Ah, fall in Florida: Time to transition from tank tops to…short sleeves. Just because the temperature hovers between 75 and 86 most days doesn’t mean you can’t have an autumnal experience. In fact, this season may be one of the best times to explore the Sunshine State, since places tend to be less crowded (snowbirds don’t arrive until December-ish and kids are back in school). Whether you want something super kid-oriented (like Bedner’s Farm), something for the foodies (think EPCOT Food & Wine) or a romantic sunset sail (hey, Stiltsville), we've got you covered with the best fall things to do in Florida. So go ahead, order that PSL—just make it iced.
Fall in Florida: 18 Things to Do in the Sunshine State This Autumn
Seasonal activities perfect for sweater weather (or, you know, T-shirt weather)
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Published Sep 18, 2023
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1. Haunt an Underwater Cemetery
- When: Ongoing
- Where: Neptune Memorial Reef off Key Biscayne, FL
- Where to stay: The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscyane (from $324/night); Kimpton EPIC (from $220/night)
Spooky season is prime time to visit a graveyard, but this year, don’t explore any old cemetery—make the trip to Neptune Memorial Reef. The 16-acre underwater “lost city” is guarded by stone lions, featuring a mix of concrete, bronze and steel architecture designed to serve as an artificial reef. It’s also a final resting place for some, and while visitors are allowed, the memorial reef staff asks that you’re respectful of the ashes preserved there. You can visit by boat or plan a dive trip with one of the company’s partners.
Swarm
2. Experience Oktoberfest, Miami-Style
- When: Sept. 29 through October 1
- Where: Wynwood Marketplace in Miami, FL
- Where to stay: AC Hotel Miami Wynwood (from $157/night); citizenM Miami Worldcenter (from $179/night)
Wynwood’s known for its street art (and art in general), but during the autumn months, the area turns into a three-day party for Octoberfest. Held at Wynwood Marketplace, the event features seasonal beers, live music, games and all kinds of Bavarian food (giant pretzels included). It’s also dog-friendly, so bring your pup too.
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3. Find Your Way through a Corn Maze
- When: Dates vary throughout September/October
- Where: Throughout FL (see our picks below)
What, you thought Florida was all orange groves and strip malls? There are plenty of farms throughout the Sunshine State offering pumpkin patches, hayrides and corn mazes to traipse through. If you’re in the northern part of the state, check out these top spots in and around Jacksonville. Central Floridians, check out Hunsader Farms’s Pumpkin Festival in Bradenton; and Southerners, plan a trip to The Berry Farm in Miami and revel in all of the sunflowers.
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4. Make Dearly Departed New Friends During a St. Augustine Ghost Tour
- When: Ongoing
- Where: St. Augustine, FL
- Where to stay: Castillo Real Ascend Hotel Collection (from $157/night); Casa Monica Resort & Spa (from $429/night)
If you’re going to go on a ghost tour, why not do it in the nation’s oldest city? St. Augustine has tons of options to choose from, whether you prefer a walking tour, a lighthouse visit, a pub crawl or a 1920s-inspired adventure in a retro buggy. You’ll get a dose of history—and maybe a glimpse or two of something otherworldly.
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5. Get Wild at Fantasy Fest in Key West
- When: Ongoing
- Where: St. Augustine, FL
- Where to stay: Havana Cabana at Key West (from $192/night); Margaritaville Beach House Key West (from $275/night)
Drop the kids off at their grandparents, because this 10-day costume party is strictly for adults (and yes, body paint counts as a costume, as long as you wear pasties). There are parades, boozy pool parties, hero-and-supervillain-themed races, burlesque parody shows, even a musical about Bum Farto, the infamous drug-running Fire Chief who mysteriously disappeared in the 1970s.
