20 Must-Do Fall Bucket List Activities in Greater Cincinnati

Be Immersed in All the Lights and Colors of BLINK

Fall is all about the color, and there’s nothing more colorful than Cincinnati's premier arts and lights festival, BLINK. This year, BLINK is bringing even more artwork, activations and dazzling displays than ever before. This can’t-miss festival will feature over 80 innovative projects, ranging from murals to projection mapping and light installations — all of which can be viewed for free.

The festival runs Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 17-20, with projects located throughout Over-the-Rhine, downtown Cincinnati, The Banks, Covington and, new this year, Newport. Also new this year is the first-ever official BLINK afterparty, “afterglow,” taking place Saturday, Oct. 19 at MegaCorp Pavilion. You can read CityBeat’s preview of BLINK here, or view the official festival footprint on BLINK’s website.

Get Spooky at a Haunted House

If you love a good scare and dodging evil clowns, demented dolls and chainsaw-wielding psychos, Greater Cincinnati is home to quite a few top-rated haunted houses and attractions.

Dent Schoolhouse in Green Township is a popular choice, with hours-long lines snaking around the outside of the building on weekends. This haunted house takes you through the story of an abandoned school where the janitor was responsible for kidnapping and killing students, all of whom now haunt the school.

Kings Island’s Halloween Haunt is another popular choice and features several immersive scare mazes and scare zones, spooky live entertainment and more, plus some of the most popular roller coasters will be open. In Newport, be sure to also check out USS Nightmare, a haunted ship run by a ghastly crew of ghouls and manned by none other than the evil Captain Mitchell.

For a more kid-friendly experience, check out Heritage Village’s Haunted Village, which offers a slight fright that won’t leave your kids with nightmares until Christmas. This recreated 19th-century village features “ghosts, witches, a fortune teller, a monster, and a cursed archaeologist along the way." Activities include a walk through a haunted wood or cemetery, plus balloon art, games and a "creepy critter" zoo.

Pick the Perfect Pumpkin

Fall, especially the spooky season portion, is not complete without picking out the perfect pumpkin, whether you want it for carving or decoration. There are plenty of patches around Greater Cincinnati for pumpkin picking, from Brown’s Family Farm Market on the western side of the Tri-State in Hamilton, to Burger Farm & Garden Center out east in Newtown, Irons Fruit Farm up north in Lebanon or McGlasson Farms to the south in Hebron. A lot of these places also offer family-friendly fall festivals with activities for kids ranging from hayrides to scavenger hunts and petting zoos. You can see CityBeat’s list of 14 pumpkin patches worth a visit this fall here.

Get Lost in a Corn Maze

Speaking of pumpkin patches, the classic corn maze is another quintessential activity that goes hand-in-hand with pumpkin picking. Take a crack at finding your way through one of these amazing, maize-y mazes at spots like Neltner’s Farm in Melbourne, Kentucky; Shaw Farms Market in Milford or Burwinkel Farms in Ross. Don’t forget to reward yourself after with a crisp cup of apple cider and a tasty donut. Check out where you can find more corn mazes in Greater Cincinnati here.

Show Off Your Costume to Fiona at Cincinnati Zoo’s HallZOOween

Halloween couldn’t be cuter at the Cincinnati Zoo. At HallZOOween, kids can dress up in costume and visit trick-or-treat stations throughout the zoo, watch Halloween-themed animal enrichment activities, take a trip on the Hogwarts Express, ride the Scare-ousel and catch a show at Phil Dalton's Theater of Illusion. The event takes place on Saturdays and Sundays in October, starting Saturday, Oct. 12.

There’s also a new Halloween tradition at the zoo this year: Jack O’Lantern Glow. Jack O’Lantern Glow is an immersive walkthrough experience that features over 5,000 hand-carved pumpkins and fall displays along a half-mile trail in the zoo. The attraction runs Oct. 3-6, 11-13 and 18-31, with doors opening at 6 p.m. In addition to the pumpkins, guests can also enjoy a variety of fall treats, like pumpkin hot chocolate, caramel apples and orange and purple cotton candy.

