Huntsville's 2026 fall season is over: the Scarecrow Trail, rec center fall festivals and Tate Farms' pumpkin patch. Updated each fall at this address.

Last checked Oct. 17, 2026. This page is updated each fall. Sources: the Huntsville Botanical Garden’s FestiFall page, the City of Huntsville’s Halloween lineup, Tate Farms, Downtown Huntsville Inc. and the Huntsville Pilgrimage Association. Prices are as each organizer publishes them.

Past event, updated Nov. 1: The 2026 fall festival and pumpkin patch season is over, and the dated events on this page have ended. The listings below are kept as this year’s record; this page is refreshed at the same address in September 2027. Coming up next: things to do this month, Veterans Day, Galaxy of Lights and Thanksgiving.

Huntsville’s fall season runs through Halloween, Saturday, Oct. 31. The Scarecrow Trail at the Huntsville Botanical Garden is up through Oct. 31, the city’s recreation centers hold free fall festivals in the last week of October, and the nearest big pumpkin patch is Tate Farms in Meridianville, about 13 miles north.

At a glance

  • Through Oct. 31: Scarecrow Trail, Huntsville Botanical Garden, included with admission
  • Sunday, Oct. 18: Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., free
  • Thursday, Oct. 29: Haunted Hallways and Fall Festival, Cavalry Hill Community Center, 5 to 8 p.m., free
  • Friday, Oct. 30: Fall into Fun Festival, Fern Bell Recreation Center, and Spooktacular Fall Festival, Dr. Richard Showers Sr. Recreation Center, free
  • Saturday, Oct. 31: Pumpkin Destruction Day, Tate Farms, Meridianville

FestiFall at the Huntsville Botanical Garden

The Garden’s FestiFall fills September and October with seasonal displays and events at 4747 Bob Wallace Ave. SW. The centerpiece is the Scarecrow Trail, scarecrows built by local families, schools, businesses and organizations, on display Sept. 1 to Oct. 31 and included with regular Garden admission. Still to come:

  • Spellbound, a ticketed evening event for ages 21 and older, Oct. 21-25 and Oct. 28-31 from 7 p.m.
  • Meow-o-ween, Monday, Oct. 26, for cats in costume and their people.

Details are on the Garden’s FestiFall page.

Free city fall festivals

Huntsville Parks and Recreation’s Halloween season includes three fall festivals, all free, with costumes encouraged:

Date Time Event Where
Thursday, Oct. 29 5 to 8 p.m. Haunted Hallways and Fall Festival Cavalry Hill Community Center
Friday, Oct. 30 5 to 7:30 p.m. Fall into Fun Festival Fern Bell Recreation Center
Friday, Oct. 30 5:30 to 8 p.m. Spooktacular Fall Festival Dr. Richard Showers Sr. Recreation Center

The full list of 11 city Halloween events, including the police Halloween party at John Hunt Park on Oct. 23, is in our trick-or-treat guide.

More fall outings in town

  • Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18: costumed volunteers tell the stories of people buried in the cemetery; free, with a children’s scavenger hunt. Huntsville Pilgrimage Association
  • Movies in the Park, Fridays, Oct. 23 and 30, Big Spring Park West: “Hocus Pocus” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” free, vendors from 5 p.m. Downtown Huntsville Inc.
  • Fall color on foot: Monte Sano State Park’s 20 miles of hiking trails and the Hays Nature Preserve; see our parks and trails guide.

Tate Farms pumpkin patch, Meridianville

Tate Farms, a working family farm at 8414-A Moores Mill Road in Meridianville, opened its 2026 pumpkin season on Sept. 30. Its pumpkin farm page lists:

  • Admission: $20 for ages 2 and older, online or at the admission barn; season pass $60.
  • Hayrides to the pumpkin patch to pick a jack-o’-lantern from the vine; field pumpkins are $8. The last hayride leaves at 7 p.m.
  • A corn maze, corn cribs, a two-story play barn with 60-foot slides, pedal carts, jumping pillows, a carousel and barnyard animals.
  • A produce market selling pumpkins, winter squash, hay bales and corn stalks.

Pumpkin Destruction Day, Saturday, Oct. 31, closes the season with monster truck shows and a pumpkin explosion show; admission that day is $30, or included in the season pass, the farm says. The farm is cashless, allows only service animals and may close in severe weather.

Pumpkins without the drive

The Madison County Farmers Market, 1022 Cook Ave., is open Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., through Nov. 21. See our farmers markets guide.

What this means for you

  • Last chance for the Scarecrow Trail and Tate Farms: Saturday, Oct. 31.
  • Three free city fall festivals run Oct. 29-30; pick the recreation center nearest you.
  • Bring a card, not cash, to Tate Farms.

More guides: things to do this month and trick-or-treat hours.

Frequently asked questions

What fall festivals are in Huntsville in 2026?

Huntsville Parks and Recreation runs free fall festivals at recreation centers, including Haunted Hallways and Fall Festival on Oct. 29 and the Fall into Fun and Spooktacular festivals on Oct. 30. The Botanical Garden’s FestiFall runs through October.

When is the Scarecrow Trail at the Huntsville Botanical Garden?

Sept. 1 to Oct. 31, 2026. It is included with regular Garden admission at 4747 Bob Wallace Ave. SW.

Where is a pumpkin patch near Huntsville?

Tate Farms, 8414-A Moores Mill Road in Meridianville, about 13 miles north, runs hayrides to its pumpkin patch through Oct. 31, 2026. Admission is $20 for ages 2 and older; the farm is cashless.

When is Pumpkin Destruction Day at Tate Farms?

Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, the last day of the season, with monster truck shows and a pumpkin explosion show. Admission that day is $30 or included in the $60 season pass.