Kentucky Apple Fest
Look, don’t even say you love apples until you’ve been to this down-home fall celebration. Originally held in the early 1960s to promote the area’s local apple market, the festival eventually became so popular amongst both locals and travelers alike that it beat out the nearest competition for fall fun – the Johnson County Fair.
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Let’s just say that due to Apple Fest’s extreme popularity over the past 50 years or so, the JoCo Fair hasn’t actually existed for some odd years now. But hey, given the ridiculous number of creative apple treats available – and one of the world’s largest apple pies taking residence there – can any of us really be all that surprised?
If you’re looking for a place where the kids will never run out of things to do (or just a way to exhaust them from fun), then this festival in Meridian, Idaho is your go-to.
With beginnings as just a corn maze off I-84 and Eagle Road in the late 1990s, the farm’s annual autumn throwdown is one you’d likely only think to have heard of in country heart-and-hearth magazines.
But between a giant house-sized jumping pillow, a corn cob beach, pig races, and a potato sack slide, this festival is both real and always ready for new families at the ticket booth. 
Oh, and while you’re there, don’t forget to visit the infamous corn maze – also known as “The MAiZE” – to experience a twisting, confusing cornfield like none you’ve ever seen before. The biggest kicker? There’s a theme to the giant maze each year- this year, comedy has joined the farm, and it’s shaped entirely like a picture of comic Jimmy Fallon.
Yep, you heard that correctly. His head is literally carved into the cornfield as part of the maze (would we really lie to you about that?!). Still don’t believe us? Get a peak for yourself and check out all the crazy opportunities this place offers for fall family fun on your next trip!
Roebuck’s Festifall at Walnut Grove
Held every year at South Carolina’s Walnut Grove Plantation, this fest provides a range of activities and happenings for any and all ages – all meshed with historical flair.
Here, the events, lifestyle, and tactics of the American Revolution come to life.
With over 100 historical reenactors present each year, perfect fall weather envelops demonstrations like no other. Learning cavalry tactics and military drills of the time, you will hear cannons fire and be able to participate in numerous colonial era-inspired crafts, projects, and trade (shopping) activities. With food vendors and RV parking all available on-site, you can spend a whole day here both enjoying the weather and learning about our nation’s incredible past.
Damariscotta Pumpkinfest and Regatta
Not only fun for the whole family, this particular fest (oh, and regatta, because you’re not really in Maine unless there’s one of those) really is an all-American event, boosting the economy every year for the small, rural, coastal community of Damariscotta. Originally beginning in 2007 as a race between two pumpkin boats, this “Only in Maine” festival has expanded to be truly one-of-a-kind.
Promoting education on horticulture, gardening, and rural economic health to adults and children alike, the event evolves into a trip full of fall activities. Between learning the specific science behind growing Atlantic Giant Pumpkins, a boat race of countless 400-700 lb. hollowed-out pumpkins, and a giant pumpkin parade, this gourd-devoted parade will leave you in awe of the orange autumn fruit!
Other activities at the Pumpkinfest include:
- A pumpkin “soapbox-style” derby
- Pumpkin dessert contest
- Pumpkin Pie Eating Contests
- An infamous 180 ft. pumpkin drop (which, mind you, is onto a stack of junk cars)
- Display of 65+ carved and decorated pumpkins
- Columbus day weekend events (“slice of small town Americana”)
Apple Butter Stirrin’ Festival
At the Historic Roscoe Village in Roscoe, Ohio, you’ll not only get the fall experience of a lifetime, but also get to truly visualize the past in this 1830 restored canal town. This late-October festival provides a number of sights, smells, and activities, from their famed apple butter cooking over an open fire to live bluegrass music and canal boat rides to pass the time.
The festival also boats “Spirit of Roscoe” ghost tours, bringing the past even more to life as the wind gets chillier and the sun looms toward the horizon. Haunted hello’s not your thing? There’s still plenty to do in this small Ohioan town, with unique shopping, original restauranteurs, museum and history tours, and bustling entertainment to keep you occupied.
Between smelling the simmer of apple butter and watching the leaves turn, we’re honestly not sure what we want to do first in Roscoe this year.
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I have been to the Damariscotta Pumpkin Festival about three times. A friend lives near there. You can also take Amtrak to Brunswick, Maine. From there you can bicycle about thirty miles to Damariscotta … or take a local bus.