October around Traverse City runs on cider, corn mazes, and costumes, with color drives in between. This guide covers Monday, October 12 through Sunday, November 1, 2026: farms open for the season, dated fall and Halloween events, and where to find current color information.
Every date, time, and location below was checked against the organizer's own website on October 9, 2026. Fall plans depend on weather, so recheck the organizer before you go. For everything else in town, browse the ExploreTraverse events calendar. For full day plans around Old Mission, Leelanau, Sleeping Bear, or downtown, see our Traverse City fall guide.
October 12 to November 1 at a glance
| Date and time | Event | Where | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 16, 5 to 8 pm | Fall Artisan & Wine Walk | Downtown Suttons Bay | Shop-to-shop stroll with local artists |
| Sat., Oct. 17, 11 am to 4 pm | Annual Apple Days | Farm Club, Lake Leelanau Drive | Free, rain or shine |
| Fri., Oct. 23, 4 to 7 pm | Broomsticks and Bubbles | Leland | Leland Chamber event |
| Fri. and Sat., Oct. 23 and 24, 6 to 8 pm | Spooky Halloween Lights Walk | Grand Traverse Lighthouse, Northport | $5 per person; state park pass required |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 10 am to 1 pm | Halloween for All (sensory friendly) | Dennos Museum Center | Free; RSVP is optional if you'd like an event narrative ahead of time |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 10 am to 6 pm | Leland Fall Frenzy | Leland | Sales at participating stores |
| Mon., Oct. 26 to Sat., Oct. 31 | Book-or-Treat, ages 0 to 12 | Suttons Bay Bingham District Library | One free book per child, while supplies last |
| Thu., Oct. 29, 6 to 8 pm | Halloween Lantern-Lit Hike | Boardman River Nature Center | Registration required |
| Fri., Oct. 30, 11 am to noon | Halloween Parade | TADL Main Library | Start any time from 11 to 11:40 |
| Fri., Oct. 30, 7 to 9 pm | Thriller Night haunted corn maze | Jacob's Farm | $15 per person; buy tickets ahead |
| Sat., Oct. 31, 9 am | Zombie 5K Run | Right Brain Brewery | Register through the race site |
| Sat., Oct. 31, 10 to 11:30 am | Downtown Halloween Walk | Downtown Traverse City | Free; start at any participating business |
| Sat., Oct. 31, 4:30 to 5:30 pm | Village Trick or Treat | Downtown Suttons Bay | Suttons Bay Chamber event |
All month: farms, corn mazes, and pumpkins
These run on regular hours, so they fit around most trips. Hours can shift late in the season; confirm the day you go.
Jacob's Farm, 7100 E. Traverse Hwy. (M-72), Traverse City. The homepage lists hours of Wednesday through Friday, 4 to 8 pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 11 am to 8 pm. The corn maze is open; the activities page lists the Big Maze at $12 for ages 12 and up, $8 under 12, and free under 4, plus a Mini-Maze at $15 per family. Pumpkins are self-serve: load a wagon and pay at the bar. The farm says it closes for the season after Halloween. Its Thriller Night haunted corn maze is Friday, Oct. 30, 7 to 9 pm, $15 per person; buy tickets ahead on the Thriller Night page. Costumed actors hide in the corn, and the farm advises common sense about bringing younger kids.
Gallagher's Farm Market, 7237 E. Traverse Hwy., Traverse City. Pumpkins, apples, hot cider, and pumpkin donuts, per the market's pumpkin patch page. Open 8 am to 6 pm, closed Tuesdays, through October.
Myrtle & Maude's, Williamsburg. The fall season runs through October 25, daily from 10 am to 5 pm, with a corn maze, pumpkins, apples, donuts, cider, caramel apples, and farm animals. Weekends add tractor-pulled wagon tours. The farm then closes until its November 12 holiday reopening.
Rennie Orchards, 11221 Munro Rd., Williamsburg. The orchard's early October update lists store hours of 9 am to 6 pm daily and pumpkins through October. Hayrides and donuts are weekends only, with hayrides hourly from 10 am to 5 pm, plus a kids' hay bale maze. The farm notes hours change seasonally; call (231) 264-8387.
More options: farm markets listings.
Week by week
October 12 to 18
- Fall Artisan & Wine Walk, Friday, Oct. 16, 5 to 8 pm, Suttons Bay. The Suttons Bay Chamber hosts a store-to-store stroll with local artisans and refreshments. Collect stamps on the walking guide to enter a gift card drawing. Village background: Leelanau Peninsula guide.
- Annual Apple Days, Saturday, Oct. 17, 11 am to 4 pm, Farm Club, 10051 Lake Leelanau Dr. The event page lists apple pressing, 20-plus varieties to taste and buy, hot and hard ciders, hand pies, fritters, and buckwheat donuts. Free, rain or shine.
