TampaBayDateNightGuide ~ Fun Ways to Celebrate Fall
Is fall the most wonderful time of year? Ideas of fall in Tampa Bay don’t always include changing leaves, chilly temps, warming cocktails by a cozy fires and hints of winter to follow – more often it’s humidity, mosquitos, hot, but with pumpkins and cool refreshing cocktails and sometimes on a chilly morning (e.g. upper 60’s) even boots!
There are so many fun ways to celebrate fall, and all that fall has to offer, in a uniquely Tampa way! Break out the cool fall clothes (if only for some selfies to post on social), visit some pumpkin patches, and partake in spooky corn mazes – because it is fall, and fall is awesome!
Our guide to fall is one of the most complete “to-do” lists of fall activities throughout the Tampa, Clearwater and St. Pete areas – and includes short-drive places that are worth the trip! Do you have any idea how many farms there are around us that, although only a short drive feel like a million miles away?
Fun Ways to Celebrate Fall:
So let’s get started with all the fun ways to celebrate fall!
During September, October and November this list (and the sub-page lists) are being updated multiple times a week – so check back regularly!
Pumpkin Patches – A Fun Way to Celebrate Fall
Our curated list of pumpkin patches is AMAZING – what a fun way to celebrate fall! Over 50 pumpkin patches throughout the Tampa Bay area are listed, with detailed info about times, dates and costs for each, along with links to the pumpkin patch websites or social media accounts! One stop shopping for your pumpkin patch planning needs!
Click the link and pop over to the pumpkin patch page to see them all!
Here’s a summary of just a couple of the really really cool ones:
Harvest Holler
Jush a short hop east of Tampa along I4, you’ll find Farmer Jerry and his family on Harvest Holler Farm. This working family farm in Polk City is a classic fall favorite and sports an incredible pumpkin patch, with hundreds of different sized pumpkins from which to choose! There are GIANT carving pumpkins for your next Jack-O-Lantern and assorted sizes all the way down to the most ideal of dining room table decor. Best of all, this patch makes a great place to take your fall photos so make sure to dress for the occasion. And more than just a pumpkin patch, they also have a great corn maze – find out more about Harvest Holler on the Pumpkin Patch page!
Raprager Family Farm Pumpkin Patch
Raprager’s fall Festival is BACK with even more fall fun on the farm! There are new attractions this year including axe throwing, pumpkin painting, a 900ft inflatable maze, baby cow, and more. The haunted barn is back along with the hayrides, petting zoo, hay chute slide, and other favorites.
Pumpkin Coffee, Pumpkin Fudge, Cinnamon Roasted Nuts, BBQ and More
Annual Heights Fall Festival Pumpkin Patch at Armature Works
Heights Fall Festival will take place across two weekends in October. The dates are 15th, 16th, 22nd and 22rd from 12:00pm – 5:00pm and will feature a pumpkin patch, petting zoo, face painters, activities for the whole family, and live music.
There will also be a small market featuring some of our favorite fall-inspired vendors! Participating vendors include Sugar & Ice, Hahn’s Kettle Corn, JJ’s Nursery, Glowing Gourds, and Front Door Designs. You also won’t want to miss your opportunity to build the perfect fall bouquet when you stop by the Tonella’s Flower Truck on the Heights Pier.
WhistlePig Whiskey is bringing their Maple Sugar Shack to Armature on Saturday 10/15 to introduce consumers to the brand’s 100-proof bourbon and 100% rye whiskey. Signature cocktails will be offered, along with live music, tailgate games, prizes and more. The first 100 people to the event will receive a prize pack with a limited-edition pig head pour spot. Come check it out, 12-5pm this Saturday!
Wolfes Produce Market Pumpkin Patch
Wolfes has the Bay area’s LARGEST PUMPKIN PATCH! HUGE selection, all shapes and sizes, great pumpkin patch and Halloween decorations.
Southern Hill Farms Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival
About an hour east of Tampa, just north from Walt Disney World is the cutest farm/fall festival for families! This year’s 7th Annual Fall Festival at Southern Hill Farms will feature a new 5-acre corn maze, u-pick sunflowers and zinnias, a pumpkin patch barn, kids zone, and more. You can even taste the yummy apple cider donuts.
