Bastrop County's Fall Festivals: Pumpkins, Cars and Ghosts

Bastrop County does fall better than most of Central Texas, and the season is about to hit its stride. If you are looking for a weekend plan that does not involve fighting Austin traffic, the county has a spread of festivals and events that lean hard into the autumn theme, from pumpkin patches and corn mazes to car shows and haunted attractions.

For families, the pumpkin patch circuit is the obvious place to start. Barton Hill Farms, a family farm outside Austin that has been called the best pumpkin patch in Central Texas, runs its festival from early October through early November, with a pumpkin patch, a five-acre corn maze, and more than 30 activities. Closer to town, the Community Gardens pumpkin patch is going into its fifth year and keeps things free, with a train, an inflatable castle and pumpkin painting for a few dollars each. Whispering Pines rounds out the list with carriage rides, farm animals and a pumpkin carving contest, while the Fall Festival Extravaganza at Ascension Catholic Church brings together live music, a cake walk, a country store and a dedicated Kiddie Row for the little ones.

Once October rolls around, the county leans into the spookier side of the season. The Bastrop Boo Bash at Fisherman's Park is a free evening of costumes, games and inflatables, capped off with an outdoor screening of Beetlejuice. For something more intense, Scream Hollow turns 20 acres into a haunted attraction with three haunted houses, a witch-themed cafe and a vampire bar. If you would rather spend your evening with a camera than a ghost, the Smithville Texas Photo Festival runs for nine days in mid-October, with models, sets, classes and contests.

Autumn here is not all pumpkins and ghosts, though. The Bastrop County Master Gardeners hold a fall plant sale at Mayfest Park, where you can pick up pollinators, perennials, natives and indoor plants while chatting with an expert. The Elgin Hogeye Festival celebrates the pig in the self-proclaimed Sausage Capitol of Texas, with a barbecue pork cook-off, a car show and a children's area. And for the car enthusiasts, the Heroes & Hot Rods Veteran Day Car Show takes over historic downtown Bastrop in mid-November, with hundreds of vehicles lined up along Main Street.

Beyond the festivals, the county keeps a steady rhythm of community events. The Bastrop Live Music Foundation, founded in 2023 to support the local music scene, holds its annual fall fundraiser to keep musicians working in local venues. The Bastrop Patriotic Festival pairs an animal parade with fireworks at Fisherman's Park, and the Colorado River 100 pushes endurance canoeists from Bastrop down to Columbus. As the season winds down, the focus shifts toward the holidays, with the Bastrop Lost Pines Christmas and the River of Lights turning the June Hill Pape Riverwalk into a lighted display from the Friday after Thanksgiving through New Year's Eve.

Whether you are in it for the pumpkins, the cars or the haunted houses, Bastrop County fills the autumn calendar without much dead space. Most of the festivals are family-friendly and easy to drop into for a few hours, so you can pick and choose what fits your weekend.