guides

Fall Family Fun in Frederick 2020

By Kelly Eakin September 1, 2020

A huge thank you to Holly Hills Country Club for their generous sponsorship of this guide! Holly Hills is conveniently located near downtown Frederick and a short drive from both Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Nestled in the foothills of the Catoctin Mountains, the club offers members and guests a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the essence of a private club with scenic views, a challenging 18 hole golf course, swimming pool and pool house, tennis courts, activities field, summer camp for kids and an elegant clubhouse in a family friendly environment.

First things first, check the Macaroni Kid Calendar for free and low-cost things to do in our area. Not a subscriber? Sign up and you’ll get the goods each weekly directly in your email in-box. It’s free. No sales. No gimmicks. Just plain fun.


Pumpkin Patches, Farms and Orchards

πŸŽƒ Summers Farm

πŸ‚ Gaver Farm

πŸ‘©πŸΌ‍🌾 Winterbrook Farm

🍎 Catoctin Mountain Orchard


Special Dates to Remember

🎩 On September 18th, take in a magic show, sponsored by the YMCA, at the Wienberg Center for the Arts 

πŸ¦• November 17th Wienberg Center for the Arts, comes alive with Dinosaurs for Erth’s DINOSAUR ZOO LIVE event

Frederick OktoberFest is offering togo packages!

September 19th 5th Annual Paw Paw Fest

πŸŽ‡October 2nd Fall Firework in Brunswick

🍫Oct 31st Spooktacular  Event by Macaroni Kid


Trick or Treat Events

πŸ‘»October 24th at Westview Promenade

🦸🏻 October 24th the Mt. Airy Spooky Halloween Trail

πŸ§›πŸΌOctober 30th, Trick or Treat in the park, Drive Thru style at Utica District Park

🍫Oct 31st Spooktacular  Event by Macaroni Kid

πŸ‘» ScreamLand Farms


Just outside of Frederick

πŸŽƒ Butler's Orchard  Pick your own pumpkins, fall events for the kids

πŸŽƒ πŸ‚ Check out the fall colors and Float Contest 10/7-10/11 at the  Autumn Glory Festival

 Great County Farms has lots to offer this fall!  πŸŽ Apple Gala and Fresh Cider Fest in September then come back in October for the πŸŽƒ Pumpkin Harvest Festival.

🍏 Pick your own apples at Rock Hill Orchard


πŸ₯Ύ πŸ§— 🌳 🦌 Take a Hike

 Gambrill Yellow Trail

Monocacy National Battlefield Trails

Frederick Municipal Forest

Cunningham Falls State Park

10 Hiking Destinations in Frederick County


πŸ‘©πŸΎ‍πŸ’» πŸ‘¨πŸ»‍πŸ’»Virtual Activities

πŸŽ¨πŸ–ŒTake a class with The Delaplaine Arts Center

πŸ‘¨πŸ½‍🍳 Take up cooking with one of Kitchen Studio of Frederick

✈️ Virtual Fleet Week and Air Show

πŸ“š Virtual adventures with Frederick County Public Library

πŸš‚ 2020 Railroad Days - Brunswick Strong!: Home


Frederick Favorites

Rent a moonbounce from Backyard Inflatables

  Head to MeLand Play on a rainy day for an indoor playground

πŸšƒCheck out the largest miniature world model train displays in the country Roads and Rails

Zipline courses at TreeTrekkers

πŸš‚ Enjoy a good old fashioned train ride through the beautiful farmland and countryside on the Walkersville Southern Railroad 

πŸŒ‰ Take a drive and check out the three covered bridges located in Frederick

 πŸ– πŸ„Everyday activities and special fall events at Green Meadows

 Head to Mccutcheons for some of their delicious jam for your breakfast toast

Pick up lunch fromπŸ₯¨ πŸ• Pretzel and Pizza Creations and head to Baker Park for a picnic lunch

πŸ•΅πŸ½‍♀️ Explore Downtown Frederick with Monthly Scavenger Hunts by Surelocked In Escape Games

🍿Popcorn makes every movie better!  Stop at Original Popcorn House for gourmet popcorn and grab your pillows and get comfy for a πŸŽ₯  Drive Inn Movie at FSK.