Sweetfields Farm Fall Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch
Tickets to this farm’s annual festival include a variety of family and date-friendly activities, including an intricate corn maze, pumpkin patch, hayride, and more. There are tons of things to keep the kiddos busy if you’re bringing the whole family. Buy your tickets early! This even often sells out and tickets are not available same-day in the event of a sellout.
20th Annual Brooksville Pumpkin Patch
The Brooksville farm is a real life pumpkin patch and has hundreds, if not thousands of pumpkins–to choose from! The farm says most of their pumpkin deliveries are a few days off the vine, so they should last you through the holiday…and maybe even grab some cute ones for decor for Thanksgiving. They also have food vendors, produce, a petting zoo, tortoise experience, and more. On select dates, Cinderella, Spiderman, and Captain Marvel will even be visiting!
Hyde Park Village Pumpkin Patch
Come pick out the perfect pumpkin at south Tampa’s Hyde Park Village. Proceeds benefit the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. This south Tampa pumpkin patch will be located by the fountain near Pottery Barn.
Corky’s Pumpkin Patch at Keel Farms
Keel Farms in Plant City is hosting this NEW event in Tampa Bay that will feature a four-acre corn maze for you and the kids to navigate as you find hidden clues and solve a riddle with the rooster mascot, Corky and pals. There is also a pumpkin hatch, hayrides, kids zone, and more! Stick around and enjoy some of Keel’s fruit wines, sangrias, beers, and ciders during their Harvest Days event.
10th Annual Fox Squirrel Pumpkin Patch
This annual pumpkin patch and corn maze in Plant City, FL, about 20 minutes from downtown Tampa, features a corn maze, live music, duck races, fall games, a pumpkin patch, butterfly garden (additional charge) and more. Make it a complete date day by pairing up your visit with a stop at Keel Farms, which is a short 15-minute drive from the maze. Bring cash for the on site vendors as many don’t accept card payments.
Dave’s Christmas Tree Lot Pumpkin Patch
It’s not officially fall until you’ve visited this pumpkin patch. Bring your friends and family out to wander through rows of pie pumpkins, mini pumpkins, white pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, highly stacked hay bales, garden mums and much more. Come winter, this is also a great spot to pick up a Christmas tree!
Pumpkin Patch Express
October 22-23 and 29-30, 2022, times vary
Parrish
The Florida Railroad Museum is calling “all aboard” for a neat train experience as you embark on the Pumpkin Patch Express to a field full of pumpkins to pick, as well as kid-friendly activities on your 2-hour journey. Trains will run at 50% capacity to ensure room to social distance. Children are invited to pick their own pumpkin to take home. Everyone is also invited to participate in other crafts and activities.
Kerby’s Nursery Pumpkin Patch
Kerby’s Nursery has a variety of beautiful pumpkins to select from including cinderella, gladiator, jack-be-little, and more! While you’re there, be sure to snap a photo in front of the pumpkin wall!
Pumpkin prices vary
HarvestMoon Fun Farm’s Pumpkin Patch
More than just a pumpkin patch! This 5-acre corn maze design featuring Wizard of Oz; you can help Dorothy find her way or travel the storyline path of Spookley the Square Pumpkin. Don’t miss out on the Candy Cannon Blast throughout the day. Live entertainment such as the Moogician and Distinguished Daredevils every weekend in October. Interactive “not so scary” hay wagon ride. Farm activities included are the 70ft Jumping Pillow, Ball Toss, Pedal Carts, Pony Hops, Cow Train, Hill Slide, Pumpkin Patch and so much more.
Gallagher’s Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Trees
Located in St. Pete for more than 30 years, this family-owned business is the perfect spot to capture super cute photos for the ‘gram/tok while you select the best of the ‘patch’ for your home at their pumpkin patch! You can also pick up a yummy homemade pie and even feed goats in the goat pen. Before you leave, be sure you snap a photo in front of the popular vintage pick up truck. Check out the patch’s Instagram page for photo inspiration. As an added bonus, this lot is dog-friendly!
