North Central Ohio is a beautiful place to live in the fall, especially if you have a lakeside property. From fall fun for kids to scarier attractions for teens and themed island party events for adults, there are ample fall activities in Ohio to keep everyone entertained.
Whether you’re already living here, recently moved, or are planning to move here soon, here are the top 10 fall activities in the North Central Ohio area to check out in 2021 and beyond.
- Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends
- Ohio Haunted Houses
- Fall Family Fest at Sandusky County Fairgrounds
- The Oak Harbor Apple Festival
- Put-in-Bay’s Oktoberfest and Halloween Boo Bash
- Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum’s Annual Paranormal Investigation
- Halloween-Related Live Shows
- Drive-In Halloween Movies
- The Annual Tiffin Halloween Parade
- Fall Farm Fun for the Whole Family
Check out the details on each of these events and activities below.
1. Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends
An annual favorite, Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends combines the usual fun of an amusement park experience with Halloween-themed decorations, haunted houses, and shows. For families with little ones, Cedar Point’s Tricks and Treats Fall Fest includes tasting stations with fall treats, kid-friendly activities like corn and hay mazes and fall crafts, costume contests, and interactive trick-or-treat stations. For older kids and adults, Haunt at HalloWeekends includes several haunted houses, scare zones, and live shows.
Running Thursday through Sunday every weekend from September 17 through October 31 in 2021, you can check out the details here.
2. The Best Ohio Haunted Houses
For additional haunts, there are ample places both in North Central Ohio and throughout the rest of the state that are well-regarded. One of the most famous Ohio haunted houses is located in Mansfield at the old Ohio State Reformatory and called Escape from Blood Prison. Each year, the historical site plans a multi-part, intense, themed haunted house experience that leads guests throughout the former prison building.
Other popular haunted houses in Ohio can be found here.
3. Fall Family Fest at Sandusky County Fairgrounds
Looking for a little lighter fun for younger family members? Check out the Fall Family Fest at Sandusky County Fairgrounds. In 2021, the event is October 15 to 17 and includes options for weekend camping, corn-hole and dodgeball tournaments, costume and campsite decorating contests, kids crafts and activities, and a demolition derby.
4. The Oak Harbor Apple Festival
In its 42nd year in 2021, you won’t want to miss the annual Oak Harbor Apple Festival. Ohio is home to some of the best apple orchards in the country, making this a can’t-miss family-friendly event for people living in the Lake Erie Shores & Islands area. Located in downtown Oak Harbor, this year’s event takes place on Saturday, October 9 from 9 am to 11 pm and Sunday, October 10 from 10 am to 6 pm.
5. Put-in-Bay’s Oktoberfest and Halloween Boo Bash
For adults, the end of the Put-in-Bay annual party events calendar goes out with a bang with an Oktoberfest event in early October and the Halloween Boo Bash at the end of the month. Featuring German food and beer alongside live polka music, 2021’s Put-in-Bay Oktoberfest will be held on October 9 and 10. For Halloween, Put-in-Bay’s bars run cash-prize costume contests each night from October 22 to 24.
6. Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum’s Annual Paranormal Investigation
This year, for their 9th Annual Paranormal Investigation, the Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum in Bellevue will be joined by True Ohio Paranormal (T.O.P.) for a guided tour through their cars and buildings with paranormal investigation equipment. Meant for older teens and adults interested in the paranormal, the event starts at 7 pm and may run late — even into the early morning hours! Coffee, water, and light snacks will be provided.
7. Halloween-Related Live Shows
Now that many Ohio movie theaters and live shows are open to the public again after COVID-19 closures last year, you may be interested in getting out of the house to watch a popular Halloween-themed show. In 2021, the Bellevue Society for the Arts is putting on Little Shop of Horrors the last weekend in September and first weekend in October. And with a highly dedicated cult following, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has multiple annual showings events in locations across Ohio, which you can check out here.
8. Drive-In Halloween Movies
Drive-in movie theaters also typically show both family-friendly Halloween-themed movies and horror movies this time of year. There are a couple of drive-ins in the North Central Ohio area, including the Starview in Norwalk, and the Tiffin Drive-In Theater (if you’re reading this in 2021, please note that the Tiffin Drive-In Theater is temporarily closed for construction).
9. The Annual Tiffin Halloween Parade
For a family event on the actual day of Halloween, check out the annual Tiffin Halloween Parade. The parade occurs at 4 pm in downtown Tiffin, just before Seneca County’s 6 to 8 pm Trick-or-Treat.
10. Fall Farm Fun for the Whole Family
A popular annual activity for families, multiple area farms offer farmer’s markets and popular fall snacks like cider and kettle corn, sell pumpkins, give hayrides and build corn mazes for the fall. Two such farms in the area are the Rocking ER Farm Store in Willard and Riehm’s Barnyard Fun in Tiffin. The Rocking ER Farm Store also offers face painting, free crafts for kids, and pony rides. Riehm’s event centers around a corn maze, giant slide, goat walk, pig races, pedal carts, and more.
Enjoy Your Fall in North Central Ohio
North Central Ohio is a beautiful place to live on or near Lake Erie with strong communities and access to fall activities in Ohio that every member of the family will enjoy. If you’re looking to move to North Central Ohio, the CENTURY21 Bolte Real Estate team has the local expertise to help you find the right house.
