Five Reasons to "Fall" in Love with the South
- Apryl Thomas
- Sep 22
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 2
Don't shed a tear because summer is over; smile because fall is here.
Undoubtedly, there's something special about the fall in the South. Perhaps it's the clear days with the promise of cooler weather, the colorful foliage seen on long, lazy drives on the weekends, the excitement of cheering on your favorite college football on Saturdays, or the wealth of fall-friendly activities that put smiles on the faces of all ages. Maybe it's something different for you; whatever reason (or reasons) may be, everyone can agree there are many ways to "fall" for the South during this season.
Festivals
Some argue that summer is festival season in the South, while others claim it's fall. So, we will settle it for once and all: fall is the definitive festival season.
Just take a look.
Best known for Big Tex and pushing the envelope on fair food, the State Fair of Texas in Dallas takes center stage, September 26 - October 19. Don't let the line at Fletcher's scare you away; their corny dogs are worth the wait. Perry, Georgia, hosts the Georgia National Fair, October 2 - 12, showcasing the state's heritage and livestock. Partake in the "Georgia National Fair Food Fight," where you can eat and vote for your favorite dish. It's a win-win. The "Peanut Capital of the World," a.k.a. Dothan, Alabama, is where you'll find the National Peanut Festival, October 31- November 9. Considered the nation's largest peanut festival, it highlights and honors peanut growers and the harvest season. Like the other festivals, you can vote for your favorite festival food.
And speaking of food (which we do every day in the South), sip and nibble your way through the Rouge et Blanc Wine and Food Festival, October 11, in Lake Charles, Fall for Greenville (South Carolina), October 10 -12, and Ocala Food & Wine Festival (Florida), November 7-9. Craving (pun intended) festivals that celebrate a specific food or dish? If you yelled "yes," there's the National Shrimp Festival, Oct. 9- 12, in Gulf Shores, Alabama, Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational BBQ, October 10 -11, in Lynchburg, Tennessee, International Rice Festival, October 16 - 19, Crowley, La., and S.C. Pecan Music and Food Festival, November 1, in Florence.
Then there is the World Chicken Festival, September 25 - 28, in London, Kentucky, honoring the life of Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The festival features the World's Largest Stainless Steel Skillet, where chicken is prepared for dinner.
Other festivals that should be on your radar this fall include the National Storytelling Festival, October 3 - 5, in Jonesborough, Tennessee, FestivaALL, October 8 -12, in Charleston, West Virginia, the Kentuck Arts Festival, October 11- 12, in Northport, Alabama, the Natchez Balloon Festival (Mississippi), October 17 -19, and Foo Foo Fest, October 30- November 10, in Pensacola, Florida.
Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, held in Lafayette, La., October 10- 12, deserves to be in a class of its own, as it opens with the cutting of boudin in true Cajun style.
Scarecrows, Pumpkin Patches, Corn Mazes and More - Oh My!
There's nothing better than spending the day with family or friends, or even solo, picking out perfect pumpkins, apples or flowers, or finding the exit of the corn maze without cheating.
You'll discover there's more than pumpkins and gourds in many places. For instance, the Perryville Pumpkin Farm (Missouri), through October 31, also offers a corn maze, soybean maze, straw tunnel, corn pits, and even a petting zoo. You can spend all day at Pumpkin Hollow, through November 1, in Piggott, Arkansas, with activities that include a zip line, pond slides, a corn maze and more. Plan a visit around Horror in the Hollow, select dates in September and October. The Annual Pumpkin Festival, September 26- November 9, at Denver Downs Farm in Anderson, South Carolina, features live entertainment, bonfires on weekends, and over 30 fun-filled activities suitable for all ages. The Fall Festival and Pumpkin Harvest, weekends through October 26, at Chesterfield Berry Farm in Moseley, Virginia, offers a corn maze, hay mazes and more. Be sure to try the pumpkin milkshake. For four weekends in October, Sarasota, Florida's Fruitville Grove's Pumpkin Festival features the Torres Family Circus, decorated photo spots, costume contests and more.
Grab a basket and pick apples at BJ Reece Orchards in Ellijay, Georgia, Stepp's Hillcrest Orchard in Hendersonville, North Carolina, and Evans Orchard in Georgetown, Kentucky. Gather up sunflowers and other fall blooms in places like Peebles Farm in Augusta, Arkansas, Mayfield Farm Park in Athens, Tennessee, and Fausett Farm in Dawsonville, Georgia.
Decorative scarecrows are as much of a fall fixture as pumpkin-flavored anything. These straw masterpieces populate everything from botanical gardens to downtowns, parks, and more.