Feel Sunny at Gorman Heritage Farm’s Sunflower Festival

On Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 5-6, Gorman Heritage Farm will transform into a sunflower wonderland for their annual Sunflower Festival. Guests can wander through the sunflower fields and cut their own flowers for just $1 a stem. The festival also features education stations, live music, hayrides and mule carriages, and you can shop from a variety of craft vendors while the kids get to meet the farm animals. Food trucks and HighGrain beer will also be available.

Shop Local for Your Halloween Costume

Spirit Halloween makes for a good meme, but Greater Cincinnati is also home to locally owned costume shops with plenty of props, wigs, apparel, makeup and more to make your Halloween costume the talk of the party. Cappel’s has been family-owned and operated in Cincinnati for more than 75 years and has shops in downtown Cincinnati, Anderson Township and Blue Ash. Visit in-store, or browse their selection of costumes, fake blood, fangs and more on their website. For more vintage costumes or apparel, Talk of the Town in Reading offers one-of-a-kind costumes and reproductions from several different eras.

Surround Yourself With Fall Colors on a Hike

Fall has some of the best weather, and there may be no better way to get outside to enjoy that crisp air alongside the changing leaves than a brisk walk or hike in the woods. Some of our favorite hikes in Greater Cincinnati to enjoy fall colors include Bender Mountain in Delhi (also, if you’re into the spookier side of the season, make sure you check out the Darby-Lee family cemetery at the top of the ridge); Sharonville’s Sharon Woods with its waterfalls; Cincinnati Nature Center in Milford with its miles and miles of trails; and Eden Park for its gorgeous overlooks. If you’re looking to do a road trip, Hocking Hills is just a two-and-a-half-hour drive away and offers plenty of hiking options for all abilities, and it was named one of the best places for fall colors in Ohio. There are also the ever-popular hiking and climbing adventures in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge and the peaceful surroundings of Glen Helen Nature Preserve in Yellow Springs. See some more of CityBeat’s favorite hiking trails in or near Greater Cincinnati at the link above.

Channel Your Inner Winchester Brother and Go Ghost Hunting

Spooky season means it's time for ghost stories and paranormal experiences. Cincinnati is an old city; with that age comes plenty of hauntings and spaces that can make your skin crawl. And, if you’re inclined to believe in such things, many of the creepiest places in Cincinnati come with stories of eerie apparitions and supernatural phenomena. Ghost hunting in some of these spooky Cincinnati spots could yield your own bone-chilling tales to share around the campfire: take a drive down Lick Road to find Amy, who legend says was murdered by her boyfriend; feel the eyes of the bust at the grave of optometrist C.C. Breuer follow you in Spring Grove Cemetery; or visit the Cincinnati Art Museum to see a monk who still stops at his 12th-century chapel to pray. See some more of the creepiest places in Greater Cincinnati in the link above. (Note: Some of the places on the list are on private property or no longer exist, so no ghost hunting there, please.)

Make Merry at the Ohio Renaissance Festival

Don your capes and crowns for the ultimate fantasy cosplay experience of the fall. The Ohio Renaissance Festival takes place every Saturday and Sunday through Oct. 27 in a Waynesville park modeled after a 16th-century village. Visitors can experience shows like jousting, juggling and the “Mudde Show,” where guests can hear classic literary tales in a mud pit. Vendors and artisans sell their wares — everything from handcrafted jewelry and crowns to swords and kilts — from booths and storefronts. There are also rides like the “Swinging Ships” and games like archery, axe throwing and storming the castle, plus plenty of mead, ale and turkey legs to go around. Each weekend features a different theme, like Viking Weekend, Romance Weekend and the Feast of Fools. Be sure to buy your ticket online ahead of time as the Renaissance Festival now limits capacity.

