10 min read
Best Fall Activities in Lancaster for Families [2022]
By: Amanda Witherow | August 22, 2022
Pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and apple cider, oh my! Fall is on its way to Lancaster County. Accompanying the cooler weather and changing leaves, fall brings an abundance of fun family activities to experience around Lancaster.
Whether you love taking in Lancaster’s colorful foliage, participating in fall-themed events, or channeling your spooky side, there is never a shortage of activities for you and your littles to enjoy this harvest season in Lancaster County.
Visitors, new residents, and natives alike are sure to find something in this list to keep busy!
Lancaster Staples for Fall Fun
Cherry Crest Adventure Farm
Open Thursdays to Saturdays September 16 to November 6, 2022
Full of fun, education, and adventure, Cherry Crest Adventure Farm offers 60 attractions on 25 acres of land. You and your family can laugh and learn your way through the themed corn maze, farm wagon tour, bee barn exhibit, hay chute, animal grove, and so many more attractions.
Special Fall Events:
- Saturday, September 17: Hometown Heroes Festival
- Fridays and Saturdays starting Sept 16: Flashlight Maze
- Saturday, October 29: Trick or Treat
- Saturday, November 5: Pumpkin Madness Festival
PA Renaissance Faire
Saturdays and Sundays from August 20 through October 30, 2022
Travel back in time at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire! Meet kings and queens, watch an exciting joust, and enjoy a turkey leg as big as your head. Each week has a different theme and will showcase a different experience. With immersive experiences around every corner you will witness history right before your eyes.
Cherry Hill Orchards
You know what is better than fresh produce? Fresh produce that you picked yourself. Take the family to Cherry Hill Orchards to pick your own peaches, apples, and pumpkins! Visit their website to see what produce is in season before you head out for a fun-filled afternoon in the orchard.
While you are there, be sure to visit their farmer’s market just down the road to shop for fresh produce, baked goods, flowers, and more!
Strasburg Railroad
All Aboard! The Strasburg Railroad is a local favorite for a family-friendly experience. Hop on to take a ride through Lancaster’s beautiful farmland and fall foliage. Stop at one of the picnic groves or playgrounds and catch another train on the way back. Learn all about locomotives with one of the many tours.
It’s a big day when celebrities like Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends roll into town! This 45-minutes train ride is pulled by the fully operational Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas and Friends will be at the Strasburg Railroad from September 16 to September 19.
Corn Cob Acres
Open weekends, Labor Day Weekend through the end of October.
Celebrate the fall season by creating lifelong memories at Corn Cob Acres. A fall family favorite with over 50 activities for kids of all ages, Corn Cob Acres will have you and your family adventuring all day long. Take a hayride, paint pumpkins, feed goats, see the pigs race, climb a pyramid of straw bales, walk through the cornfield trail, and many other fun-filled farm activities.
Country Barn
Open Now to October 30
When you think of fall, you think of pumpkin picking. You will definitely want to stop by The Country Barn for picking your own pumpkin. Jump on one of their wagons and ride out to their pumpkin patch. Finding your perfect pumpkin won’t be too hard with over 10 acres of pumpkins to pick from. Looking for pre-picked pumpkins, head to their Farm Market!
After you’ve found your pumpkins and celebrated the season with them, be sure to come back on November 5 for Pumpkin Demolition Day!
Old Windmill Farm
Explore a working farm and learn about the Amish life at Old Windmill Farm. Take a hayride farm tour and meet the animals, milk cows, and gather eggs. Hop on one of the barrel train rides. Join a garden tour to plant seeds and harvest vegetables.
Join them between September 8 and November 19 for their seasonal Farmhouse Experience. Try your hand at making fresh cider, baking bread, and churning butter. Afterwards, sit down with your family to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Dutch Wonderland
Open Saturdays and Sundays in October
Ready for some Spooktacular family fun? Happy Hauntings at Dutch Wonderland is a fun, fall event featuring themed rides, special entertainment, yummy treats, and the Trick-or-Treat Trail.
Hersheypark in the Dark
Open select days from September 17 to October 30
Hersheypark In The Dark is filled with rides and rollercoasters, chocolatey trick-or-treat adventures, wild zoo visits, and festive Hershey Character experiences. Grab some of their pumpkin-flavored goodies and hop on a lights-out ride experience!
