September has come to a close in tiger country and the fall season has finally begun. The fall activities have commenced, and Halloween spirit is in the air. The Halloween movie marathons are on televisions, Starbucks has released their infamous pumpkin spice lattes, and the autumn festivals are abundant in the city of Pittsburgh.
Whether students prefer the daytime autumn extravaganzas or the spooktacular Halloween nighttime entertainment, there is plenty to do for the fall lovers at North Allegheny.
#1 Soergel Orchards Fall Festival
Fall Festivals at Soergel Orchards run every Saturday from 10-5 PM and Sunday from 11-5 PM now through October 27th. The festival itself offers hayrides, apple picking, a pumpkin patch, games and activities, food vendors, and Soergel’s own arsenal cider and products. Admission and parking are both free for this fall event.
#2 Phantom Fall Fest at Kennywood
Phantom Fall Fest runs every Friday from 6-11 PM, Saturdays from 12-11 PM, and Sundays from 12-10 PM now through October 27th and an additional weekday on October 24th from 6-11PM. Kennywood offers 30 rides and attractions from their regular season with additional phantom night experiences with festival fall food and decorations. Phantom Fall Fest also includes six haunted houses: mALICE in Wonderland Unleashed, Shady Grove Hospital, Villa of the Vampire, Dark Shadows, Voodoo Bayou, and Kennyville Cemetery; along with four scare zones throughout the park.
Fall events at Shenot Farm will be held Mondays-Fridays from 10-6 PM, and Saturdays and Sundays from 9-6 PM now through October 27th located in Wexford. The farm includes a pumpkin patch and hayrides through the farm and up to the patch. In addition to the fall pumpkin patch, there will also be corn stalks, straw bales, decorative gourds, and fall foods for sale. The weekend immediately following Halloween, Shenot will hold a pumpkin smash on November 1st through November 10th. Guests can bring old jack-o-lanterns and decorative pumpkins to smash at the farm.
The Fright Farm is open Fridays and Saturdays every week from dusk until 10 PM now until November 2nd, and additionally open Sundays in October from 7-9 PM located in Portersville. The farm is over 100 acres large, and your admissions ticket will begin with a haunted hayride experience followed by a cursed corn maze and multiple wicked walk-through attractions.
The 11th annual North Allegheny Trick or Trot will take place on October 26th at the Marshall schools’ campus and will involve the 5k race beginning at 8:30 AM and mile fun run beginning at 9:30 AM. The event will include a performance by the North Allegheny Marching Band, arts and crafts, and lots of candy. The event is made possible by the North Allegheny Foundation along with a variety of sponsors and donors; all funds support the NA staff and students.
#6 AutumnFest
AutumnFest takes place on Saturdays and Sundays from 11-5 PM starting October 5th through October 20th at Seven Springs Mountain Resort. The festival hosts a variety of food and local artisan vendors, live performances, a pumpkin patch and hay maze, and kid zones with face painting, balloon artists, crafts, and more. The chairlift is open for scenic rides over the fall foliage up to the top of the mountain where visitors can ride the alpine slide down to the bottom.
The annual Applefest will take place on October 5th from 10-4 PM in downtown Mars. The festival hosts 150 vendors full of jewelry, art, decorations, and trinkets. The event has a variety of fall food from local farmers, kid-friendly crafts, and live music. Local churches and non-profit organizations host tents filled with face painting, games, and more. Admission and parking are free with a shuttle service for the overflow lot.
#8 Jack O’Lantern Extravaganza
The Jack O’Lantern Extravaganza will run every day beginning October 3rd-November 3rd from 6:30-10:30 PM located at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. Thousands of carved pumpkins featuring zoo animals, characters from pop culture, sports, and more will be presented at the top of the park in the Islands and Jungle Odyssey path. The trail will be presented with sound, light, and other special effects to enhance the entire experience. Zoo animals will not be featured in the nighttime hours, but there will be plenty of activities, seasonal food, and spooky seasonal displays.
The Zombie of the Corn Maze experience is open Fridays and Saturdays from 7-10 PM now through November 2nd and Sundays from 6:30-9 PM beginning October 13th-27th in Freedom township. The Zombies of the Corn Zombie Shoot is a hands-on experience where visitors shoot paintballs at the zombies as they navigate through the maze in a “Zombie Fighting Vehicle” that holds 24 people per ride. Zombies of the Corn also offers the “Zombie Compound” walk-thru, the “Z-Maze” chase experience, “Campfire Ghost Stories”, and the “FunHouse 3D” clown house of mirrors.
#10 ScareHouse
The ScareHouse Pittsburgh is open Thursdays and Fridays beginning at 7 PM, and Saturdays and Sundays beginning at 6 PM now through November 3rd in Downtown Pittsburgh. (Times vary based on availability and selected events.) ScareHouse offers a variety of scares across the downtown area: “The Chipped Fang” escape room in the Strip District featuring challenges and fun interactions with characters; “The Basement” haunted house in Etna township featuring a series of intense horrors and characters designed to scare visitors; and “Staked by a Killer” escape room in the Strip District featuring a 1-hour escape room experience with 8 visitors per group.
The Hundred Acres Manor haunt is open Fridays and Saturdays from 7-11:30 PM, and Sundays from 7-10 PM now through November 1st, and additionally open on November 2nd for the Lights Out scare event located in Bethel Park. The haunt features 5 haunted house sections throughout the manor with add-on attractions like the black panel maze full of haunting creatures and deadly chainsaws.
#12 Pittsburgh Monster Pumpkins Festival
The Monster Pumpkins Festival event will take place Saturday October 19th and Sunday October 20th from 10-6 PM each day of the festival and each day has a variety of different events located in the Strip District. The festival hosts a variety of food, craft and festival vendors and includes horse drawn carriage rides, a family 5k, and hundreds of giant pumpkins with record weights of over 2,500 pounds.
The 39th annual Fall Festival will take place October 12th from 10-7 PM and October 13th from 10-5 PM each day filled with a variety of activities and vendors located in Zelienople. The festival hosts a variety of food and craft vendors, a chili cook-off, tractor pulled wagon rides, and a car cruise over the 2 days of this local event.
#14 Fall Harvest at Port Farms
The Fall Harvest at Port Farms will run Fridays and Saturdays from 10-9 PM and Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays from 10-7 PM now through October 31st located in Waterford. The harvest holds a variety of activities including wagon hayrides, a giant corn box, slide mountain, animal exhibits, trike track and pedal carts, and the infamous 8-acre corn maze. Port Farms is celebrating its 75th anniversary and the maze features a Peanuts themed maze with Snoopy and Woodstock.
The annual Pittsburgh Oktoberfest will take place October 3rd-13th from noon-10 PM, with extended hours on October 6th from noon-midnight located in Market Square. Oktoberfest is a blend of Bavarian tradition with a mix of Pittsburgh spirit aimed to showcase cultural traditions and a variety of local talent and businesses. Market Square will be transformed into a Bavarian Village with booths, games, displays, and Oktoberfest decorations. The festival will include carnival games, food vendors, activities, and a 60-foot Ferris Wheel on the Roberto Clemente Bridge.