Watch a Scary Movie Filmed in Cincinnati

Cincinnati is no doubt a popular place for Hollywood to come knocking, but something about our city is very attractive to a certain genre of filmmakers and crews: horror. In fact, according to a report from InsureMyTrip, it comes in sixth when looking at the number of Halloween movies filmed in U.S. cities (86, according to IMDB). Whether you're looking to enjoy spooky szn with a high-budget film, like the Timothy Chalamet-led cannibal flick Bones and All or the star-studded psychological thriller The Killing of a Sacred Deer (Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman and Barry Keoghan) or a campy indie flick about sexy vampires, you'll be able to find plenty shot right here in the [Scream] Queen City. Check out the link above to see a list of some horror movies shot in Greater Cincinnati.

Treat Yourself to Some Tasty Fall-Inspired Treats

Whether it’s apple, cinnamon, pumpkin or maple, sinking your teeth into a fall-flavored treat just puts you in a good mood. We highly recommend pairing some Irons Fruit Farm cider with their apple cider donuts for a good, autumnal sugar rush. The BonBonerie has rolled out an Apple Caramel Cake for fall, and Starlight Doughnut Lab has Apple Crisp, Apple Cider and Pumpkin Spice Latte donuts. For a cozy fall drink, try the Fall Spice Latte at Mom ‘n ‘em; it features housemade syrup with clove, cinnamon, star anise and other warm baking spices. There’s also the Maple Sea Salt Cappuccino at Fable Cafe, which is made with espresso, your choice of milk, Bonhomie Farm Pure Ohio Maple Syrup and flaky sea salt.

Or Make Your Own After Going Apple Picking

For some real farm-to-table type pies, donuts and ciders, go on a little apple-picking adventure. Some farms in Greater Cincinnati and just a short drive away offer visitors the chance to hit the orchards and select in-season apples, perfect for baking, jarring or just snacking. Tuken’s Orchard & Farm Market in West Alexandria, Ohio, is a popular spot, and they offer U-Pick of in-season apple varieties into November. A&M Farm Orchard in Midland, Ohio, and Evans Orchard Cider Mill in Georgetown, Kentucky are also popular U-Pick spots. Check out each place’s website for updates on the varieties they have available.

See Newport Aquarium's Fall Glow-Up at the Underwater Pumpkin Glow

Newport Aquarium is going through a glow-up this fall with an all-new immersive experience. Underwater Pumpkin Glow is a one-of-a-kind, under-the-sea adventure that features larger-than-life sculptures of some of the aquarium’s animals reimagined as pumpkins. These sculptures include giant, selfie-ready pumpkin versions of fish, seahorses and a sea turtle, which can be found throughout the exhibits. Other attractions include a giant, glowing underwater octopus that will double as an artificial reef for fish and sharks; an underwater pumpkin patch; music and dramatic, glowing lighting throughout the aquarium; and divers doing underwater pumpkin carving. Underwater Pumpkin Glow runs through Nov. 3.

Give Back to the Community by Volunteering

Autumn is a time of gratitude and the perfect opportunity to give back to your community. Around Thanksgiving and Christmas, Freestore Foodbank hosts large holiday meal distributions and they could always use helping hands during the week at their Liberty Street Market.

If you love animals, especially cats, Ohio Alleycat Resource (OAR) is always in need of fosters, as well as volunteers to come in and clean up after their feline overlords (and provide those overlords with some snuggles as well). Cincinnati Animal CARE also always needs fosters and volunteers, and you can even just take a shelter dog out for a fun adventure for a day.

If you want to help kids, ProKids can train you to be a volunteer advocate for abused and neglected children, or you could spend some time tutoring with Queen City Book Bank. Volunteermatch.org can help connect you with volunteer opportunities this fall, but consider extending your time and energy to these worthy Greater Cincinnati organizations year-round too.

