Fall in Tampa doesn't look like fall anywhere else. The leaves stay green and October afternoons still hit the mid-80s. What changes is the humidity, and that changes everything.
Patios get comfortable again, the Riverwalk fills up, and the calendar gets busy. If you're thinking about moving here, this is the season to visit. Here's where I'd spend it.
Festivals worth putting on the calendar
October is the busiest month of the year on the riverfront. These are the ones I'd plan around.
- Oktoberfest Tampa: October 9–11 at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, downtown.
- USF Botanical Gardens Fall Plant Festival: October 10–11, 9 a.m.–3 p.m., at USF Botanical Gardens.
- Tampa Pig Jig: Saturday, October 17, 1–10 p.m., at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.
- Savor St. Pete: November 7–8 at Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg.
Pig Jig is the one to buy tickets for early. Thomas Rhett headlines the 15th year, and the event raises money for families facing serious medical challenges.
Oktoberfest is the easy yes: German beer, food and live music right on the river. Savor St. Pete is worth the drive over the bridge if you'd rather spend an afternoon tasting food and wine on the waterfront.
Halloween and pumpkin patches
You don't have to drive out to a farm to get your pumpkin photo. Three of the best spots are right in town.
- Riverwalk Trick or Treat: Saturday, October 24, 4–7 p.m. It's free, with treat stations and a Halloween market along the Riverwalk and a movie in the park at 7.
- Hyde Park Village Pumpkin Patch: It usually runs through October, and proceeds have traditionally gone to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. Grab a coffee and make an afternoon of it.
- The Heights Fall Festival: Pumpkins, live music and vendors on the river at Armature Works. This year it's October 10–11, and it's free to get in.
If you want the full farm day with hayrides and a corn maze, these are worth the drive:
- Ananda Farm, Terra Ceia: The fall festival opened September 25. Kids get a huge tree house and hay bale play, and adults get u-pick flowers, a farm-to-table menu and live music.
- Dade City Farms at Lake Iola, Dade City: Open since September 26, with tractor hayrides, a jump pad, a petting zoo and a pumpkin patch. Kids' tickets start at $10.14.
- HorsePower for Kids, Tampa: Select days October 3 through November 1, $15. It's right outside Westchase, with pony, train and hayrides, and proceeds support the animal sanctuary.
- Raprager Family Farm, Odessa: Fridays through Sundays until November 1. Tickets are $15 to $17.95 in advance or $19.50 at the gate. It gets scarier after 6 p.m.
- Keel Farms Harvest Days, Plant City: Saturdays and Sundays in October, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Free to get in, $10 to park, and dogs are welcome.
- Fox Squirrel Corn Maze, Plant City: Weekends through October 25, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., $15.
- Sweetfields Farm, Masaryktown: Open through November 8, $13.28 for ages 3 and up. Buy tickets ahead because it often sells out.
- Hunsader Farms, Bradenton: October 10–11, 17–18 and 24–25, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Adults are $15 and parking is $5, cash only.
If you want the scary version, Busch Gardens runs Howl-O-Scream on select nights.
Get outside while it's comfortable
This is the stretch of the year when being outdoors at 2 p.m. is a good idea again.
- Walk the Riverwalk. It runs about 2.6 miles along the Hillsborough River, from Armature Works down to the Channel District. Go near sunset and stop for a drink along the way.
- Run or bike Bayshore Boulevard. Roughly 4.5 miles of unbroken sidewalk along the bay in South Tampa, and it costs nothing.
- Get on the water. Rent a kayak or paddleboard downtown, or ride the Pirate Water Taxi up and down the river.
- Take a beach day. The Gulf is still warm in October and the summer crowds are gone. Fort De Soto Park is under an hour from downtown.
Game days
Fall means football and hockey are going at the same time.
- Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. By late October, a 1 p.m. kickoff is finally comfortable in the sun.
- Lightning at Benchmark International Arena. The season starts in October, and the Channel District and Water Street fill up before home games.
- USF Bulls football, also at Raymond James. Tickets are usually easier to get, and it's a good first game for kids.
Thinking about making it permanent?
A lot of people visit Tampa in the fall and start wondering what it would be like to live near all of this. If that's you, reach out. I've spent more than 11 years helping people buy and sell across Tampa Bay, and I'm happy to show you the neighborhoods behind everything on this list.
