It may not feel like fall just yet. This is Texas, after all. But that doesn’t stop fall from rolling in … and it brings with it a lot of fun activities for all ages! We’ve included some of the most popular fall events - and a couple of new ones, too - in September and October and will continue to update this blog post as we find more. If there is something you think we should include here, please shoot us an email.
Dinosaurs Live! (Through Feb. 20, 2022)
Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, 1 Nature Place
Encounter the 46-foot T-Rex and nine new life-size animatronic dinosaurs along the nature trails at the 11th annual Dinosaurs Live Life-size Animatronic Dinosaurs exhibit. This event always offers great opportunities for fun family photos! And look further down this blog post for details about the Heard's always popular and sold-out Halloween event.
Admission: This exhibit is included in museum admission which is $12 for adults and $9 for children.
Pumpkin Patch (Sept. 17-Oct. 31)
5G Farm, 6601 County Road 166
Head out to 5G Farm just south of Myers Park for a pumpkin patch complete with a bounce house, BBQ, farm store, jewelry, crafts, kettle corn, and even feeding the farm's turkeys. Admission is free!! Check their Facebook page for hours. Open Fridays-Sundays.
Admission: Free. Pumpkins, snacks, and other products are available for purchase.
McKinney Oktoberfest (Sept. 24-26)
Downtown McKinney Square, 14-block bier garden
Don your lederhosen, grab your best beer stein and join in for a full weekend of German-themed family-friendly fun in Historic Downtown McKinney. Enjoy the tradition of authentic German food, domestic and imported beer, live music, games, Weenie Dog Races (shown), and much more. We hope to see you there! For full event details, click HERE.
And don’t forget to enter for a chance to win an all-expense trip to the 2022 Munich Oktoberfest. For details, click HERE.
Admission: Free. Food, beer, and other goodies will be available for purchase.
15th Annual Crape Myrtle Run & Free Family Festival (Sept. 25)
McKinney Boyd High School, 600 N. Lake Forest Dr.
Grab your family and running shoes for this long-time North Texas community event. Families with students love the opportunity to get outside for a healthy morning one-mile fun run. Or enjoy the free family festival with a petting zoo, bounce house, face painting, photo booth, an inflatable obstacle course with lots of prizes. Redeem runners' bibs for free food and drink coupons at Historic Downtown McKinney's Oktoberfest for the entire weekend. Visit the festival and run registration site for details on race start times.
Admission: Free to attend the festival. See registration site for race fees.
5th Annual McKinney Wine & Music Festival (Oct. 16-17)
Towne Lake Park, 1405 Wilson Creek Pkwy.
The McKinney Wine & Music Festival is back for its 5th year and it’s an event you don’t want to miss! The festivities will take place over two days at the beautiful Towne Lake Park with plenty of live music on two stages and delicious wine from 30 local and national award-winning wineries. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy your wine while listening to the bands and sitting under the canopy of trees next to the lake. Participate in grape stomping competitions, chow down on delicious cuisine, shop and enjoy a huge variety of local businesses and artisans.
Admission: Tickets are $30 for 10 wine tasting tickets, $40 for 20 tickets, $100 for one-day VIP experience or $160 for the two-day VIP experience! Get tickets online.
Halloween at the Heard (Oct. 16)
Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, 1 Nature Place
Experience Collin County’s premier family-friendly Halloween event that features a safe environment to experience the joy of trick-or-treating along the eerie Dinosaurs Live nature trail. Families will enjoy an evening full of fun activities including a presentation of a movie on the Heard's outdoor amphitheater stage, a Haunted Forest, and more. Tickets sell out each year before the event. Check the Heard website for details.
Admission: $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 3-12, and free for children ages 2 and under.
McKinney Día de Los Muertos (Oct. 16)
Dr. Glenn Mitchell Park, 300 W. Louisiana
The first McKinney Día de Los Muertos, provided by the Legacy Keepers of Old East McKinney, will be a day of fun with food, music, games, and art. Día de los Muertos is a Latin American custom celebrating the lives of the deceased with food, drink, parties, and activities the dead enjoyed in life. It recognizes death as a natural part of the human experience, beginning with birth, childhood, and growing up to become a contributing member of the community. Legacy Keepers of Old East McKinney will use the strength of our unique identities in a collective framework to document, honor, and promote the historic legacies of McKinney's Black and Mexican communities, ensuring that all cultures are natural parts of the community's experience.
Admission: Free.
FALL DIY PROJECTS
Several great venues have fun craft and art projects planned this fall. Click on the links below to access each of their websites to view upcoming classes and workshops.
- Jump Into Art
- Last Art Gallery
- MillHouse McKinney (shown: Zentangle Pumpkins - class is Sept. 29)
- Painting with a Twist
- Walls of Clay