Enjoy a Good Brew at the Cincinnati Coffee Festival

Cincinnati will be abuzz with the annual Cincinnati Coffee Festival this fall. Acting as the Ohio River Foundation’s major fundraiser, the festival has become the premier coffee event in the Midwest. Thousands visit the festival every year to experience the variety of coffee roasters, tea purveyors, bakers, pastry shops and chocolatiers. Popular local roasters like Seven Hills Coffee, Deeper Roots and two-time People’s Choice Award winner FigBrew will be on hand, and attendees can enjoy hundreds of free tastings, plus live music, latte art, professional demonstrations and the chance to see the latest equipment and accessories. The festival will return to Music Hall’s ballroom on Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 26-27, and tickets are on sale now.

Gather ‘Round for Tales and Lore at the Cincinnati Storytelling Festival

Some stellar storytelling will be happening in Westwood again this fall with the return of the Cincinnati Storytelling Festival. The festival is led by local storyteller Paul Strickland and features him and other professional storytellers from a variety of backgrounds and traditions. This year will feature Lyn Ford, whose folktale adaptations and original stories are rooted in her family’s Black Appalachian (or Affrilachian) heritage, and Andy Offutt Irwin, who is best known for his “silly putty” voice, funny and heart-filled stories and mouth noises. Guests can expect to hear spooky tales, side-splitting yarns, old tales told new and more. The festival will kick off Thursday, Nov. 14 with a preview night at West Side Brewing and run Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16 with storytelling events at West Side Brewing and Westwood Town Hall.

Get Crafty with Handmade Fall-Themed Decor

Fall is the beginning of hygge season, so to cozy up your place, why not make your own fall-themed decor? Candle Lab offers you the chance to make your own scented candle, and they offer over 100 fragrances so you can make a candle completely customized to your tastes, autumnal or not. Pour Candle Co. also recently opened in College Hill and offers a candle-making experience of its own. For other decor items, head to AR Workshop, roll up your sleeves and learn how to make a chunky knit pumpkin, pumpkin succulent planter or a customized wood or canvas sign to add to the pumpkins on your front porch.

Whip Up Some Fall-Inspired Dishes at a Local Cooking Class

Crisp days and cozy nights during the fall are the best excuse to slow down and savor not just your meals, but also the act of making those meals. If you want to learn how to create a dish packed with spices and ingredients synonymous with autumn, consider signing up for a local cooking class.

This fall, Tablespoon Cooking Co. near Findlay Market is offering their popular Autumn Risotto workshop, where you’ll make butternut squash risotto, lemon- and herb-roasted chicken and a seasonal apple and cheddar salad. They’ll also be holding a Halloween Happy Hour where you can learn to make a “Witches Brew Triple Berry Gimlet” and Baked Brie Pumpkins. (Be aware that their classes sell out quickly).

Out of Thyme Kitchen Studio in Symmes Township is also offering a date-night Fall Harvest class, where attendees will make a butternut squash bisque, kale and apple salad with pickled red onions and pecans, a pastry-wrapped pork tenderloin with shaved brussel sprout slaw and pumpkin truffles for dessert. They’ll also be hosting their eighth-annual Halloween Party where you can make some spooky treats like Graveyard Pudding Cups, Frankenstein Corn Dogs and more.

Warm Up with Some Cincinnati Chili

Chili is a staple fall dish: it’s warm, a little spicy and perfect for watching a football game. And while yes, this usually applies to what the rest of the country knows as chili, Cincinnati chili fits the bill too (heck, it’s even got autumnal spices like cinnamon, cloves and allspice already in it). Make it at home and dish it onto a bowl or plate of spaghetti and top with cheese for a classic 3-Way, or slather it on some cream cheese, top with shredded cheddar and bake it for an easy dip to take to watch the Bengals at a friend’s home. You can also spend a cozy fall afternoon in a booth at one of Cincinnati’s iconic chili parlors, like Camp Washington Chili, Dixie Chili or Price Hill Chili. We have a list of some of the best chili parlors in the city here.