It's September! The leaves have begun changing in the area, and Mother Nature is already putting on a gorgeous color spectacle this year!
If you are looking for fun family outings to enjoy the fall season while it's here, there are various fall festivals and events to attend here in Lake County, Illinois.
Local Fall Harvest Festivals
Celebration of Fall
Location: 148 Cedar Ave, Lake Villa, IL 60046
Lake Villa hosts an annual Fall festival in their downtown area. It's usually in September. There are lots of various vendors, food trucks, activities, and games for kids. Some of my boys' favorite activities last year included stuffing a scarecrow and playing on the inflatable obstacle courses.
Lindenhurst Fall Fest
Location: 2200 W Grass Lake Rd, Lindenhurst, IL 60046
The Lindenhurst Park District has an annual Fall celebration in October. Their event includes hayrides and a spooky trail.
Farm Festivities
Stade's Farm
Location: 3709 Miller Rd, McHenry, IL 60051
Shades of Autumn Fall Festival is a local favorite. This event usually lasts multiple weekends, September through October. There are some carnival rides, but also fun farm games, a decent size corn maze, giant slides, pillow trampolines, farm animals to pet, and delicious autumn treats.
A must have is their homemade apple cider donuts. They're so delicious! Especially when they're still hot and fresh.
During this event, they still have their U-Pick available! We love apple picking here. They have so many varieties.
If you want a quieter farm outing, this is the location for you.
Richardson Adventure Farm
Location: 909 English Prairie Rd, Spring Grove, IL 60081
This is another local favorite of ours! It is much larger than the former mentioned and attracts a lot of large crowds.
They also have a lot of the same things found at Stade's event. However, what they are most known for is their "World's Largest Corn Maze". It's 28 acres in size! But don't worry. If you do want to wind your way through, the maze can be broken up into sections and they provide a map.
Each year, the corn maze has a theme. Last year it was James Bond. This year it's Jurassic Park! My dinosaur, obsessed boys are going to have a blast. But I will definitely be bringing their wagon.
Six Flags Boo Bash and Fright Fest
Location: 1 Great America Parkway, Gurnee, IL 60031
If you're a big fan of Halloween, this is your place during the season.
During the day they have cute, kid-friendly Halloween-themed events and decorations. But once the sun starts going down, the whole park is a scare fest.
In the kid zones, they also have different activities at different times. These include crafts, a spooky story-time, and treats given out by some of the park's favorite characters- Bugs Bunny and Tweety!
Trick-or-Treating
Of course, neighborhoods have their trick-or-treating hours. But if you want to squeeze in some more of that during the season then check out the following events:
Boo Bash Mall Trick-or-Treating
Location: Gurnee Mills Mall, 6170 W Grand Ave, Gurnee, IL 60031
Round Lake Beach Trick-or-Treat Trail Location: Hart's Woods Park, 814 Hart Rd, Round Lake, IL 60073
*** All events in this post are annual. However, dates and times have not been included due to yearly variations. Please utilize a search engine to gather more information.
"The 'ber months are here!"
I hope this post gives you some great ideas for fun, fall, family-friendly outings.
Enjoy the season, and as always, feel free to drop a comment and share some of your favorite experiences.