Pumpkin Patch & Fall Festival at the St. Pete Pier
Enjoy a day at the St. Pete Pier and then stop to pick the perfect pumpkin under the beautiful Bending Arc St. Pete Pier pumpkin patch! Opening weekend also means the Fall Fest on October 8 and 9, featuring the pumpkin patch, music, food vendors, and more. FREE; pumpkin prices vary
31st Annual Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Patch Festival and Corn Maze
This Bradenton farm’s annual pumpkin festival includes live music and shows, a pumpkin patch, fall eats and sweets, a corn maze ($2 extra), and so much more.
Pumpkin Fest 2022 at Florida Botanical Gardens
The 7th Annual Pumpkin Fest returns to Florida Botanical Gardens with a pumpkin patch, pumpkin carving, spooky actives and more. Enter the event through the Walsingham Rd entrance. You can learn more about Pumpkin Fest at the Florida Botanical Gardens here. The Scarecrow Contest where you can build your own scarecrow for a chance to win a top prize will be held on October 22 during the festival as well!
Fall Festivals
Want more than just a place to buy some pumpkins? Our curated list of Fall Festivals throughout Tampa, Clearwater and St. Pete is your ticket to fall fun!
So break out the cute clothes, maybe a pair of boots, sip on a great cocktail, and get ready for Fall in Tampa Bay! Details are on the Fall Festivals page – so click over and learn more!
Keel Farms in Plant City is hosting this NEW event in Tampa Bay that will feature a four-acre corn maze for you and the kids to navigate as you find hidden clues and solve a riddle with the rooster mascot, Corky and pals. There is also a pumpkin hatch, hayrides, kids zone, and more! Stick around and enjoy some of Keel’s fruit wines, sangrias, beers, and ciders during their Harvest Days event.
And how about Fox Squirrel and their legendary Corn Maze, huh? Take part in exciting, family-friendly fall games and activities during the annual Fox Squirrel Corn Maze! Navigate the corn maze and see how quickly and you can find your way through and then go check out the duck races, challenge your kids to a game of corn hole, go on a hayride, and select the perfect pumpkin for your front porch in Tampa!
Harvest Holler make for a fun Fall Festival tradition – and stroll the fields of this year’s corn maze and pumpkin patch at Harvest Holler Farm, a working family farm! You can explore the pumpkin patch, go on a hayride, enjoy some country eats, meet live farm animals and more! There’s also a cow train, corn hole and many more activities.
Of course Raprager Family Farm’s Fall Festival is BACK for 2022 with even more fall fun on the farm! There are new attractions this year including axe throwing, pumpkin painting, a 900ft inflatable maze, baby cow, and more. The haunted barn is back along with the hay rides, petting zoo, hay chute slide, and other favorites.
Who says a Tampa Fall Festival has to be on a farm? Gallagher’s Fall Festival might be one of the most photogenic fall and Christmas spot in Tampa, but it isn’t on a farm! Located in St. Pete, this St. Petersburg Fall Festival has taken place for more than 30 years, a family owned business that’s the perfect spot to capture super cute photos of your little pumpkins while you select the best of the ‘patch’! You can also pick up a yummy homemade pie and even feed goats in the goat pen. Before you leave, be sure you snap a photo in front of the popular vintage pick up truck.
Come out for Fall Festival fun including corn maze and more at Sweetfields Farm in Masaryktown, but stay for the Pitcher Pump Duck Race, hayride, pumpkin patch, farm animals and free craft of the season. Buy your tickets ahead of time to secure your spot because this event often sells out. This year’s maze design is inspired by the new farm dog who you just might meet during your visit to Sweetfields!
About an hour east of Tampa, just north from Walt Disney World is the cutest farm/fall festival for families at Southern Hill Farms! This year’s 7th Annual Fall Festival at Southern Hill Farms will feature a new 5-acre corn maze, u-pick sunflowers and zinnias, a pumpkin patch barn, kids zone, and more. You can even taste the yummy apple cider donuts.
