50 Things to do this Fall in Central Mass with Kids! Worcester is the second largest city in New England, making Central Mass a gold mine for kid-friendly things to do in the fall. For more fall family fun, check our regular calendar of events.
50 Things to do this Fall in Central MA
- Visit the EcoTarium. Ride the train, visit the animals, and get tickets to the Planetarium! Their new exhibit opened on 9/20. Brain: Wallace & Gromit™: Get Cracking!
- Get to a Wachusett Mountain Festival! KidsFest, Boo Fest, Apple Festivals and more!
- Visit Purgatory Chasm for a family fall hike!
- Spend the day at Old Sturbridge Village and travel back in time. Interact with costumed historians and learn about life in the 19th century. OSV Phantoms by Firelight dates are weekends 10/10 – 10/26! Get your tickets in advance.
- See what is happening at Discovery Museum in Acton. Fall is a great time to burn energy in their Treehouse and Adventure Hill. The first Friday night of each month (4:30-7:30) are free admission nights. .
- Find a new playground to explore!
Castle in the Trees - Get tickets to a special event at Southwick’s Zoo! The Great Jack-O-Lantern Journey runs through 10/31!
- Book a fall guided trail ride or wagon ride in Princeton at Cornerstone Ranch!
- Go Apple Picking! Find an apple orchard near you with our Apple Orchard Guide.
- Get lost in one of the Central MA Mazes!
- Visit the Davis Farmland through mid October! Rates are lower than summertime and they have Moo Moo’s Halloween Party the last 2 weekends of October.
- Take a CT River Boat Cruise. Through October 12. 1 hour from Worcester in Northfield, MA
- Davis Megamaze runs weekends 9/27 – 10/26 as well as Columbus Day. Fun for the whole family!
- Don’t miss the New England Botanic Garden at Glowing Wild Runs on select weekend nights this fall!
- Go to the fair! There are fairs & festivals in Central MA every single weekend through October. See our Guide to Central MA Fairs and Festivals.
- See our guide to Central MA Halloween Light Displays and check some out!
- Spend the day at West End Creamery. They have their Fall Festivals each Friday night as well as Saturdays and Sundays through October. Corn maze and lots of family activities!
- Visit Worcester Art Museum for one of their fall community events! Diwali Celebration on 11/2 is free and open to the public. Kids under age 18 have free admission every day!
- Take a fall foliage hike at Botanic Garden. Fall is such a beautiful season at the garden.
- Check out Battle for the Airfield WWII Re-Enactment Weekend at the American Heritage Museum October 11 – 12.
- RWP Zoo Halloween Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular! Runs from 9/26 – 11/2. WCKC went last year. It was amazing!
- Head to Salem for a Slightly Spooky Kids Tour! (Slightly out of Central MA)
- Fall is a great time to experience Boundless Adventures Aerial Park in Berlin! Open through late November.
- Take a fall foliage river guided tour at Nashoba Paddler Rentals on October 11 and 12.
- Hike the Mass Audubon trails at Broad Meadow Brook in Worcester or Wachusett Meadow in Princeton.
- Explore Shrewbury’s Secret Garden
Shrewsbury’s Secret Garden
- Listen to live music at Stone Cow Brewery. Get yummy ice cream and maybe a brew. Kids will love the farm animals and playground.
- Visit the barnyard friends at Greenhill Park! It’s Free! Closed on Mondays.
- Don’t miss Haunted Hillando Halloween Maze at Hebert’s Candy Mansion! 50% of proceeds benefit Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services. Opens early October and runs Fridays, Saturdays and select Sundays.
- Check out Moore State Park in Paxton.
- Rock House Reservation – One of our favorite hikes!
- The Holidays are coming. (Anybody else getting a jump start?) Find and support a local book or toy store.
- See a Railers Game at the DCU Center! Opening home game is 10/18! See the Railers Schedule Here.
- The Stowe Farm in Millbury has fall festivals every weekend for the season!
- Get tickets to Witch’s Woods Haunted Hayride. If you dare. Weekends October 3 – Nov 1.
- Looking for stroller or bike friendly hikes this fall? See our list here and try somewhere new!
- Haven’t dined at Davis BBQ yet? It’s a great place for a yummy family meal and a chance to see a small collection of the Davis Farmland animals in the attached animal barn.
- We love Honey Pot Orchards located in Stowe. With lots of family friendly things to do including 3 mazes, we feel it’s worth the trip. Just outside Central MA.
- Head to the orchards for PYO Pumpkins! Here is where you can go locally.
- The Forest of Fear Haunted Hayride in Grafton is back. October 17 & 18!
- Hey Day Festival. Sign up for this annual event at Wachusett Meadow! October 4!
- Already missing summer vacations? Get a day pass to Great Wolf Lodge for some water fun and pretend like it is summer all over again.
- Take a stroll through Boo Meadow Brook. October 17; 6pm-8pm. Get your tickets in advance!
- Annual Country Roads Christmas Tour begins November 9 and runs for 30 days! This suggestion is actually for the moms!
What did we miss? Tell us about it in comments!
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