Article written by Blog Post Contributor HolmesContentTeam
Gather your family together for an October filled with festive fall activities and not-so-scary Halloween fun for everyone! With a variety of delightfully frightful activities in and around town, Jacksonville families are in for plenty of treats all season long. These are some of our favorites!
Amazing Grace Family Farm Fall Festival
Fridays 5 – 10 pm | Saturdays 10 am – 10 pm
October 4 – 26, 2019
Venture over to Green Cove Springs this October with your little ones for some festive, fall fun down on the farm! Journey through hay bale and corn mazes, pick your perfect pumpkin from the patch, wander through a field of towering sunflowers, or leap into a bin of millions of tiny corn kernels! Yes, it's fun to dress your pups with Halloween scarves, but it's even more fun to take pics with other farm animals. Visit sweet farm animals, hop aboard a spotted cow train, even head for the barnyard ball zone for a bit of baseball fun! This family friendly farm has plenty of fall festivities to last all season long!
Catty Shack Ranch Halloween Haunted Forest
Select Fridays | Saturdays | Sundays
October 11 – 27, 2019
Visit big cats and other furry residents during Catty Shack’s 14th Annual Haunted Forest extravaganza!
Take a leisurely stroll through this wildlife sanctuary before reaching the frightful Tale of Fears! Younger guests who prefer not-so-scary Halloween adventures will enjoy exploring an a-maize-ing corn maze and Zany T’s Touch Lab (full of ghoulish frights!), face painting, appearances by Jumbo Shrimp mascot Scampi, and more!
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Spooktacular
Fridays | Saturdays | Sundays
October 11 – 31, 2019
6.30 – 10 pm
Enjoy a frightfully fun evening at the ‘wildest’ spot in Jacksonville!
Prepare for a Halloween habitat transformed to mesmerize families all October long! This Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Spooktacular event is designed for families and children of all ages. Guests can stroll through a gleaming pumpkin patch, trick-or-treat through a candy trail at the zoo’s Play Park, enjoy fall festivities on the Great Lawn, visit select animal exhibits and classic monsters at Range of the Jaguar, and much more! For ghosts and goblins ten years or older, enter (if you dare!) one of three scare zones!
Spooky Halloween Bash @ World Golf Village
October 12, 2019
10 am – 1 pm
Sponsored by Jacksonville Business Connections, this free community event is a festive, fun start to the Halloween season! This perfectly not-so-scary Halloween jamboree includes a children’s costume contest, bounce house, character meet-and-greets, food vendors, a Halloween golf cart parade, and, of course, plenty of trick-or-treating!
Family Fun Day @ Hemming Park
October 12, 2019
10 am – 3 pm
Bring your little ones to enjoy a bit of early Halloween fun happening this month at Jacksonville’s Hemming Park. Little ones will delight in meeting Buc the miniature horse and plenty of furry friends in the petting zoo, pick their perfect pumpkins from the patch, and more! Enjoy plenty of food options and live music, too!
JSO Spooktacular Family Concert
October 20, 2019
3 – 8 pm
Prepare for an evening of enchanted entertainment!
Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra’s annual Halloween event is filled to the brim with not-so-scary family fun! Festivities include JSO’s Instrument Zoo (an interactive, hands on experience with orchestral instruments for children of all ages to give a go!), spooktacular crafts, a costume contest, and (of course!) trick-or-treating! Wear your favorite costume to enjoy this eerie performance. Pre-concert activities begin at 2 pm.
Mall-O-Ween at the Avenues
October 30, 2019
6 – 8 pm
Prepare for candies, sweets, and tasty treats as little ones trick-or-treat through the shops at the Avenues Mall! Bring your adorable little ghosts, goblins, and more out to enjoy a safe, free trick-or-treating zone!
Mall-O-Ween at St. Johns Town Center
Park Green @ Maggiano’s Little Italy
October 31, 2019
6 – 8 pm
They’re sure to fill their pumpkins with delightful treats as little ones trick-or-treat through the shops at St. Johns Town Center! Bring your enchanting little wizards, muggles, and more out for an evening of bewitching fun, including safe, free trick-or-treat zone, character visits, complimentary photo booth, giveaways, and more!
Author: Alanna Zelinski Writer for Holmes Content Team