Houston’s 40 best October experiences 🎃

Never mind that temperatures consistently climb into the nineties through October here in Houston. Regardless of when autumn makes an actual appearance, most want to dress for it, celebrate it, and make the most of it before it’s overtaken by holiday lights, caroling and Kris Kringle.

Appreciate Houston fall for all its subtlety with these seasonal events and experiences.

1. Enter a gourd-geous world of pumpkins at Froberg’s Farm in Alvin, Dewberry Farm in Brookshire, P-6 Farms in Montgomery, Blessington Farms in Willis or one of these Houston-area pumpkin patches.
2. Go wild during Zoo Boo (Through Oct. 31).
3. Unleash your inner fangirl at one of these massive Houston-area concerts.
4. Revel in some spooktacular seaside Halloween fun at Kemah’s Boo on the Boardwalk (Through Oct. 31).
5. Binge your favorite episodes of the KPRC 2 Investigative team’s chilling docuseries “The Evidence Room” ahead of its season 4 premiere on Oct. 4.
6. Feeling stressed? Try howling in a decommissioned cistern.
7. Get lost in a corn maze at Dewberry Farm in Brookshire or Froberg’s Farm in Alvin.
8. This is not the Dallas Arboretum autumn pumpkin event, but it has all its vibes -- in Fort Bend County (Oct. 7).
9. Go medieval at the Texas Renaissance Festival (Oct. 7-Nov. 26).
10. Look in wonder at the ‘burning ring of fire’ around the moon during an annular solar eclipse. Don’t forget to don your eclipse glasses before giving it a gander (Oct. 14).
11. Face your fears or develop new ones at a haunted house.
12. Step back in time for an afternoon of family-friendly frontier fun during the San Jacinto Fall Fandango (Oct. 14).
13. Enjoy live music and bold bites at the Southern Smoke Festival (Oct. 13-14).
14. Trapse down a trick-or-treat nature trail during the Houston Arboretum’s annual ArBOOretum event (Oct. 14).
15. Jam out at the Houston Country, Folk, & Blues Festival happening in Seabrook (Oct. 14) and Katy (Oct. 28) on alternating weekends.
16. Purchase a masterpiece at the Bayou City Art Festival (Oct. 14-15).
17. Listen to the roar of jet engines at the Wings Over Houston Airshow (Oct. 14-15).
18. Savor a slice of apple, pumpkin or pecan pie.
19. From Rembrandt to Van Gogh, view major works of art from across four centuries in a traveling exhibition opening at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in October (Oct. 14-Jan. 21).
20. Spend a night at the theatre with the dastardly demon barber of Fleet Street (Oct. 17-29).
21. Commune with unknown forces on a ghost tour.
22. Picnic in the park while watching a live show at Miller Outdoor Theatre.
23. Watch a horror movie by moonlight at Rooftop Cinema Club.
24. Enjoy an evening of thrilling tunes and terrifying tales during Houston Symphony’s Hocus Pocus Pops Spooktacular (Oct. 20).
25. Come to the H-Town Comic Con dressed to impress in your best cosplay (Oct. 20-22).
26. Thrift an array of antiques at the Galveston Historical Foundation’s annual Genteel Junque sale (Oct. 20-22).
27. Find inspiration for your next home improvement project at the Houston Fall Home Show (Oct. 20-22).
28. Rev your engine during Monster Jam at NRG (Oct. 21).
29. Fly to new heights of Halloween fun during the Lone Star flight Museum’s Halloween in the Hangar event (Oct. 21).
30. Attend a swashbuckling high-seas celebration of Galveston’s 1877 tall ship Elissa (Oct. 21).
31. Immerse yourself in the lives and experiences of the Lone Star State’s early settlers during Frontier Days at the George Ranch Historical Park (Oct. 21).
32. Walk through Houston’s hottest new homes on the 2023 AIA Houston Home Tour (Oct. 21-22).
33. Seek out some spooky space fun at Space Center Houston’s Galaxy Frights.
34. Spend madly -- or browse responsibly -- at the Original Round Top Antiques Show (Oct. 23-28).
35. Enjoy an enchanted concert of Halloween classics by candlelight at the Lone Star Flight Museum (Oct. 27-28).
36. Enjoy an evening of Hollywood hits from Garland to Gaga at Miller Outdoor Theatre (Oct. 28).
37. Discover magic and mystery in early America on a Halloweekend sip and stroll event at Bayou Bend (Oct. 28).
38. Trunk-or-treat at a Halloween-themed classic car show (Oct. 28).
39. Do the “Monster Mash” at the Houston Museum of Natural Science Spirits and Skeletons Halloween Party (Oct. 28).
40. Hit a Halloweekend home run at Halloween Town at Constellation Field (Oct. 29).

MORE: Frightfully fun family-friendly Halloween happenings in Houston and beyond

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