October brings a harvest of fall activities the whole family can enjoy. Here are five of our favorites from around the area, including one you can do in your own back (or front) yard.

1.  VISIT A PUMPKIN PATCH

There are plenty to choose from, but the “#1 Pumpkin Patch in the state” (according to the Travel Channel) is just 45 minutes south of Nashville. At Lucky Ladd Farms Ag-venture Farm Fun Park you can pick your pumpkins, explore the corn maze, bite into a juicy caramel apple, and more!

2.  VENTURE INTO A HAUNTED HOUSE

This is prime time for ghosts, goblins and things that go bump in the night. Check out the Calendar of Halloween Events at TennesseeHauntedHouses.com for a list of Fall Festivities and terrifying Haunts each and every day through November. Please note: some “haunted” spaces are not suitable for younger thrill-seekers.

3.  ENJOY A FALL FESTIVAL

Fall is definitely festival season; you can find one somewhere close by every weekend. We’re partial to Middle Tennessee’s largest family fall festival, the Annual Franklin Pumpkinfest. Join us there on October 30 in downtown Franklin.

4. GET LOST (ON PURPOSE) IN A MAZE

We like the Loretta Lynn-themed corn maze at Honeysuckle Hill Farm, 30 minutes north of Nashville. Their Fall Festival runs September 25 – October 31 and includes the maze, pig races, singing chickens (!) and a pumpkin patch.

5.  PLANT BULBS NOW FOR SPRING BLOOMS LATER

Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and crocus all need to be planted in the fall to bloom in the spring. A little digging in your garden now will yield a harvest of beautiful blooms next year. For a ton of helpful information about bulbs, see Flowering Bulbs for Tennessee gardens from the University of Tennessee’s Agricultural Extension Service.