Visit Hendricks County Has Plenty of Ideas for Your Fall To-Do List
Writer / Josh Duke
Photography Provided
I love the fall season in Hendricks County. The weather is a little cooler, the leaves begin to change and the events pick up.
We’ve created an online tool exclusive to our website at visithendrickscounty.com to help you find your perfect, personalized fall trip ideas. By answering four simple questions, the system will search for and display your perfect fall adventure. We’ve also put together some preplanned, two-day itineraries featuring our most popular things to do for specific groups of people. Either way, you should find the exact fall adventure you’re looking for right here in Hendricks County.
Narrowing down all the festivals, activities and other fall attractions in Hendricks County can prove to be a daunting task because of the sheer number of fun things to see and do. We are here to help, both through our online resources at visithendrickscounty.com, and with the following info.
Beasley’s Orchard and Heartland Apple Festival
This must-see autumn attraction in Danville also boasts our number-one fall event, the annual Heartland Apple Festival. Always held during the first two weekends in October, visitors can tour the orchard, take a hayride to the pumpkin patch, pick apples from the U-pick area, enjoy live entertainment, buy fresh produce and other goods in a Civil War-era barn converted to a rustic market, or wind their way through a huge corn maze.
Your children will love hay mountain, the apple cannons and Barnyard Bonanza, which features ball throws, a spider web, a huge jumping pillow and more.
You don’t have to visit Beasley’s during those two weekends to enjoy the fun, as the orchard remains open every day during the fall season with many of the above activities available. If you go during the week, you will usually find fewer people there.
Additional Fall Events
Five other events are highlighted in this article, but I would highly recommend visiting our website for many more activities, recommendations and tips.
- Harvest Moon Festival (October 7) – A collaboration for the first time last year between the Town of Avon and Washington Township Parks and Recreation replaced the Avon Heritage Festival, and this second-year event will occur at Avon Town Hall Park with pumpkin carvings, wagon rides, apple launchings, food trucks and much more.
- Hendricks County International Festival (October 7) – In its fourth year, the International Festival moves to a new location in Plainfield to The Shops at Perry Crossing. This free, cultural immersion experience provides fun for the entire family. Enjoy food, dancing and musical performances from various nationalities. Make sure to check out the interactive booths to learn more about other cultures and parts of the world such as India, Pakistan, Poland, Russia and Japan.
- Dog Daze at the Maze (October 14-15) – Beasley’s Orchard turns its popular corn maze over to the dogs, with a weekend dedicated to our four-legged friends.
- Fall Colors Festival & Run (October 21) – Enjoy the best public place to see fall foliage in Hendricks County – McCloud Nature Park in North Salem. This event boasts lots of fun activities including 5K and 10K runs in the morning, archery, tree climbing, exploring their squirrel-themed prairie maze, using an atlatl, hayrides and more.
- Doctoberfest (October 21) – This is a must for any fan of the TV show “Doctor Who” as it features a costume competition, custom action figure contest, games, merchandise, a visit from an actress from the show, and much more, at the Courtyard by Marriott in Plainfield and presented by Who North America in Camby.
More Fall Attractions
In addition to all the events, a couple of fall attractions in Brownsburg that I highly recommend include Hogan Farms and Natural Valley Ranch.
Hogan Farms has become a popular spot each fall, with activities during the month of October that include a huge corn maze, a pumpkin patch, a petting zoo and hayrides.
If you’re into horseback riding, there truly is no better season to experience a ride through the scenic woods at Natural Valley Ranch than the fall. The Brownsburg ranch spans 70 scenic acres, and offers guided trail rides along the banks of White Lick Creek.
I briefly mentioned Who North America in the events above. Did you know that it is the only retail store and museum dedicated to the TV show “Doctor Who” in North America? If you love the show, venturing to this attraction in Camby should be on your bucket list.
For more information about any of these attractions, events or other things to do in Hendricks County, or to take our fall quiz, go to visithendrickscounty.com.