Trick-or-treat at the sweetest place on earth! The Trick-or-Treat trail takes you from Hershey’s Chocolate World to The Boardwalk at Hershey park, enjoying 13 sweet stops along the way.
Dark Nights Are Coming To Hersheypark Halloween. Starting September 17, this fully immersive haunted experience is sure to have you frightfully spooked with three scare zones and four spine-tingling haunted houses.
Field of Screams
Fridays thru Sundays September 9 to November 5.
If a good scary spooking is your fall thing, then you will want to be sure to visit America's #1 Haunted Attraction. Take a ride on the Haunted Hayride, creep through mazes of an old barn in the Den of Darkness, face your fears walking through overgrown vegetation in the Nocturnal Wasteland, and check-in to the Frightmare Asylum. You do not want to miss this night of terror (unless, that is, if you like sleeping at night).
Special Events:
- Blackout Night: November 11
- Zombie Fun Run: November 12
Lancaster Ghost Tours
Downtown Lancaster
Embark on this spooky candlelight walking tour in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish country. Explore the long-forgotten mysteries of one of America's oldest cities, with haunting tales of otherworldly vigils, fatal curses, and star-crossed lovers.
Lancaster Special Fall Events
Tailgating Festival
Kitchen Kettle Village
September 16 and 17
Every year Kitchen Kettle Village pays tribute to tailgating season with a two-day food festival. See the Village come alive with scarecrows, pumpkins and corn shocks. Enjoy delicious fall food and seasonal themed events!
Lancaster Balloon Festival and County Fair
Bird-in-Hand
September 16 - 18
This family-friendly one-of-a-kind event features big hot air balloons, food, and music! You can fly in one or take in the beautiful sights on the ground.
Ephrata Fair
September 20 - 24
You will not want to miss the largest street fair in Pennsylvania! Ride fun rides, enjoy amazing fair food, take in educational exhibits, and watch exciting contests!
Special dates:
- September 21: Senior Day
- September 22: Kiddies' Day
- September 23: Family Fun Night
The Legacy of Sleepy Hollow
The Strasburg Railroad
Thursdays to Sundays October 6 to November 6
You know the story of Sleepy Hallow but do you know the story of the great-great-granddaughter of the legendary Ichabod Crane? Join Isabel Crane as she takes you on a frightful journey filled with sword fights, ghosts, and a centuries-old curse surrounding her family.
The Spooky Scoot
Strasburg Scooter Tours
Fridays thru Sundays in October
Hop aboard your scooter for the only motorized ghost tour in Lancaster County. Visit some of Lancaster County's best haunts as you travel along eerie back roads, make stops to hear local folklore and see the lesser-known haunted side of Lancaster County.
Pumpkin Patch Train Rides
Middletown and Hummelstown Railroad
October 15 & 16, October 22 & 23
This ride stops at a special pumpkin patch along the line where each passenger may go and select their very own pumpkin.
Yummie's Halloween Boo Bash
Kitchen Kettle Village
Saturday October 29
Visits Kitchen Kettle Village for the perfect recipe for Halloween fun! Enjoy a meal, some colorful characters, including Yummie, a costume contest, whoopie pie making experience, special treats and more.
Picking the Perfect Pumpkin
Lancaster Hiking
Local fall activities in Lancaster can definitely keep the family busy all season long, but if you're looking for a more low-key experience, try getting out into nature. Breathe the crisp cool air and take in the colors of fall on one of the many local hiking trails.
Here are a few of our favorite hiking spots:
- Turkey Hill Trail
- Chickies Rock
- Steinman Run Nature Preserve
- Grubb Lake
- Tucquan Glen Nature Preserve
- Reed Run Nature Preserve
- Conestoga Trail
- Middle Creek Millstone Trail
- Trout Run Nature Preserve
- Fishing Creek Nature Preserve
- Ferncliff Wildflower and Wildlife Preserve
- Homewood Nature Preserve
- Rannels Kettle Run
Ready, Set, Celebrate Fall in Lancaster!
We hope this list helps your family jumpstart your fall fun in beautiful Lancaster County this year! And if you have more ideas that we should include in next year's list, please leave them in the comments!
Download this free event calendar to make your planning easier!*
*Please confirm days and times on event websites in case of changes that may have occurred after this post's publication.
