Fall In Nashville Can’t Be Beat!
Summer is plenty of fun, but there’s something about walking around during a Nashville fall with a hot beverage in your hand, feeling the crisp air against your cheeks. Fall in Nashville is the best time to get your family together for some spooky fun or grab your loved one and hold them close during a late night movie viewing in the park.
Of course, Music City has plenty of opportunities to listen to some live music outside and dance until you can’t feel the cold anymore!
We’ve compiled all the best autumn activities for fall in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. It’s time to dust off your boots and unpack those sweaters. Fall is almost here and there’s plenty to do in Nashville!
2021 Festivals For Fall In Nashville
We’re kicking off our list of things to do this fall in Nashville with all the best fall festivals. Festivals in Nashville are the perfect thing to do in the fall because they combine everything that makes fall in Nashville amazing: music, food, drinks, and family-friendly activities – what could be better?
Disclaimer: You won’t find Nashville’s Oktoberfest on this list. It’ll be back in 2022!
Cheekwood Harvest
When: September 18-October 31
Every fall in Nashville, Cheekwood Estate & Gardens celebrates fall with a 6-week harvest festival.
There are thousands of trees within gardens that transform from lush green foliage to brightly colored fall leaves.
Enjoy the breathtaking view while walking around with a cup of hot apple cider in your hand before meandering over to see the fun art exhibits.
The Cheekwood Harvest is fun for the whole family or a perfect thing to do this fall on a date. Get your tickets here.
Americanafest
Click to listen to AmericanaFest playlists!
When: September 22-25
Nothing says “fall in Nashville” like four days of music! Americanafest, put on by the Americana Music Association, takes place throughout Nashville at various venues and includes a total of 165 live concerts! Visitors will get to experience music from every genre, including folk, rock, blues, soul, and country. The event will also feature seminars, panels, and exclusive performances.
Get your festival passes here.
Nashville Whiskey Festival
When: September 30-October 2
Last year, Corkdorks Nashville Whiskey Festival was held online. This fall in Nashville, it will be held in-person at the Omni Hotel Nashville! Visitors will get to speak with whiskey distillers, sample plenty of food and drink, and have an exclusive opportunity to try brand-new releases. Of course, it wouldn’t be a festival in Nashville without live music!
This event is great for whiskey connoisseurs and novices, alike. Come learn about the spirit and try some things you’ve never had before. Get your tickets here.
Nashville Film Festival
When: September 30-October 6
For the past 52 years, the Nashville Film Festival has been honoring filmmakers, screenwriters, and musicians that hail from Tennessee and around the world.
The festival takes place at various venues throughout Nashville and will include new and classic film screenings, panels, Q&A sessions, conferences, and more.
In all, over 150 films will be shown during the week-long festival. If you can’t make it to the festival, don’t worry! There will be plenty of events streaming online.
Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival
When: October 2
The Celebrate Nashville Cultural Festival is a free festival that takes place in Centennial Park on the first Saturday in October. This is a great Nashville fall activity for people of all ages! This is your chance to come celebrate everything and everyone that makes Nashville unique.
So many different cultures and ethnic groups have come together to make Nashville what it is today. At this festival, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy food from around the world, listen to traditional music, and hear tales from long ago in faraway places.
There are even vendors that bring traditional clothing for children so they can dress up in outfits they’ve never seen before! Make sure to stop by the World Market and browse handmade items from around the world.
Tennessee Craft Fest In Centennial Park
When: October 23-24
The Centennial Craft Fest celebrates all things Nashville. Grab the whole family and head to Centennial Park to check out over 100 local vendors, local food trucks and breweries, live music by local artists, and plenty of activities designed just for kids.
The event is free to attend and many of the kid’s activities are free, too! You’ll just have to whip out your wallet to support local food, beverage, and craft vendors. This festival only lasts for 2 days, so make sure you take advantage of everything it has to offer!
El Dia De Los Muertos
When: October 30-31
El Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead is a bright and colorful celebration that is customary in Mexico and Latin America. This fall in Nashville, head to Cheekwood Estate & Gardens on October 30 & 31 to view the elaborate decorations and displays, dance to traditional music, and honor those we have loved and lost.
In addition to traditional displays of respect for ancestors, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about their Latin American neighbors at the marketplace where they can shop, eat, and view beautiful altar displays.
This event is great for visitors of all ages! Purchase tickets here.
Corn Mazes, Pumpkin Patches & Hayrides For Fall In Nashville
You can’t make it through fall without visiting a corn maze or pumpkin patch in Nashville. Better yet – visit both!
After all, if there’s a corn maze, a pumpkin patch can’t be too far away. And neither can ghouls and ghosts. Keep an eye out…These are also perfect for fall family fun!
Lucky Ladd Farms
When: Various dates & times
Lucky Ladd Farms has a pumpkin patch that was voted the #1 Pumpkin Patch in the state! This fall in Nashville, you have to see what the buzz is all about. Not only is there an expansive pumpkin patch that you can pick your own pumpkin from, but there is also a corn maze and tons of family-friendly activities. Don’t leave Lucky Ladd Farms without getting some freshly made kettle corn and a juicy apple covered in sticky sweet caramel.
Make sure you get your tickets early. This year, there are fewer tickets available than previous years. Plus, you want to make sure you get the BEST pumpkins in the patch! Get your tickets here.
Walden Farms
When: September 25-October 31
The Walden Pumpkin Farm is a must-visit this fall in Nashville. In addition to pumpkin picking, there are a variety of family-friendly activities like hay rides, a pumpkin train, a sand art station, face painting, an animal barn, hay maze, and more!
It’s free to enter the farm, animal barn, and hay maze. Other activities cost 2-5 Walden Bucks (1 Walden Buck = $1).
