Halloween events abound this month! Here’s our guide to family-friendly fairs, festivals, and outings around Atlanta in October.
October Family-Friendly Events In and Around Atlanta
Now – October 6 – Georgia State Fair, Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Georgia State Fair offers exciting attractions and shows, all your favorite fair food, spectacular carnival rides, and kiddie rides. It’s safe, clean family fun!
Now – November 2 – Stone Mountain Park’s Pumpkin Festival. Play by day and glow by night. Experience family-friendly park attractions and special fall entertainment featuring favorite classic storybook characters! Summit Skyride opens at 10 am, and Pumpkin Festival and other attractions open at 2 pm.
October 2-12 – La Cucarachita Martina, Center for Puppetry Arts. A vibrant Latin rock-and-roll musical puppet show based on beloved Cuban and Puerto Rican folktales. Recommended for pre-K through 6th-grade audiences, the production is performed bilingually (in Spanish and English), inviting young people to connect across language and culture. Tickets include the Create-a-Puppet Workshop.
October 2 – November 4 – Halloween at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta. It’s spooky season at CMA in October, and we’re celebrating with fang-tastic hands-on fun at the Science Bar, the Art Studio, and CMA Stage all month long! Design your very own haunted house; join in on a spooky cooking show; learn about skeletons and X-rays, and more!
October 3 – Art Walk, Marietta Square, 5-9 pm. Experience the local art scene and dine at the restaurant you have been wanting to try. Good for a date night or a way to casually introduce your kids to local art and artists.
October 11-12 – Festival on Ponce, Olmsted Linear Park. Visitors will enjoy the gorgeous landscape designed by one of America’s most celebrated landscape architects, Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., along with over 125 displays of fine arts and crafts, folk art, and “outsider art”. In addition to the fine arts, there will be a children’s area and local food and beverages. Attendance is free.
October 12 – UPS Second Sunday, High Museum of Art, 12-5 pm. FREE admission for all visitors.
October 14 – Tuesdays in the Field, Georgia Aquarium, 9 am-1 pm. The Education team is excited to offer an experience for K-12 homeschool students that provides the opportunity to engage in standards-based instruction at their own pace while exploring topics in marine biology, oceanography, ecology, and other science-related fields. October’s program is called Mythbusters.
October 17 – Evening Sky Watch, Tellus Science Museum, 6-10 pm. Come visit the Observatory for a rare look through the telescope, where we will be showing some of our favorite celestial objects in the evening sky. Possible sights include Saturn, globular cluster M13, double star Albireo, and the Ring Nebula. Registration required.
October 18 – PNC Atlanta Mile, and Dash, Atlanta Trak Club, 7:30 am. Come celebrate fall with us at one of Atlanta Track Club’s most popular youth events: the PNC Atlanta Mile & Dash! Participants can then take part in several fall activities and the Track & Field Zone. This event will be held on the morning before the PNC Atlanta 10 Miler & 5K.
October 18 & 19 – Gold Rush Days Festival, Dahlonega. It is a time for thousands to come and see fall colors peaking and celebrate Dahlonega’s 1828 discovery of gold. Over 200 art and craft exhibitors and food vendors gather around the Public Square and Historic District in support of this annual event.
October 18 & 25 – Monster Mash, Center for Puppetry Arts, 10 am-3 pm. The atrium will be transformed into a Halloween dance party complete with trick-or-treating in the Worlds of Puppetry Museum, a special kids’ DJ, and other fun Halloween-themed activities throughout the Center.
October 18, 19, 25, & 26 – Boo at the Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, 9 am-3 pm. Enjoy trick or treating, plenty of photo opportunities, themed entertainment and activities, costumed characters, and so much more. Costumes are welcome, but please take a moment to read over the rules.
October 19 – Goblins in the Garden, Atlanta Botanical Garden, 10 am-4 pm. Show off the kids’ Halloween costumes on the Goblins Runway and participate in a variety of fall family activities. Enjoy pony and train rides while exploring the Scarecrows in the Garden. The event features music performances, pumpkin decorating, and more, making it a perfect day for the whole family. Costumes are encouraged.
October 24-26 – Halloween Hikes, Chattahoochee Nature Center. This event brings to life the stories of some of our resilient resident raptors, amphibians, and mammals that call the Chattahoochee Watershed home. In addition to our traditional hike, visitors can now experience The Haunted Quest: An immersive scavenger hunt to test your mystery-solving skills on one of our trails. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
October 25 – Dinosaur Trick-or-Treat, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, 10 am-1 pm. Enjoy themed tables full of goodies, crafts, and activities during Dinosaur Trick-or-Treat. Costumes are highly encouraged! Please be sure to bring your own bags or buckets for candy collection.
October 25 – Halloween on the Green, 7 pm-11 pm. Pickle and Social invites you to showcase your best Halloween costume while enjoying a lively atmosphere with spooky music bingo, pickleball, games, and more. Music Bingo will be set up in Central Park with fun games and prizes. They will also have multiple categories that you can win in our costume contest. So, whether you want to hit the pickleball courts or just enjoy the festivities, there’s something for everyone!
Support your local sports teams!
Atlanta United Soccer
Atlanta Hawks Basketball
Atlanta Falcons Football
Did we miss any October family-friendly events in and around Atlanta? Let us know in the comments below!
Be sure to check out all things fall on Atlanta Mom this month, too.
