Family Living


Top Louisville Fall Activities for Families

Family Living | July 28, 2023
Cute Little Girls Pulling Their Pumpkins In A Wagon At A Pumpkin Patch One Fall Day.

A big city with a small-town feel, Louisville, Kentucky, offers a variety of fun, family-friendly fall activities. There are plenty of opportunities to choose your perfect pumpkin, pick apples, take in the gorgeous fall colors, or get a friendly Halloween fright.

With so many options, The Gardner School has crafted a list of our favorite activities your family – and your preschooler – will enjoy this year and for years to come. 

Churchill Downs

Visit Churchill Downs in the fall when smaller crowds make it more enjoyable and better suited to families with young children. Preschoolers will enjoy watching the horses parade around the paddock and race. You can even choose a favorite horse to win, no money required, of course. 

Jack O’Lantern Spectacular

Stay up past bedtime for this once-a-year Louisville tradition. The Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular features 5,000 intricately carved, real pumpkins along a .33-mile walking trail in Iroquois Park. The pumpkins are presented in themed displays creating an illuminated, organic art gallery for all ages to enjoy. 

Louisville Halloween

Louisville Halloween brings the city together for spooky fall fun. The Halloween Parade & Festival features live music, a pumpkin derby, and a pumpkin pie-eating contest. Or make plans to attend the Balloon Glow, a unique event with tethered balloon rides in Halloween-themed hot air balloons, a fun family zone, and a light show. 

Louisville Nature Center

Explore the outdoors at the Louisville Nature Center. Home to the Beargrass Creek State Nature Preserve, children can explore trails, birds, and other types of wildlife. The 180 species of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers also showcase nature’s vibrant fall foliage colors. 

Sunny Acres Farm

Children can experience a fall day to its fullest at Sunny Acres Farm. The farm offers hayrides, a corn maze, and pick-your-own pumpkins. On select weekends, you can purchase “all-you-can-carry” pumpkins! 

Pendleton Farms

Celebrate the fall harvest during October at Pendleton Farms. Let your preschooler help you choose fall decor from the numerous pumpkins, gourds, mums, straw, and corn stalks available to purchase. Plus, enjoy a hayride, visit with farm animals, and grab a bite to eat from a food truck. 

The Louisville Zoo

From September 30 through the end of October, The Louisville Zoo hosts Boo at the Zoo. Coined as “Delightful. Not Frightful,” this fall event transforms the zoo into a living storybook with costumed characters and trick-or-treating. All activities are geared toward children ages 11 and under.  

Mulberry Orchard

Located in Shelbyville, just 45 minutes east of Louisville, Mulberry Orchard offers apple picking beginning in September. The orchard has 16 varieties of apples available, so your preschooler can find their favorite or bravely try something new. Children will also enjoy 24 special activities set up with them in mind, including a corn maze, corn pit, petting zoo, soybean maze, and more. 

old tractor and pumpkins at Mulberry Orchard in Kentucky
Photo courtesy of Mulberry Orchard

It’s never too early to start learning. 

The Gardner School offers an engaging curriculum and caring teachers to support preschoolers’ natural curiosity while supporting a strong educational foundation. To learn more about our Louisville preschool, contact us to set up a tour. 

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