Although the official start of autumn isn’t until September 22nd some leaves are already changing colors and slowly making their descent to the ground. Before weekends are spent raking them up, check out what’s coming up for the season that will provide you and your family with lots of weekend enjoyment.
Fall & Halloween events
Tar Hollow State Park offers their annual Mountain Heritage Fall Festival 
beginning September 15th and continuing through September 17th. This is a great event for the whole family with hay rides, crafters, delicious Amish food and desserts, a Mountain Men Encampment, and lots more activities and events. Also taking place this weekend is the annual Apple Harvest Open House at Hirsch’s Fruit Farm. This is another family-friendly event that offers fun on the farm with orchard tours, horse-drawn wagon rides, apple butter making, apple & cider tasting, mini maze, and plenty of additional events for a full day of fun and entertainment.
September 30th will begin the October fun with the Foothill Folk Society’s annual Folktoberfest taking place at the Scioto Township Hall. This event features live musical entertainment, silent auction and a food drive. Also on the 30th, you can start celebrating Halloween with the return of the Ghost Walk. This event will feature a downtown walking tour to 13 haunted locations. Hear about the paranormal experiences that’s been reported at each one.
Do you love everything Fall and Halloween? Then October will not disappoint you! Ross County has four festivals scheduled to take place in October. The Fall Festival of Leaves will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year and will have plenty of activities to keep the whole family having fun October 20th through the 22nd. The newest festival for Chillicothe is the Chillicothe Halloween Festival that will take place in Yoctangee Park October 13th – 15th. If you enjoy Halloween you will enjoy this festival and its events. Celebrating their second year of operations are the Chillicothe Paints’ Craft Beer Festival on October 14th and the Chillicothe Festival of the Antique on October 20th – 22nd.
If you’re looking for the thrills of Halloween, there are plenty of scares to be had during
the month of October. The Scioto Society present their annual Haunted Mountain on Fridays and Saturdays. This year’s haunted trail includes a zombie shoot along the way. Terror in the Hills, presented by the Harrison Township Fire Department, will take place on Saturdays and is always a good choice for scares. Backwoodz Oddities sits between Chillicothe and Waverly and offers visitors a haunted trail / haunted house experience with The Last Carnival.
Finally, if you’re wanting to celebrate the season without the scares there are plenty of activities for you as well. The Pump House Center for the Arts will be showcasing masks 
created by local artist, A.J. Good. This exhibit will run the month of October. Chillicothe Civic Theatre will be presenting their fall production of Dracula at the historic Majestic Theatre. Adena Mansion & Gardens will host their Halloween Storytelling at the education center. Magic Waters Theatre in Bainbridge will be gearing up their haunted trail, Haunted Hills at Magic Waters. This trail has some scares, but it is kept family-friendly without the gore.
Skyline drives
Ross County is a beautiful destination any time of the year with the foothills of the Appalachian region, but during the fall’s peak-leaf color it’s absolutely gorgeous! Our friends in Bainbridge at the Fall Festival of Leaves has put together a brochure showcasing four driving tours in Paxton Township. These self-guided tours off four-loops to give you breathtaking views of the colors of fall. The Skyline Tour brochure can be found at our office and on the Fall Festival’s website.
If you prefer to be on foot and closer to the colors, there’s over 120 miles of trails within Ross County that will give you some spectacular views as well. There’s five State Parks, one National Park and many State forests or preserves to hike through for the sights and scents of fall that you can’t get while driving.
More coming Up
As you can see, there’s plenty of activities coming up that will keep the entire family entertained and having plenty of fun. The events highlighted in this post are just some of what’s coming up now through the end of October. You can find much more on our Calendar of Events.
