WISCONSIN — With a chilly breeze in the air and Halloween right around the corner, Wisconsin fall festivals are in full swing.
And while some popular favorites have already passed, there are still plenty of unique, family-fun or adult activities to attend throughout the state.
Here’s a list of some upcoming fall festivals.
Making its debut in 1961, the La Crosse Oktoberfest started as a plain community event. Now, it’s a decades-old tradition and the longest running Oktoberfest in the Midwest. Events are taking place throughout the city, including the Downtown Fest Grounds and Northside La Crosse. Among the events are a student night, a craft beer night, a carnival, lederhosen games and more. Most importantly, guests can indulge in a enormous variety of beer while at the festival.
Cost: $20 general admission
Location: La Crosse
Time: Thursday, 4 – 11 p.m.; Friday, 9:30 a.m. – midnight; Saturday, 11 a.m. – midnight
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With over 150 vendors selling arts, crafts, local produce, fall flowers and seasonal and home decor, this event is for all ages. Those that attend can also enjoy food and live music in the heart of downtown Lake Mills.
Cost: Free
Location: Commons Park in Lake Mills
Time: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
From micro to macro brews, guests at this Milwaukee County Zoo event can sample beers from a variety of brewers. This year’s brews include samplings from Broken Bat Brewing Co., Ciderboys Cider Company, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Lakefront Brewer, Third Space Brewing and more. Guests can also sample food from local vendors, such as Jen’s Sweet Treats, Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, Milwaukee Pretzel Company and more.
Cost: $50 for zoo pass members & guests; $60 for non-members
Location: Milwaukee County Zoo
Time: 7-10 p.m.
Zoo Brew is an event held by the Milwaukee County Zoo. It allows guest to sample beers from a variety of brewers. (Courtesy of Milwaukee County Zoo)
When you attend this festival in Wausau with a non-perishable food item donation, your children, 12 and under, can receive a free pumpkin. There will also be plenty of family-friendly activities, including a Tundraland activity, a full petting zoo and potato sack races.
Cost: Not listed
Location: 400 Block of Downtown Wausau
Time: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Drawing in more than 3,000 people last year, The Great Pumpkin Train includes a train ride to the National Railroad Museum’s pumpkin patch. Guests that ride the train can take home their favorite pumpkin. After the return trip, there will be plenty of family-friendly activities, such as trick-or-treating, crafts, balloon animals, fall photo stations and more. Admission includes access to explore the historic trains and exhibits in the museum.
Cost: $17/person, free for younger than age 2
Location: National Railroad Museum in Ashwaubenon
Time: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day (rain or shine)
(Courtesy of the National Railroad Museum)
This fall activity involves a candelit walk featuring seven fairytale and nursery rhyme sets. But that’s not the end of the enchanted experience. Along the walk, costumed characters from each storyline will pass out treats and trinkets. Two of the scenes will have local actors, who will perform a diminutive skit. On the hayride side of things, guests can enjoy a narrated adventure to six scenes from popular movies and TV shows. You can also purchase tickets to play plain carnival-like Halloween games.
Cost: Forest, $2/adult, $3/child; Hayride, $3/person
Location: Palmer Park in Janesville
Time: Wednesday-Thursday, 5:30 – 9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Families can enjoy three days of fun, great music, local food and a huge arts and crafts fair at the Sister Bay Fall Fest in Door County. Included in the event is the yearly and crowd-favorite fish boil by the Lion’s Club and the Saturday Pancake Breakfast, which is followed by a parade at 11 a.m. Children ages 7 to 13 can also build and race their own gravity powered cars in a Derby Race at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
Cost: Varies by activity
Location: Sister Bay
Time: See their website for a full schedule of events
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By far, one of the highlights of this festival is the outdoor pie baking and tasting competition. Guests can enjoy samples from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. while supplies last. That won’t be the last of the baked goods either. There will be a bake sale of pies, bars and cookies at the event. A craft fair will also showcase arts and crafts vendors, and will include pieces like jewelry, paintings and ceramics. There will be a enormous spread of free and paid attractions at the festival. You can find a full list of those activities on the website.
Cost: Varies by activity
Location: Winnequah Park in Monona
Time: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