A quick hop down to Sarasota to check out Fruitville Grove’s 33rd Annual Pumpkin Patch Festival might be just the change of pace and scenery you and your bunch of little pumpkins need! Held every weekend throughout October, it includes fun family-friendly activities, a butterfly garden, pony rides, family circusand of course, a Pumpkin Patch! There will be a children’s costume contest every Saturday at 2pm. fruitvillegrovefarm.com
Celebrate the season at the area’s only beach front Fall Festival at the St. Pete Pier! The Fall Festival will have plenty of pumpkins, live music, kids activities and more. While the event is free to attend, there might be a fee to participate in some activities and to park. The pumpkin patch will be open on select days October 8-16 in the family park area.
Beasley Farms is hosting its first pumpkin festival that will include a ton of fall fun on the farm including a sun hemp and corn maze, u-pick sunflowers, farm animals, fresh farm produce for purchase and MORE!
Heights Fall Festival will take place across two weekends in October. The dates are 15th, 16th, 22nd and 22rd from 12:00pm – 5:00pm and will feature a pumpkin patch, petting zoo, face painters, activities for the whole family, and live music.
There will also be a small market featuring some of our favorite fall-inspired vendors! Participating vendors include Sugar & Ice, Hahn’s Kettle Corn, JJ’s Nursery, Glowing Gourds, and Front Door Designs. You also won’t want to miss your opportunity to build the perfect fall bouquet when you stop by the Tonella’s Flower Truck on the Heights Pier.
WhistlePig Whiskey is bringing their Maple Sugar Shack to Armature on Saturday 10/15 to introduce consumers to the brand’s 100-proof bourbon and 100% rye whiskey. Signature cocktails will be offered, along with live music, tailgate games, prizes and more. The first 100 people to the event will receive a prize pack with a limited-edition pig head pour spot. Come check it out, 12-5pm this Saturday!
Make the drive south of Tampa Bay to experience the 30th annual Fall Festival at Hunsader Farms on select weekends in October. There will be hayrides, a petting zoo, games, pumpkin patch and more! The main attraction is the corn maze which is an additional $2 per person. Make sure to bring cash for other cool activities like a children’s train ride, Butterfly Experience, zip line and more!
For an extra spooky night filled with terrifying thrills, head to Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail in Plant City! There are three haunted trails, laser tag and even an escape room. The haunted trails are not appropriate for kids under age 12, so leave the little ones at home.
Join Pirate Water Taxi’s crew for an entertaining evening with tales of ghosts along the Hillsborough River. Each tour will be led by two dead-lightful docents who will tell eerie stories of Tampa’s past. Admission is included with a regular daily hop-on, hop-off pass. Haunted River Tours are family friendly, and all ages welcomed!
This is a unique way to celebrate the fall season on the farm! Sun Kisses Acres is teaming up with Nights of Shimmering Lights to create a 1/4 mile walk through trail featuring beautiful lights, music, games, hay rides, pumpkin patches and foam Olay area on select nights, and more! The light trail is not-so-scary and suitable for kids of all ages! *Walking trail is not suitable or accessible for wheelchairs or strollers.
Fall is a great time to get high quality, mature plants for your gardens and landscape at the USF Botanical Gardens Fall Plant Festival! Vendors from throughout the state will be on-site selling plants and plant-related items. There will also be a free children’s craft area. Click here to learn more.
Tis the season to Wiesn! Bring the whole family to celebrate Oktoberfest at this 3-day event! There will be live music, entertainment, and games along with competitions such as keg throwing, stein holding, and brat-eating. Their barn will be open and serving up a wide selection of Oktoberfest style beers and the Kielbasa bus will be on-site along with plenty of traditional German food!
Head to Honeymoon Island for their first annual Fall Festival! This family-friendly event will include pop-up arts market, food trucks, guided nature walks, a mermaid cove, and live music, along with an array of engaging educational booths.
Explore Tampa’s 19th century living history museum by night at Cracker Country Living History Museum. Along the way, meet storytellers who will spin wild yarns about a few of Florida’s unexplained oddities! A little scary, a little funny and always family friendly, the Tall Tales tour is a Florida history adventure by lantern light. Guests are invited to come early and enjoy Victorian games and activities before their tour begins. Afterward, have a complimentary snack and do some holiday shopping in the General Store. Tours last 60 minutes. Not recommended for children under 6.
