North Central Ohio Fall Event Guide: Dates for haunted trails, festivals & family fun in Crawford, Richland, Marion & beyond

CRAWFORD, MARION, RICHLAND, MORROW COUNTY, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—From high-octane haunted houses to historic estate tours, autumn festivals, and farm activities, communities across Crawford, Richland, Marion, Wyandot, and Morrow counties have set their fall schedules.

Crawford County Events & Dates

• Fall Activity Weekends at The Pickwick Place (Bucyrus): Weekends late September through October 2026. Features the 8-acre corn maze, mega slide, apple cannons, and wagon rides.
• October Ghost Tours & Paranormal Investigations at Brownella Cottage (Galion): Select dates through October 2026. Guided history-and-haunts ghost walks and private flashlight paranormal investigations inside the historic 1880s cottage.
• Bucyrus Spooktacular (Downtown Bucyrus): October 24, 2026. Features the annual costume parade, merchant trick-or-treating, pumpkin painting, and community vendor tables.
• Boo Bash at The Pickwick Place (Bucyrus): October 31, 2026. A family Halloween party in the restored barn complex with vendor treats, costume contests, and games.
• Halloween Family Fun Night (Lowe-Volk Park): October 17, 2026:  Head out to celebrate with a night filled with fall fun! Dress in your Halloween costume or just come to enjoy the activities. There will be a bonfire, face painting, a craft, wagon rides, and a treat bag for kids. Bring a flashlight and go on a guided night hike through the haunted woods or go on a self-guided clue hike. Astronomy Club members will have telescopes out for viewing the night sky if the conditions are right. Fun for the whole family!  

Richland County Events & Dates

• Blood Prison at the Ohio State Reformatory (Mansfield): Fridays through Sundays, September 25 – November 1, 2026. The historic reformatory opens its cellblocks for its annual haunted house experience.
• Prairie Peddler Festival (Butler): September 26–27 & October 3–4, 2026. Set in a wooded farm market layout featuring over 200 artisan stalls, open-fire cooking, and live bluegrass music.
• Apple Hill Orchards Harvest Days (Mansfield): Saturdays and Sundays throughout September and October 2026. Offers fresh cider, cider donuts, tractor rides, and pick-your-own apple harvesting.
• Ohio Bird Sanctuary Fall Festival (Mansfield): October 10, 2026. A seasonal family event featuring live raptor encounters, trail walks through the woods, children’s activities, and educational displays.
• Ohio Bird Sanctuary Fall Photo Friday (Mansfield): October 16, 2026. A specialized event allowing photographers to capture the sanctuary’s ambassador birds in natural outdoor settings.
• Dogs, Donuts & Drinks .5K (Mansfield): October 10, 2026. Hosted at The Phoenix Brewing Company to support the Humane Society of Richland County, featuring donuts, craft drinks, raffles, and a short run.
• The Great Pumpkin Glow at Kingwood Center Gardens (Mansfield): October 21–25, 2026. Nightly displays featuring thousands of hand-carved, illuminated pumpkins, food trucks, and live carving demonstrations.

Marion County Events & Dates

• The Haunted Hoorah (Marion): Fridays and Saturdays, September 25 – October 31, 2026. An interactive, 10-acre military-and-sci-fi-themed haunted attraction.
• 40th Annual Applefest at Lawrence Orchards (Marion): September 26, 2026. Features hayrides, a petting farm, corn bins, pumpkin painting, food trucks, live entertainment, and pick-your-own apples.
• The Farm at Locust Creek Pumpkin Patch (Waldo): Saturdays and Sundays, September 26 – October 25, 2026. Offers pick-your-own pumpkin picking, farm photo setups, and outdoor play areas.
• The Dead Woods Haunted Trail (Caledonia): Fridays and Saturdays, October 2 – October 31, 2026. Outdoor haunted trail along the Marion-Crawford border winding through dark woods with live actors.
• Applebutter & Horseradish Day at Lawrence Orchards (Marion): October 31, 2026. Guests help stir open-fire apple butter kettles, watch fresh horseradish grinding, and enjoy local food trucks.

Morrow County Events & Dates

• Goodman Family Farms “Fall on the Farm” (Mount Gilead): Saturdays and Sundays, September 19 – October 31, 2026. Features over 30 farm activities, including giant combine slides, pedal tractor tracks, a corn pit, corn mazes, and food trucks.
• Mt. Gilead State Park “Halloweenie” Fall Festival (Mount Gilead): October 9–10, 2026. Family weekend at the state park featuring campground trick-or-treating, site decorating contests, hayrides, and nature programs.
• Morrow County Farm Bureau Fall Fun Day (Mount Gilead): October 10, 2026. An afternoon focused on agricultural displays, youth games, animal visits, and cider tastings.

Wyandot County Events & Dates

• Wyandot Autumn Harvest Days (Upper Sandusky): October 3–4, 2026. Focuses on agricultural traditions with antique tractor displays, farm tours, corn mazes, and pumpkin patches.
• Field of Fear (Wyandot / Crawford County Line): Fridays and Saturdays, October 2 – October 31, 2026. Outdoor haunted cornfield mazes and trails with live actors and themed scare zones.
• Kiwanis Harvest Festival (Upper Sandusky): October 24, 2026. Held at Waterworks Park, featuring autumn games, food stands, pumpkin activities, and family entertainment.