50 amazing things to do in and around Dallas this fall
Enjoy the best of Dallas in September, October and November,
including must-attend Halloween and Holiday Season Celebrations.
Fall is finally here, and the Texas heat is almost subsiding. Time to be outdoors and enjoy the most beloved American traditions!
Fall Festivals, Sports Seasons, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner – believe it or not. This is one of the liveliest seasons of the year! Find out what to do and where to go during fall in Dallas to make the most of it. This guide covers the best fall/ early winter activities in Dallas, so you don’t miss out on anything.
In the 9 topics bellow you’ll find incredible 50 things to do in Dallas from Late September through December. Tons of ideas on how to have fun in Dallas and have the most fun fall season ever!
Check the suggestions bellow, pick your favorite ones and make your own Dallas bucket list for the upcoming months.
For more things to do in Dallas, take a look into these top 15 attractions in DFW, to be enjoyed year-round.
Hike the best Dallas trails
Hiking season is at its peak! The mild weather and beautiful fall colors make autumn the perfect time to explore the outdoors.
Home to preserves, lakes and state parks, the Dallas surroundings have some perfect spots for hiking. Here 9 places to find the best hiking trails near Dallas, within a short driving distance from the city:
- Cedar Ridge Preserve (16 mi/ 20 min from Dallas)
- Marion Sansom Park (42 mi/ 40 min from Dallas)
- Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge (46 mi/ 50 min from Dallas)
- Eagle Mountain Park/ 3-mile loop trail (48 mi/ 50 min from Dallas)
- Ray Robert Lake State Park/ Isle du Bois: (56 mi/ 1h00 from Dallas)
- Mineral Wells State Park (79 mi/ 1h15 from Dallas)
- Dinosaur Valley State Park (80 miles/ 1h20 from Dallas)
- Tyler State Park (97 mi/ 1h30 from Dallas)
- Cross Timbers Hiking Trail, Lake Texoma (87 mi/ 1h35 from Dallas)
Have a beer - or two - at one of Dallas' top beer gardens
Now that the heat is almost over and that you can be outside without melting, make sure to chill out at one of the top beer gardens in Dallas. Just do that. Hanging out at an outdoor patio is one of my favorite ways to enjoy a beautiful – and mild weather – autumn day and I promise you’ll enjoy it too.
My all-time favorite beer gardens in Dallas are the Texas Truck Yard, The Rustic and Kate Trail Ice House, for different reasons. The Rustic is more upscale and perfect for weekend brunch with live music. The Texas Truck Yard is Dallas quirkiest and coolest beer garden, with quality high music at specific days and times. And the Kate Trail Ice House is a Dallas classic overlooking the also iconic Kate Trail.
In this post (destinations 5, 7 and 14) you find tips on how to best enjoy your visit to this superb beer gardens, with detailed info and things to do in the surroundings.
Visit the best places for fall foliage around Dallas
Autumn brings in the gorgeous fall colors. The landscaping dramatically changes into an incredible pallet of yellow, red and orange.
Fall foliage usually reach its peak in North Texas somewhere around November – although this is not an exact science. The Dallas surroundings are blessed with amazing natural areas, among the most beautiful places to see fall foliage in Texas. They are all within one to two hours driving from Dallas and make the perfect fall day trip from DFW.
Here are the 5 best places to breath in the amazing autumn colors near Dallas, Texas:
- Cooper Lake State Park (85 mi/ 1h25 from Dallas)
- Dinosaur Valley State Park (80 mi/ 1h20 from Dallas)
- Tyler State Park (97 mi/ 1h30 from Dallas)
- Lake Bob Sandlin State Park (114 mi/ 1h45 from Dallas)
- Daingerfield State Park (137 mi/ 2h00 from Dallas)
Watch a Cowboys live match at the AT&T Stadium
Football season is here. Time to watch the 5 times Super Bowl winners Dallas Cowboys – aka America’s team – playing at home in their official field, the AT&T Stadium!
Even if you’re not a football fan it is an unmissable spectacle and a once in a lifetime experience. It can’t get any more American than that.
The NFL season goes from early September to late February. Super Bowl 2020 is scheduled for February 2, 2020. Check here the official Dallas Cowboys schedule for this season to know when they will be playing at the AT&T Stadium, plan ahead and buy your tickets.
Get into the Holiday spirit in Dallas Holiday Season
Everything is bigger in Texas. This is also true for the Holiday Season in Dallas! There are tons of events and amazing things to do around at this time of the year, starting in early November.
You’ll need a few years to cover everything Christmas related Dallas has to offer lol.
But to give you a head start, take a look into this post with the 16 best things to do in Dallas for Christmas. The must-dos during the Holiday Season in Dallas. Traditional Christmas activities and attractions in DFW to be experienced at least once in a lifetime and not to be missed.