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6. Meet with a Medium in Cassadaga
- When: Ongoing
- Where: Cassadaga, FL
- Where to stay: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Orange City (from $142/night); Cassadaga Hotel (from $125/night)
Often referred to as the “psychic capital of the world,” Cassadaga is an unincorporated community in Volusia County. The town is home to several mediums, spiritual teachers and healers, including many who allow walk-in appointments. You can also visit the Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp Meeting Association, though beforehand, you may want to scope out the events calendar to take part in other activities, like going on a historical tour of the area, joining a meditation circle or taking part in a séance.
Harrison Cooney/Walt Disney World Resort
7. Hit Up the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival
- When: Now through November 18
- Where: EPCOT at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, FL
- Where to stay: Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort Disney Springs (from $122/night); Waldorf Astoria Orlando ($248/night)
While the Food & Wine Festival started on July 27, let’s be real: You’re better off waiting until the summer travel crowds calm down and the weather turns a smidge more favorable. Now is your chance to eat around the world. We have it on good authority that the Schinkennudeln (a cheesy ham and noodle bake) from the Germany booth, teriyaki chicken bun in Japan and crispy paneer with mango-curry ketchup at the India booth are all must-tries.
Universal Orlando Resort
8. Scream Your Face Off at Howl-O-Scream *and* Halloween Horror Nights
- When: September through October
- Where: Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL and Universal Studios in Orlando, FL
- Where to stay: Hyatt Place Tampa Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL (from $171/night); Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace Disney Springs in Orlando, FL (from $147/night)
If you enjoy being pee-your-pants terrified, hit up Busch Gardens’s Howl-O-Scream and Universal Studios’s Halloween Horror Nights this year. As some of the best fall things to do in Florida, both feature over-the-top haunted houses, scare zones and creepy shows, though pop culture junkies may appreciate the Stranger Things-themed haunted house.
Walt Disney World Resort
9. Or Take the Kids to a Not-So-Scary Party at Disney World
- When: August 11 to November 1, from 7 p.m. to midnight
- Where: Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, FL
- Where to stay: Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs (from $124/night); Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek ($145/night)
There are trick-or-treat trails where kids can load up on sweets, Disney characters donning their own Halloween costumes, a Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular show, Halloween-y riffs on classic park rides and, naturally, an All Hallows Eve-inspired take on Disney’s famous parade and fireworks display. All of it, as the title suggests, not-so-scary, so even your littlest ones can take in the fun. (Psst: They can wear their costumes, too.) The only nightmare to be had is creeping down I-4 after the park closes.
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10. Celebrate Orgullo
- When: October 1 through 13
- Where: Throughout Miami, FL
- Where to stay: The Goodtime Hotel (from $134/night); Loews Miami Beach Hotel ($223/night)
This multi-day festival celebrates Greater Miami’s Hispanic and indigenous LGBTQ+ communities, featuring everything from Caribbean dance workshops to art exhibits and a formal gala. As fun as the events are, they also reveal how Hispanic and indigenous art has evolved and shaped South Florida.
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11. Track the Elusive Skunk Ape
- When: Ongoing
- Where: Skunk Ape Research Headquarters in Ochopee, FL
- Where to stay: Hilton Marco Island Beach Resort and Spa (from $365/night); Marco Beach Ocean Resort Ocean View Rental ($250/night, sleeps 4)
You’ve heard of Sasquatch, Bigfoot and Yetis—what about the Skunk Ape? The massive, hairy creature matches descriptions of Bigfoot, only it gets its name from the pungent odor some say accompanies sightings. While its existence has yet to be substantiated, it’s fun to visit the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters to search for the creature yourself (and take in the Everglades). You can also go camping at the Trail Lakes Campground, where the HQ is located, and visit the animal sanctuary.
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12. Catch the Motorcycle Races During Biketoberfest
- When: October 19 through 22
- Where: Daytona Beach, FL
- Where to stay: Daytona Grande Oceanfront Resort (from $193/night); Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort ($142/night)
Jump on your Harley and head to Daytona Beach for three days of motorcycle shows, races, scenic rides and live music. This year marks Biketoberfest’s 31st anniversary, and bars and restaurants throughout the city are holding events to celebrate. Don’t forget your leather jacket.
