Two Fall Traditions Worth Planning Around: Cheekwood Harvest and Boo at the Zoo
<p>Two of Nashville's biggest fall family attractions now have their 2026 dates locked, and they overlap for about two weeks in October. If you are only doing one, it is worth knowing how they differ.</p>
<h2><a href=”https://nashvegas.com/event/cheekwood-harvest-2026/”>Cheekwood Harvest</a> — September 19 through November 1</h2>
<p>Six weeks, and the rare seasonal attraction that works for a toddler and a middle schooler on the same afternoon. Marigold River and Pumpkin Village put three walk-in pumpkin houses and thousands of pumpkins along the garden paths. The Scarecrow Trail adds fifteen storybook-inspired builds from local artists and organizations — the kind of thing kids will actually stop and look at rather than sprint past.</p>
<p><strong>Admission</strong> runs roughly $21 to $27 for adults, $19 to $25 for seniors, and $14 to $22 for ages 3 through 17, depending on the day and whether mansion access is included. Ages 2 and under are free, and members are free. Budget an extra $2 per-ticket service fee and $5 for parking if you are not a member.</p>
<p>Two things worth planning around. TOTS! runs Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon, with hands-on activities, story times, and the Turtle Talks that small children will bring up again in March. Live bands play Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 2 p.m.</p>
<h2><a href=”https://nashvegas.com/event/boo-at-the-zoo-2026/”>Boo at the Zoo</a> — October 16 through November 1</h2>
<p>Seventeen nights, 5 to 9 p.m. each, at Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. This is the friendly version of Halloween — trick-or-treating along the paths, animal shows, and a Fall Fun Zone — not the jump-scare version. It lands well for kids who are too young for haunted houses and still holds up for the ones who claim to be too old for costumes.</p>
<p><strong>Admission</strong> is $23 Friday through Sunday and $19 Monday through Thursday for everyone ages 2 and up. Under 2 is free. Members save $3 per ticket. Parking is $10, free for members.</p>
<p><strong>Buy ahead.</strong> Parking capacity is limited and advance purchase is required, so this is not an event you decide on at 4:30 in the afternoon. The weeknight pricing is a real saving if your schedule allows it, and the crowds are noticeably thinner Monday through Thursday.</p>
<h2>Picking one</h2>
<p>Cheekwood is the daytime, stroller-friendly, walk-at-your-own-pace option, and it runs long enough that you are not locked into a specific weekend. Boo at the Zoo is an evening out — later, more structured, more of an occasion, and better for kids old enough to stay up and carry a candy bucket. If you have a wide age spread at home, Cheekwood absorbs it more easily.</p>
<p>Both are on the <a href=”https://nashvegas.com/calendar-of-events/category/family-fun/”>Family Events calendar</a>, along with everything else we are tracking this fall.</p>
