-9 p.m.
More live music options here.
Hairy Man Festival: October 17, 2026
The Hairy Man Festival has an actual contest to find the hairiest man! There are also lots of fun family-friendly things to do like bounce houses, crafts, live music, games, and more.
Wurstfest in New Braunfels: November 6-15, 2026
This family-friendly festival is in New Braunfels every fall. Carnival rides and games, multiple stages with polka music, beer German food, and more! Read more about Wurstfest here.
Austin Kiddie Limits at ACL: Oct 2-4 & 9-11, 2026
ACL Fest is one of the biggest events of the year. Did you know that you can take one kid age 8 or under with you for free if you have an adult ticket?! There’s a whole section at the festival that’s just for kids called Austin Kiddie Limits (seriously- you can’t even enter unless you have a kid!) Here you will find a kiddie drum circle, stilts walkers, bubbles, arts & crafts, hair paint, tattoos, treats and more!
Boo at the Zoo
Boo at the Zoo is a fun family-friendly event at the Austin Zoo. Friday & Saturday nights in October you can ride a spooky train, go to a scary or not scary haunted house, and visit the zoo animals. Costumes encouraged!
Creek Show: Nov 13-21, 2026
Waterloo Greenway’s Creek Show invites architects, landscape architects, artists, and designers to submit ideas for light-based, site-specific installations along Waller Creek. Creek Show 2026 will continue to delight and inspire the community by activating Waller Creek at Phase II of Waterloo Greenway, between 4th St and Lady Bird Lake. The completed installations will be open to the public from November 13-21, 2026.
Parks, Hiking, Biking, and Camping
Explore a new playground (try the new Alliance Children’s Garden, Pease Park, or Waterloo Park). Here’s where you can find all of our favorite local playgrounds.
Take a hike! Some of our favorite kid-friendly trails are River Place Nature Trail, Walnut Creek, Great Hills Trail, and the Barton Creek Greenbelt. Or head out a little further and hike at our favorite place: Enchanted Rock!
Try camping at Buescher State Park if it’s your first time camping with kids!
Volunteer! Pick up trash along our trails as a fun fall act of kindness. Sign up for your time slot at Generation Serve, The Trail Foundation, or just bring some gloves and trash bags and pick up trash on your next hike.
Take a Day Trip to a local Texas Hill Country town!
Brushy Creek Trail has 6 playgrounds that you can walk or bike to!
Indoor Places to Play
Oktoberfest
Eat and Drink Outside
The best places to eat or drink at with kids are places with playgrounds! Here’s where you can find restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries with playgrounds for kids.
Fun + Food Pairings
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