My personal Christmas bucket list for this year includes watching the Dallas Holiday Parade – Dallas largest parade year-round!, give my kiddos the ‘golden ticket’ to ride the North Pole Express at the Grapevine Vintage Railroad, visit the Vitruvian Lights display in Addison, the Peppermint Park at the Hilton Anatole and watch at least one of the 4 most traditional Christmas spectacles in Dallas.
Run Forest, run: challenge yourself at Dallas' best fall races.
As the excruciating hot weather finally subsides (eventually it will, I promise), some of the best races in DFW start popping around.
Even if you are not a runner, these events are a lot of fun and offer short distances, walks and even kids’ races. The best and most unique ones to be on the lookout for are the Monster Dash, a Halloween themed costume run and the Turkey Trot, a Thanksgiving tradition (the Monster Dash includes a pancake breakfast, if you need extra incentive).
They are perfect to enjoy those festivities in a different way. Or even to prepare you for the BMW Dallas Marathon, in December. The BMW Dallas Marathon is one of the largest run events around, Dallas’ oldest marathon and a Boston qualifier. But also offers much more modest options, such as 5K races, a short 2-mile walk and a kids’ race.
Lace your shoes up and hit the streets!
Harvest the perfect pumpkin at Dallas Top Pumpkin Patches
Nothing says fall like a trip to a pumpkin patch! A fun and unique American tradition worth experiencing.
Between late September and late October, go hunting your perfect pumpkin to carve your own Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween. Two great pumpkin patches in Dallas and surroundings are the Dallas Arboretum and Yesterland Farm.
Dallas Arboretum’s Pumpkin Village is considered one of the 15 best pumpkin patches in the whole US. It is huge and gorgeous, framed by thousands of fall flowers. Visitors cannot really harvest pumpkins there – it is sort of an art structure – but pumpkins can be purchased on site. If you have kids in tow, make sure to visit the fun Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden inside the Arboretum as well.
Yesterland Farm is in Canton, about one hour away from Dallas. Besides the pumpkin patch, it offers tons of farm activities. Plan to spend the day there enjoying a day at the farm and harvesting your own pumpkin! This place is perfect for family fun!
Check here some other pumpkin patch options in Dallas and surroundings.
Attend the best fall festivals in Dallas
Fall also brings to Dallas amazing events and festivals.
The Texas State Fair is the top one, attracting people from all over the country. It offers tons of daily attractions from late September for about 3 weeks. Check their calendar tool and plan ahead.
The Dia de los Muertos Parade is a new event to keep an eye on. It is scheduled to have its first edition in October with the intention of becoming the largest Dia de los Muertos celebration in Texas.
There are also other cool and unique events scheduled in DFW for the upcoming months, such as the Sky Lantern Festival and Red Bull Soap Box Race. Discover here the best events to attend in Dallas this fall.
Get spooky at the top Halloween activities and events in Dallas
Springtime is also Halloween time!
Trick or treat and frightening house decorations are everywhere. But if you want to enjoy Halloween in Dallas to the fullest and take the celebration to the next level, make sure to try some of the most awesome Halloween attractions and events around.
For a free costume party head to the Oak Lawn Halloween Block Party, one of the largest Halloween celebrations in Dallas.
If you are looking for family friendly Halloween things to do in Dallas, Friscovania, Grapevine Vintage Railroads’Trick’r Treat, Halloweekend at the Dallas Zoo, Boo at the Fort Worth Zoo and Stockyard’s Treat Street are some of the Halloween events in Dallas and surroundings that deserve your attention.
To scream your head off, make sure to include Grapevine’s ghost tour, the Six Flags Fright Fest and a visit to a haunted house in your plans. Dallas is home to amazing haunted houses among the best in the nation. The Dark Hour, Moxley Manor and Cutting Edge are some great alternatives – this last one is a Guinness Record holder and appears frequently in several publications as one of the scariest attractions in the US.
Summing Up
Mission impossible: get bored in Dallas during fall.
With the best weather of the year and tons of celebrations ahead, the months of September, October and November bring to Dallas simply amazing entertainment opportunities you can’t miss out!
In this post you find my personal bucket list of things to do in the months to come. I hope it inspires you and gives some good ideas to make the most of the second semester of the year in Dallas.
My fave fall activities include taking advantage of the great weather and beautiful season to:
Hike trails near Dallas, admire the beautiful fall foliage in the DFW surroundings, run theme races, chill out at Dallas most amazing beer gardens, watch a live Cowboys’ match at the AT&T Stadium, go hunt the perfect pumpkin in one of Dallas’ top pumpkin patches, attend the very best Halloween and Holiday celebrations in Dallas and unique fall festivals.
Read above and find out where to find the best versions of each one of these activities. Give them a try and get back here to let me know how it went.
Do you have any other favorite things to do during fall in Dallas? Leave your comment bellow!
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