It’s officially FALL and we’ve got the Ultimate Guide to Fall and Halloween Activities in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, Mulberry, Auburndale, and across Polk County.
What do you love about fall?
🎃 Visiting the pumpkin patch and carving pumpkins?
🎃 Planning Halloween costumes?
🎃 Hayrides and special fall events?
🎃 Getting lost in a corn maze?
🎃 Filling your candy bowls up with candy corn?
🎃 Visiting Haunted Houses and getting SCARED?
🎃 Eating apples and caramel dip or drinking a pumpkin latte?
🎃 Watching Halloween themed movies or scary TV shows?
🎃 Trunk or Treat events and Fall Festivals?
We’ll be updating this page all the way up until October 31, so be sure to check back often for any new events and activities!
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A few of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means we will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you when you make a purchase by clicking through our links. Thank you for supporting Lakeland Mom! We only recommend deals that we have researched to be sure they are a savings to you.
Corn Mazes & Farms
Thank you to Harvest Holler Corn Maze for sponsoring our Fall & Halloween Activity Guide!
Visit Harvest Holler Corn Maze for a fun fall day on a working family farm! Enjoy the corn maze, pumpkin patch, live animals, hay ride, cow train, corn hole, tire swings, hay fort, corn bin, photo opportunities, and NEW activity – the FRANKENSLIDE! ALL activities are included with admission!
The Watering Hole serves up hamburgers, sausage, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and more. Be sure to stop into MawMaw’s Country Store for homemade jams, local orange blossom honey, and homemade pies and cobbler. (No outside food allowed)
Open weekends from September 20 – November 10, 2019. Weekdays by reservation only for fields trips, scouts, and other groups. For more info visit their Website and to see photos check out their Facebook page. You can also read our review from 2018.
Spend a day at Harvest Holler to celebrate fall!
Harvest Holler Corn Maze
Location: 950 Tavares Road, Polk City, FL 33868 (MAP IT)
More info: Website / Facebook
Dates & Times: Open weekends from September 20 – November 10, 2019
Friday – 4pm-8pm / Saturday – 12pm – 8pm / Sunday 12pm – 5pm / Weekdays by reservation only
Cost: Adults $10.50 / Seniors $8.50 / Children (3-12) $8 / Ages 2 & Under FREE
CornFusion Crop Maze & Fall Festival at Smith Family Ranch
Location: 13444 Moore Road, Lakeland, FL 33809 (MAP IT)
More info: Website / Facebook
Dates & Times: Open weekends beginning October 5, 2019
Saturday & Sunday – 10am – 6pm
Cost: Adults $10.75/ Children (4-15) $8.75 / Ages 3 & Under FREE /
FREE Admission for Active/Retired Military, Law Enforcement, Fire Fighters, EMS (I.D. Required)
Some activities are an additional cost, visit the website for details.
Check for GROUPON DEALS
Fox Squirrel Corn Maze
Location: 3002 Charlie Taylor Road N, Plant City, FL 33565 (MAP IT)
More info: Website / Facebook
Dates & Times: Open weekends from October 5 – 27, 2019
Saturday & Sunday 10am – 5pm (Guests must exit by 6pm)
Cost: Adults $11 / Children (3-17) $10 / Ages 2 & Under FREE
We accept Cash, Visa, Master Card and Discover for admission. NO ATM ON SITE. Most vendors are cash only.
NO PETS ALLOWED (except service animals)
The Heartland Maze and Fall Festival
Location: 3350 US Highway 17 North, Bowling Green, FL 33834 (MAP IT)
More info: Website / Facebook
Dates & Times: Heartland Festival is open weekends from October 12 – November 3, 2019
Saturday 11am – 7pm, Sunday 1pm – 7pm.
Cost: $4.95-$13.95/person. Visit website for full pricing details.
Check for GROUPON DEALS
Keel Farms Harvest Days
Location: 5210 Thonotosassa Rd, Plant City, FL 33565 (MAP IT)
More info: Website / Facebook
Dates & Times: Every Saturday in October from 10am – 6pm
Cost: Admission and parking are both FREE for this event
Join us for Fall fun that the whole family will love! We have activities for all ages including pumpkin carving & painting, pumpkin patch, bounce house, farm animals, harvesting, vendors, and hayrides.
Know Before You Go:
- Be sure to check the website or Facebook page prior to your visit, especially if we’ve had a lot of rain – all activities are affected by weather!
- Take cash – some farms only accept cash and do not have an ATM on site
- Check out each farm’s Website and/or Facebook page to see a full list of activities – they all have many activities beyond just the maze!
- Wear closed toe shoes – you will be outside walking on dirt and grass.
- Leave your pets at home – these are working farms and do not allow outside animals (except service animals)
MAP TIP: Tap the box with an arrow in the top left to see a list and search by name.
Pumpkin Patches
Whether you’re looking for the perfect pumpkin, or a place to take photos of your own little pumpkins, we’ve got a list of pumpkin patches in the Lakeland area. Keep in mind that they will close once the pumpkins are gone!
Most (if not all) of the Corn Mazes and Farms listed above also have pumpkins available!
