Trade Crowds for Quieter Fall Fun

Fall is a picturesque season for many reasons; from the changing colours of the great outdoors to all the great activities to enjoy outside with the family now that the heat of summer has started to pass. Picturesque is the best word to describe the season because it fills our social feeds too.You’ll regularly see many amazing fall locations people are visiting as you scroll; but that does come at a cost. Many of those locations tend to be very busy. Luckily, we’re here to help. We’ve done the research and you can skip the crowds at those GTA and area fall destinations for the quieter destinations and small town feel of Ontario’s Southwest.

Pumpkin & Farm Fun

If you like Downey’s Farm, the famous fall location in Caledon, we have a lot of amazing options for you in Ontario’s Southwest. This collection of family fun farms will fill your appetite for kids’ activities, tasty eats, corn mazes, wagon rides, and, of course, pictures surrounded by pumpkins!

• Clovermead Adventure Farm in Aylmer
• Tilbilly Halloween Adventure Farm in Tilbury
• Korny Corners Farm in Sarnia
• Kustermans Adventure Farm in Mount Brydges
• Snyder’s Family Farm in Bright

For a unique pumpkin experience, you don’t want to miss Waterford Pumpkinfest, October 18th-20th, 2024, and their famous stacked jack-o-lantern displays!

Apples, Apples, Apples

Is an apple picking outing a favourite for you? You can skip the busy locations like Albion Orchards or Chudleigh’s for the more open country roads and delicious apple pies at:

• Theissen Orchards in Leamington
• Great Lakes Farms in Port Stanley
• Apple Land Station in Thorndale
• Twin Pines Orchards in Thedford
• Thames River Melons in Innerkip
• Berrylicious Fruit Farm in Burgessville
• and more apple treats and cider suggestions available here.

History Brought to Life

Learning about history becomes easier when you get engrossed in it with historical buildings and even costumed educators. In the GTA, top locations include Black Creek or Westfield, however in Southwest Ontario, we have our own must-see locations where history comes alive including:

• Fanshawe Pioneer Village in London
• Backus Page House Museum in Wallacetown
• Buxton National Historic Site & Museum in Buxton
• Ska-Nah-Doht Village and Museum in Mount Brydges
• Cottonwood Mansion Museum in Selkirk
• John R Park Homestead in Essex

Fall Colours

There’s nothing better to make those reactions climb on your posts than beautiful fall colours. Here in Ontario’s Southwest, we go by “Shaped by Nature” for a reason and once you spend time in our aptly called GREAT outdoors, you’ll understand why. There are too many options available to list them all so we’ve broken down some top choices by activity here:

• Day Hikes
• Casual Cycling Routes
• Favourite Paddling Routes
• Find even more outdoors options at the Top Parks in the region.

Get your Fright On

A good scare at Halloween in not everyone’s cup of tea but the costumes and sweet treats always make for a great time. If you’re not looking forward the hustle and bustle of Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland, you can get ghoulish at:

• Fear Farm at Snyder’s Family Farm in Bright
• Enjoy a guided Ghost Tour in Caledonia or the Ghost Walks of Chatham-Kent There’s also a self guided, do at any time Olde Amherstburg Ghost Tour
• For costumed fun with the little ones, a local favourite is Storybook Gardens in London with their annual StoryBOO Halloween.

Craft Sipping for the Adults