The leaves are crisp, the air is slowly getting its chill, and we are ready for fall fun with the whole family! Whether you're looking for some family-friendly haunts this Halloween with ChattaBOOga or have a personal goal to visit pumpkin patches, devour fall fair food, and soak up all the season has to offer, you're sure to find it all in Chattanooga this fall.

Ghosts and Monsters – OH MY! 

Ruby Falls Lantern Tour: Ghost Walk Edition, a special edition Lantern Tour where one can hear ghostly tales from Ruby Falls’ 94-year history and eerie Chattanooga legends, and visit the sites of peculiar encounters, as you journey through the cavern lit only by hand-held lanterns. This event is for ages 12 and up.  

If you prefer monsters over ghosts, the Creative Discovery Museum’s Monster Bash is an exclusive members-only Halloween Bash! Explore the Creative Discovery Museum in your kid-friendly costumes and enjoy Halloween-themed activities and games. This family-friendly event will be so much fun, it’s scary! 

 

Chattanooga’s Boo in the Zoo 

The most spooktacular event of the year with some of Chattanooga’s most lovable animals! Chattanooga Zoo's Boo in the Zoo is a family-friendly event that will take place almost every weekend in October at the Zoo. Join the Zoo for merry-not-scary Halloween decorations, a costume contest, trick-or-treat stations, and more! 

 

More Haunting Adventures 

Every weekend in October, take a family-friendly Halloween train ride with TN Valley Railroad Museum’s Halloween Eerie Express. The Halloween Eerie Express will take you on a spooky vintage ride to the Funhouse Station where you will enjoy games, blacklight mini golf, a costume contest, gentle thrills, and more. 

The free Halloween EEKstravaganza brings you an old-fashioned festival, complete with a chili cook-off, a trunk or treat, games and crafts, a costume contest, a petting zoo, and the spooktacular ending to it all is the showing of the movie Goosebumps.  

Join in on the costume party on the move, better known as the Chasing Pumpkins 5K and Kids Candy Dash! All aged participants are encouraged to sport their most creative, spookiest, or most whimsical costumes as they race to the finish line and post-race costume contests, trick-or-treat stations, and more.  

Named one of the “Top 10 Public Markets in America” by Frommers, Chattanooga Market features over 50 farms, over 130 artisans, and endless locally-made specialties. When the Haunted Chattanooga Market comes around, bring your little ghosts and goblins for the annual trick-or-treat and costume parade! 

Pumpkin Patches, Hay Rides, and More at Local Farm Festivals

Fill a flower bucket, race through one of two corn mazes, pick a pumpkin, and enjoy s'mores by a bonfire at Flat Top Mountain Farm's Fall Festival! The farm welcomes many local vendors, so while you're there be sure to take advantage of their unique experiences like styled picnics, face painting, pony or carriage rides, and more.

Spend a day at Mayfield Farm Park's Fall Festival. With 40+ family-friendly fall activities, including mountain slides, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, hay rides, hillbilly pig races, and more, there's sure to be plenty of fun for kids of all ages. 

Chattanooga Area Fall Fairs

Happening every October, both Prater's Mill and Ketner's Mill Country Fairs are long-standing fall favorites. At Prater's Mill Country Fair you can learn more about the rural heritage of North Georgia while chowing down on locally sourced goodies like John's Family pit-cooked barbeque, Cochran Family fried pies, and apple cider, in addition to many other fair favorites, of course! Ketner's Mill Country Fair is celebrated as East Tennessee's premier country arts fair, which means you're sure to head home with a handcrafted goody or two from the selection of sculptures, paintings, pottery, hand-woven baskets, jewelry, and more!

Happening in November, the Hamilton County Fair has been completely re-envisioned for 2023. Taking place at the McDonald Farm, this year's county fair features live performances by local artists Lauren Alaina and Brandon Davis, amusement rides, lumberjack shows, a rodeo, and a final night of fireworks to cap off the three-day event. Of course you'll want to partake in all the classic fair eats, but don't miss the chili cook-off or pie-eating contest!

Explore More Fall Fun 

Are you looking for more fall activities in Chattanooga?