Shuckles Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch
When: September 25-October 31
Fiddle Dee Farms is home to Shuckles Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch: a ten-acre corn maze and pick-your-own pumpkin patch. While you’re here, you can also participate in family fun like pumpkin basketball and skee ball, pumpkin painting, kid-friendly zip lines, and scoot down the 40-foot slide!
As if that isn’t enough fun, Fiddle Dee Farms also has an animal corral where kids can visit with farm animals and feed them a snack, a magician, and a giant spider web climb. Check out their family movie nights every Saturday!
Get your tickets here. Season passes are also available.
Honeysuckle Hill Farm
When: September 25-October 31
Home of the Nashville Country Music Corn Maze, Honeysuckle Hill Farm has activities that are great for visitors of all ages for the whole month of October! This fall in Nashville, bring the whole family to enjoy pig races, a singing chicken show, a pick-your-own pumpkin patch, and much, much more.
Unlike most farms, this one doesn’t close when the sun goes down. Stay late for the pumpkin express light show (glowing jack o’lanterns!), fireworks, nighttime farm attractions, and cozy up by the bonfire.
Trick Or Treating For Fall In Nashville
Trick or treating events are great for families that want to stick together in a close, safe environment. Plus, if it rains on Halloween this year, you can always trick or treat indoors! Here are the best trick or treating events in Nashville this fall:
Trick Or Treat At Drakes Creek
When: October 28
On Thursday, October 28, head to Drakes Creek Park for 2-hours of free trick or treating! In addition to candy, guests can also enjoy Halloween-themed games with prizes and hayrides through the park.
Trick Or Treat Expedition At Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center
When: September 10-October 31
This Fall in Nashville, check out the Trick or Treat Expedition at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. This event is perfect for young children – it’s all treats and no tricks! Your kids will love seeing all the bright lights and decorations in the resort’s gardens while collecting some candy at every stop. The price of admission comes with a trick or treat bag!
Trick Or Drink: Nashville Bar Crawl
When: October 29-31
Too old for trick or treating? Try trick or drinking! This fall in Nashville, there’s a Halloween bar crawl that takes place each day of Halloween weekend – go to one or all three!
When you check in for the event, you’ll get a wristband that allows you entry to all of the participating bars. You’ll get in for free and enjoy drink specials that were concocted just for your group.
Haunted Houses And Hayrides For Fall In Nashville
Nashville is home to some of the spookiest haunted houses and hayrides! These aren’t ghost tours – these are fall events in Nashville that were specifically designed to terrify you! You might want to leave the little ones at home for these events.
Nashville Nightmare
When: September 4-November 13
Nashville Nightmares brings you multiple attractions that will leave you out of breath and checking over your shoulder. This fall in Nashville, you can experience the Dead in the Water, Nuketown, The Forsaken, and more.
If a haunted attraction doesn’t sound like your cup of cider, visit their axe throwing stand or hang out at Bar Nightmare, their outdoor bar featuring spooky libations.
Bloody Acres Haunted Woods
When: September 17-October 31
The Bloody Acres Haunted Woods takes place in the real woods, so make sure you dress warm if you choose to go! Set on 50, visitors wander around through various rooms and scare zones as horrifying decorations and seasoned actors waiting to bring nightmares to life.
Everything in the park is 100% safe, but there is fake blood and scenes picked right from horror movies. Attend at your own risk!
Tickets are $15 (cash only) and only available at the door. There is no ATM so make sure you have cash on hand when you arrive.
Bonus Fall In Nashville Events
We’re not done yet! There’s so much to do this fall in Nashville that we can hardly fit everything into its own category. So we’re bringing you this bonus section with events of all kinds for adults only, kids only, and all ages.
The Escape Game
As always, we’ve got to plug The Escape Game Nashville! There are three locations throughout the city: one in Berry Hill, one in Opry Mills, and another right downtown. Sessions are 60-minutes long (or less, if you can escape quickly!) and you can pick the time that works best for your team.
Most rooms can accommodate up to 8 players (Playground accommodates up to 12) and are easy enough to be fun but difficult enough to really get you thinking. This fall in Nashville, an escape room is the perfect thing to do – especially if the weather is cold or rainy!
NightLight 615
When: Select Thursday and Friday evenings
Grab your friends that are 21 and over and head to Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Downtown Nashville.
NightLight 615 is Nashville’s 21+ outdoor movie series that features dozens of local food trucks, craft beer and wine, breathtaking views of the Nashville Skyline, a pre-movie DJ, and, of course, your favorite movies.
Want a Halloween-themed experience? NightLight 615 is bringing Hocus Pocus to Nashville on October 28th! Other films this season include Bridesmaids, The Sandlot, Clueless, and Step Brothers.
Boo At The Zoo
When: October 15-October 17
Every fall in Nashville, the Nashville Zoo throws a family-friendly Halloween event with trick or treating, animal shows, a monster mash dance, and everyone’s favorite Gourdon the Talking Pumpkin! The event was created with little ones in mind, but it might be too scary for young children after dark.*
Each ticket comes with entry to the zoo, access to 10 trick or treat stations, and a glow in the dark souvenir cup. There will be food and drinks available for purchase, but all guests are welcome to bring in their own snacks. Get your tickets here.
*This year, Nashville Zoo is not hosting their Haunted Farm.
Have Fun This Fall In Nashville!
For most people in Nashville, last fall was kind of a dud. Now that we’re getting back to living life as (almost) normal, it’s time to get out there and see the wonders of Nashville!
Fall is the best time to get out again because it’s not too hot and not too cold. Just grab some hot cider and walk around at one of these events this fall in Nashville and you’ll be filled with warmth and joy. Have fun!
