If you’re looking for a weekend getaway and what to take in the fall color at the same time, you might want to check out Autumn at the Arboretum: A Fall Fairy Tale, in Dallas.
There’s a reason this event has been around for 17 years. There’s something for everyone to love at this outdoor adventure, including the nationally acclaimed Pumpkin Village. It features pumpkin houses and creative displays utilizing more than 100,000 pumpkins, gourds, and squash.
Along with themed pumpkin houses that make up the acclaimed Pumpkin Village, the event showcases the return of Cinderella’s carriage, a popular attraction for the kids. Gourds are the centerpiece of the gardens and are used to tell the classic tales of Jack and The Beanstalk, The Three Little Pigs, and The Sword in the Stone. And don’t miss the magic carpet ride selfie experience from One Thousand and One Nights.
According to Pioneer Woman Magazine, this festival is one of the “20 Best Pumpkin Patches in the U.S. to Visit With the Family This Fall.”
Dallas Arboretum Board Chairman Jim Ryan said, “Every year, the Dallas Arboretum raises the bar with beautiful and imaginative festivals, and this year is no exception. Those young and young-at-heart will enjoy seeing pumpkin houses and taking photos and videos. Plus, there are plenty of events during the festival to keep everyone entertained.”
If it’s flowers you’re after, take heart. Autumn at the Arboretum features the breathtaking colors of fall including 150,000 autumn flowers—marigolds, chrysanthemums, pentas and more—accented, of course, by pumpkins, gourds and squash.
Special events are slated throughout the festival. Highlights include:
- Live piano music and Dallas’ best party bands every weekend.
- Seasonal daily samples that use in-season plants from A Tasteful Place garden.
- Mommy and Me Mondays and Tiny Tot Tuesdays, hay bale maze, a pumpkin patch with pumpkins for purchase and more.
- From September 10 to December 31, 2022, the garden presents 50 of the statues from “#IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit,” the largest collection of statues of women ever assembled together, to be installed throughout the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden.
“Following a hot Texas summer, the changing of the seasons is such a welcome and beautiful spectacle, and there’s no better place to enjoy it than the Arboretum,” said Andrea Russell, vice president of Reliant. “As a longtime partner of the Dallas Arboretum, Reliant is once again thrilled to support their world-class gardens and festivals that offer something for the whole family to enjoy.”
Guests can also visit A Tasteful Place, a 3.5-acre food, herb and vegetable garden. Weekly activities include free Monday cooking demonstrations with Dallas College Cooks along with cooking, floral and horticulture demonstrations.
Visitors can explore the eight-acre Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden where science and fun become one. Plenty of daily hands-on activities await children such as STEM Stops, science and plant labs and demonstrations, many of which have the fairy tale theme incorporated.
The festival runs through August 31. Admission ranges from $12-$20: $12 for children 2-12 years old; $16 for seniors 65 years old and up; $20 for adults; free for children under 2.
Check the website, dallasarboretum.org, and social media (Facebook & Twitter:@dallasarboretum Instagram/YouTube:@thedallasarboretum) for up-to-date information.