A haunted pirate shipwreck is heading to Sparkman Wharf with an evening of plenty of photos, live music, silly spooks for the kids, festive food and drinks, and MORE! This is a free community event. Some of the cool photo opportunities include a pirate jail, a siren’s sea swing, and the TAMPA sign will be decked out for the holidays too! Performances will kick off with professional break dancers will take the shipwrecked stage on Friday night for a DJ Dance Party. On Saturday night, the live band Night Breakers will perform contemporary hits.
Trick or treating on the Riverwalk is back where kids and their families can visit 50 different treat stations while enjoying other fun activities including the annual Halloween Lighted Boat Parade which starts at 6:30pm, benefiting the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
The North Tampa Bay Chamber’s 18th Annual Wesley Chapel Fall Festival returns this year with live music and entertainment, crafters, pet costume contest, pumpkin patch, and Halloween activities including a free Trunk-or-Treat on Halloween at 4pm. They will also have the World’s Largest Food Truck Rally with over 50 national food trucks! Taking place this year at the Tampa Premium Outlets, admission is $5 in advance and $10 at the gate.
Corn Mazes – A Fun Way to Celebrate Fall!
So technically, much of Tampa Bay’s Corn Mazes aren’t in Tampa – at least south Tampa and Seminole Heights and just north of the downtown. Most of the corn mazes near Tampa are actually east of Tampa in Brandon, Plant City, and Polk County, or the corn mazes are north of Tampa in Spring Hill and Hernando – and even a particularly scary one in Gainesville!
But you’ve got nothing to fear (at least, for some of these Tampa corn mazes, you’ve got nothing to fear … until you arrive!)
They’re a relatively short drive from the Tampa Bay area, and they’re well worth the trip! Also, see Clearwater Corn Mazes.
So check out our list of corn mazes in Tampa and near Tampa Bay – some are more Fall Festive-fun, others are haunted and a little more intense, and some change at night! Enjoy!
Harvest Holler Corn Maze
This working family farm in Polk City is a classic fall favorite and sports an incredible corn maze, with hundreds of different sized pumpkins from which to choose! Corn stalks 6 to 8 feet high provide a really different vibe from the constant palm-tree feeling of Tampa Bay, and Harvest Holler’s Corn Maze is the perfect spot for all your Fall pics! Plus…their PUMPKINS! There are GIANT carving pumpkins for your next Jack-O-Lantern and assorted sizes all the way down to the most ideal of dining room table decor. Best of all, this patch makes a great place to take your fall photos so make sure to dress for the occasion. And more than just a corn maze, they also have corn hole, an authentic country store, hay rides, and prepared food for sale grown right on the farm!
$15 per person (but some discounts are offered). All attractions included.
Southern Hill Farms Corn Maze
About an hour east of Tampa, just north from Walt Disney World is the cutest farm for the most authentic Fall feel – for friends, couples, families and kids! This year’s 7th Annual Fall Festival at Southern Hill Farms will feature a new 5-acre corn maze, u-pick sunflowers and zinnias, a pumpkin patch barn, kids zone, and more. You can even taste the yummy apple cider donuts.
HarvestMoon Fun Farm Corn Maze
So HarvestMoon Farm is legendary – every spring they plant their corn in a unique, cool and different design, and come Fall, it’s grown into an amazing corn maze like no others! This year’s Corn Maze features a Wizard of Oz design, and past-years’ corn mazes have celebrated the Tampa Bay Lighting’s Stanley Cup victories, the Minions from Despicable Me, and more. offers five acres of nonstop fun. Work on your teamwork skills as you twist and turn your way through the farm’s 5-acre corn maze, which features a new design each year. Other activities include the pumpkin patch, petting farm and more. Couples will love the Haunted Nights and Flash Light Nights and the farm’s nighttime Flashlight Maze Haunted Trail.
