Fall in Columbus: the Scarecrow Trail all October, Spooktacular Oct. 17, the Museum Fall Festival Oct. 24 and the Callaway pumpkin trail to Nov. 1.

Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. This page is updated each fall at the same address. Dates and times come from Uptown Columbus, Columbus Parks and Recreation and organizers’ listings on the Visit Columbus events calendar.

Updated Oct. 16: added Pumpkins at Callaway, open through Nov. 1, and the Civic Center’s free Halloween Scream on the Green on Oct. 31.

Fall in Columbus runs through Uptown and the city’s museums. The Uptown Scarecrow Trail fills Broadway all October, the Columbus Museum holds its Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 24, and Columbus Parks and Recreation hosts Spooktacular at Lake Bottom Park on Saturday, Oct. 17. For pumpkins and a corn maze, the nearest big event is Pumpkins at Callaway in Pine Mountain, open evenings through Nov. 1. Uptown’s own Fall Festival, with a pumpkin patch, hayrides and a petting zoo, was held Sept. 26. Questions about Uptown events: 706-596-0111.

Fall at a glance

  • Oct. 1-31: Uptown Scarecrow Trail, Broadway
  • Thursdays to Sundays through Nov. 1: Pumpkins at Callaway, Pine Mountain
  • Saturday, Oct. 17, 4 to 6 p.m.: Spooktacular, Lake Bottom Park
  • Saturday, Oct. 24, 4 to 9 p.m.: Fall Festival: Movie Night Edition, The Columbus Museum
  • Friday, Oct. 30, 4 to 7 p.m.: The Campus Academy Fall Festival, 4361 Weems Road
  • Saturday, Oct. 31, from 4 p.m.: Halloween Scream on the Green, Columbus Civic Center, free with an RSVP

Uptown Scarecrow Trail

Uptown Columbus lines Broadway with scarecrows from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31. Local businesses, organizations and residents design them, and the trail raises money for Uptown Columbus. Walk the length of Broadway in Uptown to see them all. Scarecrows come down and People’s Choice winners are announced Nov. 2.

Festivals

  • Spooktacular, 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at Lake Bottom Park: candy and goodies for children, then a glow party and a family movie night with popcorn. Parks and Recreation listing.
  • Fall Festival: Movie Night Edition, 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at The Columbus Museum: the museum’s annual fall festival, with art-making, games, a scavenger hunt, live performances and community partners, ending with a movie. Listing.
  • The Campus Academy Fall Festival, 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, 4361 Weems Road: a haunted house, trunk-or-treat, photo booth, bounce houses and games. Listing.
  • Halloween Scream on the Green, Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Columbus Civic Center, 400 4th St.: pumpkin carving, hayrides, horse rides, sack races, costume contests and a candy giveaway from 4 p.m., then a horror double feature at 7 p.m. Free, with an RSVP under each guest’s legal name; anyone 17 or younger must be with an adult 21 or older. Civic Center listing.

Already held this fall

Uptown’s Fall Festival filled Woodruff Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 26, with food trucks, a pumpkin patch, hayrides and a petting zoo, according to Uptown Columbus. Children under 2 were admitted free; everyone else needed a ticket. The Columbus Museum’s Artful Autumn Finds Sale ran Oct. 8-11. Watch this page next August for the 2027 dates.

Pumpkin patches

Pumpkins at Callaway at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, in Harris County north of Columbus, runs a glowing pumpkin trail, a new corn maze in Cason’s Garden, carnival games, glow-in-the-dark mini golf and candy stops for children in costume. October hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays and 5 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; the last night is Sunday, Nov. 1, from 5 to 9 p.m. The special event ticket also covers daytime garden admission. Tickets and prices are on Callaway Gardens’ Pumpkins page.

Inside Columbus, we have not found a pumpkin patch that publishes its 2026 dates and hours on its own website. If you run one, send us the dates, hours and address through our contact page and we will add it.

Halloween

Trunk-or-treats, haunted tours and the Columbus Witches Ride are in our Halloween events guide and trick-or-treat hours page.

What this means for you

  • Walk Broadway any day in October to see the Scarecrow Trail.
  • Oct. 24 is the big fall family day at The Columbus Museum.
  • Pumpkin hunting? The Uptown patch has closed for the year; Callaway’s pumpkin trail runs through Nov. 1. Know a Columbus patch? Tell us.

More: things to do in Columbus this month and farmers markets.

Frequently asked questions

What fall festivals are in Columbus, Georgia, in 2026?

The Uptown Scarecrow Trail lines Broadway Oct. 1-31, the Columbus Museum’s Fall Festival: Movie Night Edition runs 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, and the Campus Academy Fall Festival is 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. Uptown’s own Fall Festival was held Sept. 26.

Is there a pumpkin patch in Columbus, Georgia?

Uptown Columbus’s Fall Festival pumpkin patch was Sept. 26. The nearest big pumpkin event is Pumpkins at Callaway at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, north of Columbus, with a pumpkin trail and a corn maze from 5 p.m. Thursdays to Sundays through Sunday, Nov. 1.

When is the Uptown Columbus Scarecrow Trail?

Oct. 1-31, 2026, along Broadway. Businesses and groups decorate the scarecrows, and People’s Choice winners are announced Nov. 2.