October 19 to 25
- Broomsticks and Bubbles, Friday, Oct. 23, 4 to 7 pm, and Leland Fall Frenzy, Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 am to 6 pm. Both are on the Leland Chamber calendar (Fall Frenzy page). Contact details: Leland Chamber of Commerce.
- Spooky Halloween Lights Walk, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23 and 24, 6 to 8 pm, Grand Traverse Lighthouse, Northport. The event page lists $5 per person, including 3D Halloween glasses, with a lighthouse tour and tower climb afterward. The lighthouse sits in Leelanau State Park; a state park pass is required.
- Halloween for All, Saturday, Oct. 24, 10 am to 1 pm, Dennos Museum Center, 1410 College Dr. The fourth annual sensory-friendly Halloween event, with TADL Youth Services and community partners. Free. Registration isn't required; RSVP is optional if you'd like an event narrative ahead of time, through the Dennos RSVP page.
- Last fall weekend at Myrtle & Maude's, ending Sunday, Oct. 25.
October 26 to November 1
- Book-or-Treat, Monday, Oct. 26 to Saturday, Oct. 31, Suttons Bay Bingham District Library, 416 N. Front St. Kids 0 to 12 pick out a new, free book to keep, one per child while supplies last. Hours vary by day.
- Halloween Lantern-Lit Hike, Thursday, Oct. 29, 6 to 8 pm, Boardman River Nature Center, 1450 Cass Rd. A self-guided costume hike from the Grand Traverse Conservation District with games, trivia, and live raptors from North Sky Raptor Sanctuary. Registration required: $5 per person, kids 12 and under free.
- Halloween Parade, Friday, Oct. 30, 11 am to noon, TADL Main Library, 610 Woodmere Ave. A gently spooky 20-minute costume loop with games and a craft; start any time from 11 to 11:40.
- Thriller Night, Friday, Oct. 30, 7 to 9 pm, Jacob's Farm. A haunted corn maze, $15 per person. Tickets are on the Thriller Night page; the farm strongly advises buying ahead and says to use common sense with younger kids.
- Zombie 5K Run, Saturday, Oct. 31, 9 am, Right Brain Brewery, 225 E. Sixteenth St. The Traverse City Track Club's 18th annual Zombie Run benefits TART Trails, with costume prizes afterward. The registration page lists packet pickup Friday, Oct. 30, 5 to 7 pm, and race morning, 7:30 to 8:45 am. See also our event listing.
- Downtown Traverse City Halloween Walk, Saturday, Oct. 31, 10 to 11:30 am. A free trick-or-treat stroll at participating businesses on Front Street, State Street, Old Town, West Front, and side streets; start at any participating shop. Details are on the official Halloween Walk page. The Zombie Run is happening nearby that morning, so allow extra time. Parking help: downtown parking guide.
- Village Trick or Treat, Saturday, Oct. 31, 4:30 to 5:30 pm, Suttons Bay. On the Suttons Bay Chamber calendar; contact details at the Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce listing.
Ghost tours
Haunted Traverse lists a downtown Historical Ghost Lantern Tour, Monday through Saturday in summer and fall, and a Spirits of Halloween ghost hunt with bonfire stories on Saturdays in October for ages 12 and up. The ghost hunt meets at 5010 Pierce Rd., Kingsley, about 15 minutes south of town. Times and open spots are on its booking calendar.
Fall color drives
This guide does not predict a peak weekend. Check these official resources close to your trip:
- Traverse City Tourism's fall color page links its Fall Color Tour Guide and names M-22 on the Leelanau Peninsula, M-37 on Old Mission Peninsula, and Benzie County back roads among the best drives.
- Pure Michigan's Fall Color Map shows how color moves across the state by date and offers a fall color updates email.
- The National Weather Service in Gaylord has wind and rain forecasts; a stormy day can strip leaves quickly.
Pair a drive with a farm stop, or use the loops in our fall guide. Adding tasting rooms? See the wineries hub.
How to plan your October weekend
- Pick one area per day. The M-72 farms, Williamsburg, downtown, and the Leelanau villages each work on their own.
- Book ahead where needed. The lantern hike requires registration, Thriller Night tickets are best bought ahead, the Zombie Run registers online, and ghost tours sell by time slot.
- Check the organizer that morning. Hayrides, corn mazes, and outdoor events can change hours or close for weather.
- Dress for dark and cold. The lighthouse walk, lantern hike, and Thriller Night are outdoors in the evening.
- Keep a backup. Our rainy day guide and family activities hub list indoor options.
More ideas: Traverse City events and festivals and things to do in Traverse City.
Last verified October 9, 2026. Dates, hours, prices, and registration rules change; confirm with each organizer before you go.
Hero photo: Crystal River near Glen Arbor, Leelanau County, by Jim Sorbie, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.