Corky’s Corn Maze at Keel Farms
Keel Farms in Plant City is hosting this NEW event in Tampa Bay that will feature a four-acre corn maze for you and the kids to navigate as you find hidden clues and solve a riddle with the rooster mascot, Corky and pals. There is also a pumpkin hatch, hayrides, kids zone, and more! Stick around and enjoy some of Keel’s fruit wines, sangrias, beers, and ciders during their Harvest Days event.
10th Annual Fox Squirrel Pumpkin Patch
This annual pumpkin patch and corn maze in Plant City, FL, about 20 minutes from downtown Tampa, features a corn maze, live music, duck races, fall games, a pumpkin patch, butterfly garden (additional charge) and more. Make it a complete date day by pairing up your visit with a stop at Keel Farms, which is a short 15-minute drive from the maze. Bring cash for the on site vendors as many don’t accept card payments.
31st Annual Hunsader Farms Corn Maze Festival
Make the drive south of Tampa Bay to experience the 30th annual Pumpkin Patch Festival on select weekends in October. There will be hayrides, a petting zoo, games, pumpkin patch and more! The main attraction is the corn maze which is an additional $2 per person. Make sure to bring cash for other cool activities like a children’s train ride, Butterfly Experience, zip line and more!
The Haunting of River Ranch Corn Maze
At Polk County’s River Ranch exists the haunted corn maze. Enjoy a thrilling day or night as you experience a not-so-happy hayride with winding trails and chilling stories, a corn maze that will have you questioning which way to turn and a pumpkin patch for those perfect fall family photos. The event is fun for all ages and Halloween-lovers at heart! Tickets are $15-30
Newberry Cornfield Haunted Maze
The Newberry Cornfield Maze dates back almost 20 years – by day it’s a beautiful Insta-worthy stroll. But at night…beware that when darkness falls, nocturnal life awaits your every twist and turn as you try to get out escape. This immensely popular non-scary or scary Halloween farm thrills since this Florida corn maze operates as a “playful maze” during the day and transforms into a “walk of terror” full of goblins and ghouls at night! Once you’ve conquered the corn maze, don’t miss the opportunity to visit the horrifying haunted house on the premises. At the Newberry Corn Maze, activities include a Haunted Hayride, Kids Area with carnival-like games, Mechanical Bull, Bonfire, live DJ and more. In addition, a concession stand sells snacks and drinks, which makes this one haunted corn maze that really has some “meat on its bones”.
Fall CRAFT BEER + FOODIE EVENTS – A Deliciously Fun Way to Celebrate Fall
Worth the Drive: Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
Eat and drink your way through the park’s largest culinary fest! Shop at global marketplaces and enjoy the sounds of live music.
Theme Park admission required
Worth the Drive: Magical Dining in Orlando
This annual celebration of Orlando eateries features dozens of restaurants offering date nighters a three-course, prix fixe menu for just $37/person. Also, new for 2021 is Visit Orlando’s Magical Nights, offering exclusive hotel and resort offers to extend the dining experience at participating hotel restaurants.
Uncorked: Tampa Wine Fest
Enjoy over 100 wines & champagnes from across the globe, interactive exhibits, an outdoor lounge with food trucks, music and more!
Worth the Drive: Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic
Set outside among the scenic ambiance of the resort, this annual foodie event features live music, unlimited food tastings from the resort’s culinary team at over 20 food stations, 100 beverage selections from around the world, and immersive themed areas, such as the beer garden and the bubble lounge.
SAVOR ST. PETE Festival
The two-day festival, overlooking breathtaking Tampa Bay in North Straub Park, will feature a first-class culinary showcase of the Bay area’s celebrated chefs, acclaimed restaurants, popular breweries and an outstanding selection of interesting wines, all within the impressive Grand Tasting Village.
Le Dîner En Blanc Tampa
Parisian style pop up picnic described as the chicest event on the globe. This event happens all over the world in over 80 cities at different times throughout the year. The concept of Le Dîner En Blanc spans over 30 years. Guests arrive to a secret location to dine in a public place dressed in all white attire. Guests will enjoy a localized experience but take part in Dîner En Blanc traditions that include the napkin wave, champagne toast and lighting up the night sky with the sparklers.
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