Candace Davison
13. Watch Your Car Defy Gravity on Spook Hill
- When: Ongoing
- Where: 600 N Wales Dr., Lake Wales, FL 33853
- Where to stay: The Terrace Hotel Lakeland (from $238/night); Courtyard by Marriott Winter Haven ($274/night)
If you’re visiting Central Florida—say, to take in the beauty of Bok Gardens or visit a certain mouse—it’s worth a detour to Spook Hill. Park your car on the white line at the base of the incline, put it in neutral and marvel at how your ride seems to creep uphill on its own. Spook Hill is one of the country’s oldest gravity hills (aka magnetic hills), where the landscape creates an optical illusion that a downhill slope is actually upward. Trippy.
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14. Catch the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party
- When: October 28
- Where: TIAA Bank Field Stadium in Jacksonville, FL
- Where to stay: Aloft Jacksonville Tapestry Park (from $142/night); Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront ($220/night)
Technically, this is a college football game, and technically, both schools would probably prefer you didn’t call it the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, but University of Florida and University of Georgia fans are clinging hard to that moniker. It’s fitting, too, considering an estimated 150,000 people flood TIAA Bank Field Stadium in Jacksonville—a halfway-ish point between the two schools—and many never make it into the stadium. They’re just there to tailgate, and tailgate they do. People hire DJs, bring their own private Port-a-Potties, don costumes and grill all kinds of food. Yeah, this is definitely one of the best fall things to do in Florida.
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15. Pick Your Own Citrus
- When: November
- Where: U-Pick Citrus Farm and Park in Clermont, FL
- Where to stay: Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort Disney Springs (from $122/night); Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek ($145/night)
While Florida does have its share of pumpkin patches, it’s far better known for its citrus. You’ll get the widest range of options in December, but late November is great for scoring red and yellow navel oranges, Early Pride tangerines, pomelos, lemons and both Persian and Key limes at U-Pick Citrus Farm and Park. It’s 25 minutes from Disney, and you can tack on a monster truck tour of the wildlife preserve there (where you can see zebra, water buffalo and alligators, among other animals) to really make a day of it.
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16. Check Out the Miami Book Fair
- When: November 12 through 19
- Where: Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus in Miami, FL
- Where to stay: The Gabriel Miami Downtown (from $207/night); The Elser Hotel Miami ($173/night)
It’s the 40th anniversary of the iconic Miami Book Fair—and this year, more than 500 authors will hit up Miami for lectures, readings and panels at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus. There’s also a street fair, where you can pick up a few new reads—or that elusive first edition you’ve been searching for. (Or maybe just a snack, since there are plenty of food vendors there too.)
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17. See a Rocket Launch in Cape Canaveral
- When: Ongoing
- Where: Kennedy Space Center
- Where to stay: Radisson Resort at the Port (from $118/night); Condo in Cape Canaveral (from $273/night, sleeps 5)
Whether you’re a space buff or have little ones who are fascinated with rockets, one of the greatest fall things to do in Florida is trekking through Florida’s Space Coast to reach Cape Canaveral. Spend the day at NASA and stroll through the iconic Rocket Garden. Plus, check out the schedule and plan your visit around a rocket launch. (Psst: There’s an exciting launch happening this October!)
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18. Take a Sunset Sail to Stiltsville
- When: Ongoing
- Where: Miami
- Where to stay: Circa 39 Hotel Miami Beach (from $109/night); Moxy Miami South Beach (from $198/night)
Perfect for both history-loving families or couples looking for a romantic date night, embark on a sunset sail to Stiltsville with a historian from HistoryMiami this autumn when the temperatures are just right. Located just one mile south of Cape Florida, this collection of charming, pastel-hued wooden houses traces its origins to the 1930s, during the era of Prohibition. Catch a glimpse of them during sunset, and you’ll immediately feel transported to another world. Afterward, make a reservation at Stiltsville Fish Bar in Sunset Harbour in Miami Beach for some of the best seafood you’ll ever taste.
