Fall is upon us in the city of Pittsburgh! Leaves are changing, temps are dropping, and spooky activities are in full force. One thing about fall in Pittsburgh that we love, is that it is the perfect time of year to spend a fun-filled day outside with your family! With the variety of activities in the city and suburbs, your fall is sure to be packed with family fun for kids of all ages. Check out some local events going on throughout the remainder of October below.
Monster Pumpkin Festival
Exactly how it sounds, this festival is filled with MONSTER pumpkins. Held October 15-16th at 3 Crossings in the Strip District, this FREE fall festival is perfect for activities, food, and entertainment. The biggest attraction at the festival is the row of massive pumpkins with funny faces, designs, and art carved into them. This year’s theme is prehistoric times, meaning LOTS of dinos and fossil-themed designs. These pumpkins can weigh up to 2,500 pounds. Now that’s a monster pumpkin!!! Another attraction at this festival that is sure to impress the kiddos is the Project Bundle-Up Pumpkin Splash. This event is one you will not want to miss. A giant pumpkin (last year was 1,900 pounds) is dropped from 140 feet in the air into an inflatable kiddie pool leading to a big pumpkin explosion! This event also doubles as a charity event where for a donation, you will receive a number and that number will be written on a ping pong ball placed in the kiddie pool. When the monster pumpkin is dropped into the pool, all of the balls fly into the air and the ball that travels the furthest from the pool wins a prize!
Other signature attractions of the Monster Pumpkin Festival include horse-drawn carriage rides, live glass blowing of fall-themed objects like pumpkins and leaves by Vessel Studio Glass, and large round hay bale and pumpkin art done by 3 painters/graffiti artists! For games, there is a pumpkin pie eating contest and the pumpkin pedal pull where entrants are tasked with pedaling a cargo trailer with 300 pounds of pumpkin on it up a hill! Face painting and a mini version of the pumpkin pedal pull are available as well as treats and vendor stands to shop at!
ZooBoo at Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
Do your kids love animals? Then ZooBoo is the fall event for your family! This Halloween-themed event geared toward children is hosted at Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium on October 22, 23, 29, and 30. This not-so-spooky Halloween event runs from 10 am to 3 pm each day and you gain admission with a normal zoo pass or member pass, no additional purchase necessary! Kids can show up in their best costumes and trick-or-treat around the zoo while seeing all the animals. Have them come dressed as a lion or elephant and take a pic next to all of the pals in their matching exhibit! Activities for this event include crafts, a Halloween parade, a costume contest, dancing, and even passing through the lanterns for the Asian Lantern Festival. Kids will collect candy as they walk through the zoo, and parents and adults can support local small businesses that will have pop-ups throughout the zoo.
Janoski’s Farm & Greenhouse Pumpkinland
Janoski’s Farm has an awesome weekend festival for the whole family, Pumpkinland! On Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 5 pm, the fall season is in full swing at this farm located in Clinton near the airport. For a $10 admission per person (children 2 and under are free), you can enjoy the pumpkin patch, hayrides, straw maze, haunted barn, pony rides, petting zoo, corn pit, and new this year – a playground! When you get hungry, check out the food vendors! If you are worried there won’t be something your kids will like, Janoski’s permits packed lunches. Walk up to the Lakeside Venue to check out the vendors on site like the Pittsburgh Gem Show!
Soergel’s Orchard Fall Festival
In the Pittsburgh area, Soergel’s Orchard is a name a lot of folks know. This farm and orchard is located in Wexford and is the destination for all of the typical fall activities you can think of! On Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 5 pm, families are welcome to visit this spot for pumpkin picking, apple picking, shopping at the gift barn and market pop-ups, snacking on fall treats, etc. Soergel’s is free admission and is priced per activity. For apple picking, take a tractor ride up to the apple orchard and purchase a ¼ peck bag for $6 and walk through the trees finding the perfect apples for snacking and baking. For pumpkins, pick one from the patch, or choose from the picture-perfect ones down the hill bucketed by size, color, and shape.
For activities, you’re going to want to purchase some tickets to redeem for all sorts of games around the farm! Kids can play games like ring toss and duck pond, crawl through the hay tunnel maze, bounce in the bounce house, and play in the playground area with kid-sized trains and boats, the fun is truly endless!! After working up an appetite, mosey down to the market area for some grub! For snacking, Soergel’s has no shortage of food options. Kettle corn, pies, Perry’s ice cream, fresh produce, and a food stand that features sandwiches like their signature pulled pork sandwich that can be topped with one of their three homemade BBQ sauces! Before you leave, be sure to check out the goats, sheep, and pigs up the hill and bring quarters to buy some feed to share with these farm friends!
Family Fall Fest at the Pittsburgh Riverhounds Game
On Saturday the 15th, Pittsburgh’s soccer team, the Riverhounds, play their final home games of the regular season in a doubleheader! This fun day will not only be filled with soccer but family fun as well. The Family Fall Fest begins at 5 pm in the Tailgate Zone right outside of the stadium in Station Square. Activities for kids include photo ops with everyone’s favorite superheroes and princesses, jumping in the bounce house, playing games for prizes, and dancing to the DJ’s tunes. If your kids are fans of soccer, allow them to try their hand at some soccer skills with the AHN Sports Combine. While you’re prepping for gametime, enjoy some of the best food trucks in the Burgh!
An hour before the game starts, another event kicks off, Kick-or-Treat! From 6 to 6:30 pm, kids are welcome into the stadium to show off their costumes! When the game starts at 7 pm, so does the Fan Appreciation Match. Every 10 minutes, prizes will be given out to celebrate. If you’re interested in tickets for this event, individual tickets are $18, but you can bundle for the family deal “Howl At The Mon Family 4-Pack” which gives you tickets to all parts of the event plus hot dogs and sodas during the game!! Be sure to stop by the funnel cake stand for the perfect fall evening treat, hot cocoa! This is the perfect way to celebrate with your little soccer stars!
This content was provided by a local, independent contributor to Made in PGH, a lifestyle blog.