Powell Gardens in Kingsville, Missouri, opens its Scarecrow Trail and Pumpkin Villages on October 4. The trail features 24 scarecrows from the Conservatory to the Children's Garden. Scarecrows mingle with the flowers along the Ridgeland (Miss.) Scarecrow Trail, October 15 - November 30, at Ridgeland Wildflower Fields. Among Festifall's various fall festivities at the Huntsville (Alabama) Botanical Garden is a Scarecrow Trail. Downtown Woodstock, Georgia, is home to Scarecrow Invasion, which is said to be the "largest scarecrow display in the southeast," with hundreds of scarecrows on display throughout October. All kinds of scarecrows dot Bowling Green, Kentucky's Lost River Cave's trail during its Annual Scarecrow Trail, October 4-26. The Scarecrow Spectacular, held in October at the West Virginia Botanic Garden at Tibbs Run Preserve in Morgantown, West Virginia, showcases the creativity of area organizations.
And don't forget about all of the fall decorations in Gatlinburg during the Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival through late November.
Beer Steins and Scary Times
"Oans, zwoa, drei, Gsuffa" ("one, two, three, drink up), y'all, the fall season ushers in Oktoberfest around the world, including the South.
Dubbed the "longest-running Southeast party," the Nashville Oktoberfest, October 2-5, includes a beer stein holding competition, the 5K Beir run (complete with a celebratory 20 oz. Oktoberfest beer at the finish line for those 21 and older), and a Dachshund Derby. Try your hand at Schlagen Hammern or enter the Stein Hoisting Competition at the Triangle Oktoberfest, October 3-4, in Cary, North Carolina. There are also plenty of German and craft beers to try, as well as Bavarian food to enjoy, and much more for the entire family to experience. Cape Coral (Florida) Oktoberfest, held on October 17–19 and 24–26, features three stages of non-stop live German music, potato pancakes and other German-related dishes, a carnival area for kids and more.
Fall is also Spooky Season. From destinations like Savannah, Georgia, St. Augustine, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina, to places such as the 1886 Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana, and the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia, these locations are spooked all year round with ghost tours. Many haunted houses/trails/escape rooms and other attractions get their spook on around mid-September, with some starting even earlier in the month.
"Scare" up your heart rate with the above-mentioned Horror in the Hollow, weekends through November 1, in Piggott, Arkansas, as you board the Zombie Paintball Bus or visit Bubba's Butcher Barn. Over in Nixa, Missouri, the loud noise you hear is probably your blood rushing as you make your way through a hauntingly immersive forest realm experience along the James River, known as the Field of Screams, featuring two ghastly experiences, weekends through November 1. Netherworld Haunted House, weekends through November 8, returns to the greater Atlanta area (Stone Mountain, specifically) with two walk-through haunts: Monster Attack and Oblivion, Return of the Mangler, guaranteed to push the envelope regarding thrills and chills and then some. Don't forget to check out the Monster Museum, or for something with a little less chills but still filled with thrills, Escape the NetherWorld, which has five themed escape rooms, including one where you escape Sasquatch. When you think you can't be scared enough, The Haunted Farm opens September 27 in Hendersonville, N.C. The haunted attractions include the farm, woods, slaughterhouse, demon hay shed, and more. Dread Hollow, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 2- November 2 (Thursday to Saturday nights), offers an intense haunted house and escape rooms that are not for the faint of heart.
If you're the type that wants some lore, history or both with hauntings, then ghost tours are for you. Nearly every destination offers eerie tours during the fall, and especially in October, such as Saint Charles (Mo.) Legends & Lanterns, October 11-12, 18-19, and 24 - 26, Haunted History Village Tour or the Haunted History Museum Tour, October 10 -11, in Pensacola, Florida.
Leaf Peeping
From the Pig Trail Scenic Byway in Arkansas to the Circle of Colors Trail in Alabama, the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway, there are many great places to see the turning of leaves.
Up your viewing with experiences with the Fall Tram Rides or the Fall Chuckwagon Tours during Cedar Fest at Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, Missouri, riding aboard Blue Ridge Scenic Railway in Blue Ridge, Georgia, cruising along the Tennessee River Gorge aboard the Southern Belle Riverboat in Chattanooga, and floating high above with Asheville (N.C.) Balloon Company.
Outdoors
Fall is the perfect time to explore the outdoors, whether it's state parks, trails, waterways, golf courses, preserves or something else. Just get outside, get active and enjoy.
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