Presbyterian Church in the Highlands Pumpkin Patch
1010 Lake Miriam Dr, Lakeland, FL 33813 (MAP IT)
Website | Facebook | 863-646-3121
Open: October 6 – 31, 2019 (or until the pumpkins are gone)
Hours: Open daily 9 am to 7 pm
First United Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch
72 Lake Morton Dr, Lakeland, FL 33801 (MAP IT)
Website | Facebook | 863-686-3163
Open: October 12 – 31, 2019 (or until the pumpkins are gone)
Hours: Monday through Friday from 11am – 7pm / Saturdays and Sundays from 9am – 7pm
TBA Church Pumpkin Patch
1815 Co Rd 540A, Lakeland, FL 33813 (MAP IT)
Website | Facebook | (863) 647-9282
Open: Sold Out! Closed for 2019 Saturday, October 5 @ noon – October 31, 2019 (or earlier if the pumpkins are sold out!)
Hours: Monday through Friday 4 – 8pm | Saturdays 10am – 8pm | Sundays 2 – 8pm
MAP TIP: Tap the box with an arrow in the top left to see a list and search by name.
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Local Attractions
Brick or Treat at LEGOLAND Florida
Location: 1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven, FL 33884 (MAP IT)
More info: Website
Dates & Times: Weekends in October 5-6, 12-13, 19-20, 26-27, 2019
Cost: All activities included with LEGOLAND Florida admission or Annual Passes
Read our review from 2018
Haunted Houses & Zombies
We STRONGLY encourage you to ask around and find out more about each of these attractions before taking children. They are all legitimately SCARY, and only you can judge what age is appropriate for your own kids!
Buckingham Terror Haunted House (Camp Fire)
Location: 2600 Buckingham Ave., Lakeland, FL 33803 (MAP IT)
More info: Website / Facebook
Dates & Times: Open nightly from October 18 – November 1, 2019
Open nightly at 7:30pm. Check website for closing times.
Cost: $10 for adults / $8 for ages 13 – 18 / $5 for ages 12 & under
You can also purchase a Fast Pass admission for $5 extra, as well as an unlimited visit pass for $25.
DISCLAIMER: Not intended for children under 10 or the faint of heart.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office Haunted Jail Tour: Zombie Outbreak
Location: PCSO Old Jail across from Bartow PD – 455 N. Broadway Ave, Bartow, FL 33830 (MAP IT)
More info: TBD
Dates & Times: Fridays & Saturdays – October 18, 19, 25, 26, 2019 – 6pm-10:30pm
Cost: $6 – all proceeds benefit the United Way
For the little ones who are too young to go through the haunted jail, there will be a separate room with treats and games! Bring the whole family for a night of fun.
Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail and Ominous Descent
Location: 2837 S Frontage Rd, Plant City, FL 33566 (MAP IT)
More info: Website / Facebook
Dates & Times: Open weekends October 4 – October 27. Visit website for dates and hours.
Cost: Range from $12-30 per person
DISCLAIMER: The trails are designed to be frightening. Some material and scenes might not be appropriate for children under 12 years of age.
Zombie Farm Paintball Hayride (at Cornfusion)
Zombie Farm Paintball is closed for 2019 – website.
MAP TIP: Tap the box with an arrow in the top left to see a list and search by name.
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Halloween Movies & TV Specials
During the month of October you can find plenty of Movies & TV Shows for getting into the Halloween spirit at home.
A few of our family friendly favorites include:
- Spookley the Square Pumpkin
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Spooky Buddies
- It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown
- Hocus Pocus
- Toy Story of Terror
Channels with special Halloween programming:
Central Florida Fall & Halloween Attractions
We have some amazing events and activities to choose from right here in Polk County! However we also know it can be fun to visit somewhere new and make a day trip out of it. Below you’ll find links to events and attractions less within a 1.5 hour drive or less of the Lakeland area.
FAMILY-FRIENDLY
- Long & Scott Farm and Corn Maze in Mount Dora
- Sweetfields Farm Fall Season on the Farm in Brooksville
- Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival in Bradenton
- Pumpkin Patch Express at the Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish
- Pumpkin Patch & Fall Festival at Southern Hill Farms in Clermont
- Partin Ranch Corn Maze in Kenansville (south of Kissimmee)
- Bass Pro Shops Great Pumpkin Celebration – FREE Halloween Event (2019 Details TBD)
- Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom (READ OUR REVIEW!)
- SeaWorld’s Halloween Spooktacular
- Screamin’ Green Hauntoween at The Crayola Experience in Orlando (check for GROUPON DEALS)
- Zoo Boo Bash at the Central Florida Zoo in Orlando
- Creatures of the Night at Zoo Tampa
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART (AKA – SCARY!)
Single Day Events
Trunk or Treat, Carnivals, Hayrides, Halloween Movies, Fall Festivals & more – with over 60 Fall and Halloween events happening in the Lakeland area this month, there is something for everyone on our calendar in October! Click on any event to get more details. You will only see upcoming Fall/Halloween themed events below. Visit our calendar page to see all events in October. Click the name of any event for more details.
Did we miss a great pumpkin patch, fall attraction, or other multi-day event? Contact us or leave a comment below and we’ll get it added to our list!