🎨 πŸ–ŒSaturday morning patio painting, To-Go kits or limited in person studio hours, Hot Fired Arts has it all for your creative needs!

πŸ₯€ A Covid-19 Survival Kit from North Market Pop Shop will add some fun to your fall!

🧸 Start your Christmas list early with a visit to Dancing Bear Toys 

πŸ“šPick up a new book Curious Iguana and find a bench Carroll Creek

🧺Picnic lunch at Monocacy Village Park with sandwiches πŸ₯ͺ  from 7th Street Sandwich 

πŸ¦€Everyone loves a crabfest!  Get them ready to eat from Avery's Maryland Grille

πŸ›ΉLearn how to do a kick flip at the Skatepark

🎒  Tap into your adrenaline at Adventure Park

πŸ’ Take in the wildlife at  Catoctin Wildlife Preserve

🐒 Observe the turtle and take some time to learn about the wildlife at Fountain Rock Park Nature Center

🏞 Visit all the playgrounds that Frederick County has to offer

🍦 Visit Frederick Fudge & IceCream for all your sweet tooth needs

β˜•οΈ Latte for the parents and hot chocolate for the kids at  Frederick Coffee Company

🚢🏼‍♀️Lace up your sneakers and head out for Self Guided Tour of Frederick

🌻 Pick up some fall flowers at  Mar-Lu View

🍩 Donuts are the best way to start the weekend, especially with Glory Doughnuts

πŸ“š Pick out some of your favorite fall themed library books and schedule a curbside pickup with  Frederick County Public Library

🎣 Grab the fishing poles and hit up one of these spots, Freshwater Fishing Hotspots


Stay at home activities

βœ‚οΈ Fall Kids Crafts

30 Days of fall activities

🎁 Gifts kids can make

πŸ§† Fall Themed Snacks

πŸ•· Spider Web Slime

🌷 Plant spring bulbs

πŸŽƒ Pumpkin Stem Activities

πŸ‚πŸ Rake leaves together.  Jump in the pile, then rake them up again!

β˜€οΈEnjoy those rays of sun and make a paper plate suncatcher

πŸ’ŽTry your hand at Geocaching

πŸ…At-Home Sports and Activities That Stretch Your Mind and Body, Game On!

πŸŽƒ 10 Pumpkin Carving Tips

πŸ₯³ There’s always something to celebrate, look to the National Day Calendar for ideas

πŸƒπŸΎ‍♀️ Register for an upcoming virtual race, run, or ride. Many of these types of events are very family-friendly with shorter routes as an option, discounted (or free) registration for children, and fun after-parties. As a bonus, some of these types of events are fundraisers as well.

🎢 πŸ•ΊπŸ» Make a playlist of Halloween-themed songs and have a dance party in your living room. Some of our favorites:

  • "This is Halloween" by Danny Elfman from The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack
  • "Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett
  • "Thriller" by Michael Jackson
  • "Some Kind of Monster" by Neon Trees
  • "Season of the Witch" by Donovan
  • "Bark at the Moon" by Ozzy Osbourne
  • "My Beloved Monster" by Eels from the Shrek soundtrack
  • "The Time Warp" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack
  • "The Monster" by Eminem (feat. Rihanna)
  • "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell
  • "The Devil's Chasing Me" by Reverend Horton Heat

πŸ‹πŸ»‍♀️Try a 30-day fitness challenge. Check out the monthly "More More" column in Macaroni Kid Family Fitness and Wellness for the "Our Family Moves" challenge for the month.

🚢🏽‍β™‚οΈπŸšΆπŸΌ‍♀️Take a family walk around the neighborhood before or after dinner. It's a great way to connect while enjoying the changing scenery.

πŸ‘» Read ghost stories by the fire

πŸ”₯ Get creative with you s’more and try some of these S'mores Alternatives

🍏 🍎 40 Apple Activities for Kids

πŸ›  Tackle a DIY project idea from Home Depot

πŸš’ Reach out to your first responders and find what they need.  Take up a neighborhood collection.

🀝 Collection donations for the Heartly House. Follow them on Facebook for an updated list of needs.