2024 Fall Fun Guide for Northwest Arkansas: Top 10 Events, Activities and Things To See

2024 Fall Fun Guide for Families in Northwest Arkansas

Happy Autumn, mama friends! To help you enjoy all that fall has to offer, we’ve rounded up 10 of the best things to do over the next few months.

Thanks to Farmland Adventures for sponsoring our Fall Fun Guide!

Click on the names of the events below to find out more about each activity:

1. Pick a pumpkin and navigate a corn maze. If you want to pick your own pumpkin, let the kids pet some cute animals, get lost in a corn maze and hang out on a farm for a few hours, there are several options around here, including our favorite — printable sponsor Farmland Adventures. They are a tradition in Northwest Arkansas! The 2024 Corn Maze theme is “Expedition Everest.” Be sure to check out these features: Petting farm, pig races, pony rides, maze tracker, a mini-maze for little ones, pedal karts, human foosball, and a play area. Dates and hours are September 6 – November 2 on Fridays from 3-9:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.  In October, they have additional hours on Thursdays from 3-9:30 p.m. Mama Memo: Farmland has five “Mother’s day out” dates planned with discounted admission: September 17th and 25th/October 3rd, 9th, and 14th. Hours are 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on those days.
   You can also find some pumpkins and fun at: McGarrah Farms Rivercrest Orchard Fall on the Farm, 2991 Dead Horse Mountain Road, Fayetteville, Sept. 14-Nov. 3; Vanzant Fruit Farms, Lowell, fresh fruit in season, pumpkin patch expected to open at the end of September; and Exeter Corn Maze, Exeter, Missouri, where all activities and haunted attractions are opening Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. 
2. Find some fall fun adventures. There are always fun fall events on tap across NWA. In downtown Springdale, celebrate the endangered Monarch Butterfly, its habitat, and yearly pit stop during its migration from Canada to Mexico during the free Monarch Flight Festival, Sept. 14,  2024, from noon to 4 p.m. The new Junkin’ Market Days fall event is Sept. 6-7 2024 at the Washington County Fairgrounds. The Benton County Fair is Sept. 20-28, 2024. On Sunday, Sept. 29, check out Fayetteville Falltoberfest, a brand-new downtown festival that celebrate all things Fall in Fayetteville. The Junk Ranch Fall Show will be held in Prairie Grove on Oct. 3-5, 2024. There’s also the Homegrown Festival in Siloam Springs, set for Oct. 5, 2024. Vintage Market Days of NWA will be at the Benton County Fairgrounds on Oct. 11-13, 2024. The Arkansas Apple Festival in Lincoln is back on Oct. 4-6, 2024.
3. Take a scenic stroll! The fall foliage on the Crystal Bridges trails are beautiful this time of year, so you should definitely make the trip. And they have the new “Time Loop” show running now (Sept. 4) through Jan. 5, 2025, in the North Forest. It has light, sound, and state-of-the-art projection mapping to transform acres of Ozark nature into a never-before-seen journey across time and space. We also recommend visiting War Eagle Mill, Lake Atalanta, Devil’s Den State Park or Hobbs State Park. Tanyard Creek in Bella Vista is also a family favorite with a pretty waterfall to explore. You also don’t want to miss beautiful Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park. There are lots of walking trails, historical markers to read and a playground for the kids. If you want to visit a restaurant in the woods, try Airship in the Coler Mountain Bike Preserve. You can only get there by walking or biking (and they have lots of kids’ activities)!
4. Seek out vintage pretties and cool antiques. We love to kick around cool vintage and antique stores in the fall.

• In Fayetteville, there’s Fayetteville’s Funky Flea Market, In Retrospect Vintage Mall & Boutique and 410 Vintage Market.
• In Springdale, we love to comb through Midtown Mall.
• In Rogers, we recommend Betty’s Attic & Jen’s Jewels, Somewhere in Time Antique Mall and Sweetpea & The Rusted Rooster.
• In Bentonville, try True Treasures.
• In Gentry, check out The Chicken Coop.
• In Prairie Grove, two of our long-time favorites are Daisies and Olives and The Summit Hill Cottage Shoppe.

5. Craft a beautiful day at a craft fair. There are several fun craft fairs planned for mid-October this year, including the It’s Fall Y’all Craft Fair in Bentonville on Oct. 17-20, 2024; the Ozark Regional Arts & Crafts Fair in Fayetteville on Oct. 17-19, 2024 and Springdale on Oct. 18-19, 2024. One of the most popular craft fairs in the region is War Eagle and it will run Oct. 17-20, 2024. 
   
6. Follow the Arkansas Wine Trail. One way to really see the beauty of Arkansas is to visit the various wineries across the Natural State. We have two wonderful wineries in Northwest Arkansas, including Sassafras Springs Vineyard in Springdale and Tontitown Winery in Tontitown (we hear good things about the music there, but the bingo nights sound amazing, ha!). Here’s a list of other wineries across Arkansas.
7. Take in the NWA view from a local patio. We love to hang out on a patio in the fall here. Here’s a list of popular patios across Northwest Arkansas, including info about the outdoor refreshment districts in downtown Fayetteville and Springdale.
8. Shop unique boutiques. In late November, there’s always the NWA Boutique Show to enjoy. This year the show is scheduled for Nov. 22-23, 2024 at the Rogers Convention Center. This juried show features boutique booths with custom and one-of-a-kind creations from local and regional designers. Clothing, jewelry, art, stationery, gifts, personalized items, home décor, furniture, baby essentials and more. See you there!
9. Enjoy the bounty at the many farmer’s markets around NWA. The various farmer’s markets in hometowns across NWA run through the fall, so if you haven’t been out to one yet, you should visit those while you can! Keep in mind these markets host LOTS of fun events the fall season!

Here are the links to each farmer’s market:

• Fayetteville Farmer’s Market
• Springdale Farmer’s Market at The Jones Center
• Rogers Farmer’s Market (Dixieland Road)
• Downtown Bentonville Farmer’s Market
• Siloam Springs Farmer’s Market

10. Get happy about all the Halloween events! It’s a little early for a ton of Halloween event announcements, but we know of a few! We’ll publish our annual list ASAP and we’ll also link to it here. For now, here are a few events to hold you over: Skeleton Acres is offering the Elk River Haunted Float and Camping weekend events and the Rocky Horror Picture Show Halloween Party will be happening at Walton Arts Center on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024 (party at 6 p.m., movie at 8 p.m.).
    

Thanks again to Farmland Adventures for sponsoring the production of the 2024 Fall Fun Guide, which makes it possible for us to give the guide to Northwest Arkansas moms for free!