Must-See Fall Events in Hendricks County
Story & Photos Provided by Visit Hendricks County
Can you believe it? The fall season has officially arrived, and it is time to look ahead to local events and activities you can enjoy right here in Hendricks County.
We’ve created an online tool exclusive to our website at VisitHendricksCounty.com to help you find your perfect personalized fall itinerary. By answering four simple questions, the system will search for and display your perfect fall adventure.
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. So, we are here to help both through that quiz and with my summary that follows.
Beasley’s Orchard & Heartland Apple Festival
This must-see autumn institution in Danville hosts our county’s largest fall event, the annual Heartland Apple Festival. Always held the first two weekends in October – Oct. 1-2 and 8-9 this year —Indianapolis Monthly magazine featured this festival as one of “50 Things Every Hoosier Must Do!”
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 turned 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.
But 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.
6 More Fall Events
While Beasley’s and the Heartland Apple Festival may be the autumn headliner, it merely scratches the surface of fall events you can enjoy with your family. Six other favorites in October include:
- Harvest Moon Festival (Oct. 1) – This new event hosted by Washington Township Park in Avon kicks off the fall season in style this year with pumpkin carving, wagon rides, a petting zoo, live music, vendors, food, fireworks and much more.
- Hendricks County International Festival (Oct. 1) – In its third year, the International Festival at Talon Stream Park in Plainfield is a free cultural immersion for the entire family. Experience food, dancing and musical performances and interactive booths to learn more about other cultures and parts of the world such as India, Pakistan, Poland, Russia and Japan.
- Fall Harvest Festival (Oct. 8) – Another first-time fall event hosted at W.S. Gibbs Memorial Park in Avon will feature scarecrows and chili-cooking contest and also include games and other activities for the entire family.
- Dog Daze at the Maze (Oct. 15-16) – Beasley’s Orchard turns its popular corn maze over to the dogs with a weekend dedicated to our four-legged friends.
- Fall Colors Festival (Oct. 22) – 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 archery, tree-climbing, exploring their fish-themed prairie maze, throwing an atlatl, hayrides and more.
- Doctoberfest (Oct. 22) – 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 and much more at Who North America in Camby. More on this attraction in a moment.
Other 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 autumn spot with activities during the month of October that include a huge corn maze, pumpkin patch, petting zoo and hayrides. I took my son a few years ago, and he loved it.
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 in the fall. The Brownsburg ranch spans 70 scenic acres, and offers 30, 60 and 90-minute 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 or events or other things to do in Hendricks County or to take our fall quiz, go online to VisitHendricksCounty.com.
