It doesn’t always feel like fall in Texas given our lack of tree colors and pre-winter chill, but that doesn’t mean we don’t like to celebrate the season. We might not get crazy leaf-peeping colors or the brisk autumn weather (amen to that), but beyond just getting a beloved PSL, there are still plenty of ways to celebrate the season and get in the Halloween spirit around Beaumont and greater Southeast Texas. Whether you want to scare your socks off or have a relaxing family day at the farm, it’s all treats, no tricks around these parts.
Pick Some Produce at a U-Pick-Farm
One of the largest family-owned farms in the area, Griffin Berry Farm has a rotating lineup of crops you can pick, eat, and enjoy. Currently, it’s persimmon and satsuma season (like a mandarin orange) with kumquats ripening in November. If you’re not into citrus, springtime brings blueberries May through June, while August and September are pears and Muscadine grapes. Priced per pound or per gallon depending on the bounty, bring home a bucket or bag and get creative with baking.
Visit the Pumpkin Patch
An annual event at Wesley UMC, the pumpkin patch has the best selection of gourds and fall photo ops in the area if you’re looking for a new family portrait backdrop for those holiday cards. Entrance is free, but pumpkin sales are a fundraiser for the youth ministry so you can also feel good knowing your carving skills (or lack thereof) are going toward a good cause.
Check-in at the Haunted Hotel
A Beaumont tradition for over 30 years, the Haunted Hotel and Rose Hill Asylum are regularly voted one of the top 10 haunted attractions in the country. They employ real actors, multisensory elements, and psychological warfare to ensure the experience is as creepy as ever and different every year. From chainsaws and meat lockers to zombies and carnies, once you check-in, you may not check out. The owners also operate an Escape Room if you’re looking for something a little less ghoulish to do or wish to challenge your puzzle skills.
See the Scarecrow Festival
The scarecrow festival at Shangri La Botanic Gardens is a community-driven event highlighting the creativity of crafty locals. Donated by businesses, schools, churches, and even families, scarecrow designs range from funny to clever to wacky and weird with a friendly competition for various prize categories. Come on down and vote for your favorite at this free event.
Further Afield…
Get Spooked on a Ghost Tour
Southeast Texas is rumored to be the most haunted part of the Lonestar State with nowhere more terrifying than Galveston. Many places are thought to be haunted from the site of the deadliest storm in US history to Hotel Galvez, which has been featured on the Travel Channel’s Ghost Stories and Discovery Channel’s Ghost Lab. The Galveston Historical Foundation offers spooky tours throughout October sharing stories of war, natural disasters, and pirates, or you can join nationally recognized paranormal expert Dash Beardsley on a tour of the island’s cemeteries (eek) and the downtown district.
Get Lost in a Corn Maze
Located in Brookshire, Texas just west of Houston, Dewberry Farm is the ultimate place to celebrate the season in the southeast. With more than 50+ attractions from a corn maze to a vintage carousel and pig races, there’s tons of fun for the kiddos plus BBQ, fried Oreos, fare food, and a Biergarten for mom and dad. In a few weeks, they’ll transition from fall to a beautiful Christmas Village and Trail of Lights so make sure to check out the winter wonderland, too.
Have Fun on the Farm
Just across the border in Louisiana, CM Farms in Dry Creek also knows how to celebrate the harvest. Meet the baby animals, take a wagon ride, or try your hand at challenges like roping. There are pony rides, gemstone mining, and a paintball gallery. Their corn maze even includes an augmented reality scavenger hunt you can play along on your mobile device to really step it up a notch.
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