14 Can’t-Miss Fall Festivals and Events in Sauk County

Things to Do

Take a night hike along a torch-lit trail at Devil’s Lake State Park, find a new favorite craft beer, board a vintage train to pick out a pumpkin, or munch vegetarian fare while listening to live music: These are just a few of the fun fall happenings taking place throughout Sauk County this autumn. Want more? We’ve got you covered.

Country Bumpkin Fall Fun

Wisconsin Dells | Sep. 1-Oct. 31

Country Bumpkin Fall Fun

The market is open all summer for freshly picked berries, fruit, and vegetables, but come autumn, you’ll want to visit for the fall festivities. The Lil’ Bumpkin Play Village is a hit for all ages with play buildings, a giant climbable John Deere, a zip line, a pedal-kart racetrack, and a petting zoo. Then find your way through the 2.5-acre corn maze and catch a ride around the farm on the Country Bumpkin Express Train. Grab a soft spot on a hayride to the pumpkin patch, where you can pick the perfect squash in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Admission is $15 per person and includes a cone of animal feed. The concession stand serves food and drinks on weekends and the on-site bakery is always sending out fresh pies, breads, and more.

Apple Season at Ski-Hi

Baraboo | Thursdays – Saturdays

Apple Season at Ski-Hi

Apple season is here! Grab your baskets and appetite and enjoy over 30 different varieties of apples at Ski-Hi Fruit Farm. Whether you are on your way to Devil’s Lake for the day or just stopping by to stock up, discover bluff-top views, fall colors, orchard sights, and friendly farmyard animals. Shop the Sunset Market on Thursday nights and enjoy crafty vendors, or make it an all-day event Friday and Saturdays until 6 p.m. Enjoy this fun fall tradition where you are sure to leave with full bellies and plenty of memories.

Hill & Valley Exploration Tour: A Celebration of Rural Living

Sauk, Richland & Juneau Counties | Sep. 28 & 29

Fall tour picture with pumpkins

The Annual Hill & Valley Exploration Tour will be here shortly! The Hill & Valley Exploration Tour will be our best yet with new and returning venues showcasing the best of rural living. From Farm-to-Fork Dining to Historic Folk Art Sites to Chickens and Beef Farming to Wine and Mead – we have something for everyone! Plan a day or a weekend (or two) for the Hill & Valley Exploration Tour: A celebration of rural living!

Farm Art DTour (Formally Fermentation Fest)

Reedsburg | Oct. 5-13

Farm/Art DTour Fermentation Fest

Join us for a thrilling 2-day event filled with captivating activities at Fermentation Fest: Spirits Edition. Discover a world of mezcal, as Gary Paul Nabhan shares his insights from “Agave Spirits: The Past, Present, and Future of Mezcals.” Dive into the intriguing history of The Great Awakening and its connection to the Witwen Tabernacle with Erica Ruggerio. Learn about distilled spirits and their plant origins, while immersing yourself in captivating artworks, performances, and zines. Indulge in local delicacies and mark your calendars for next year’s 10-day extravaganza, featuring the Farm/Art DTour through magnificent farmland adorned with large-scale artworks. Unleash your spirit at Fermentation Fest: Spirits Edition.

Fall Fair on the Square

Baraboo | Oct. 5

Fall Fair on the Square

The whole downtown of Baraboo seems to participate in this hopping semiannual festival, which showcases more than 170 artisans, who come to share their crafts and cuisines. Hop from booth to booth (and in and out of the brick-and-mortar boutiques) for everything from jewelry and accessories to art and home goods, made or sourced by Midwestern hands. When you’ve shopped until you’ve nearly dropped, the area has plenty of restaurants and food trucks waiting to serve you. There’s also live music, kids’ activities, and a farmer’s market so you can do some fresh produce and goods shopping too.

Smore Fun Trail Run

The Mirror Lake State Park | Oct. 5

Runners running over a bridge in nature

This fun trail run includes a Mini Marshmallow 1-mile kids run age 11 & under, 5K run & walk and 10K trail and a half marathon run along the park’s scenic trails. There will be chip-timing for the 5K run, 10K run & Half Marathon race with the help of Tortoise and Hare Race Management timing company.

The goal of this event is to introduce people to the state park and to raise funds to support ongoing and future Friends’ projects at the park. You will run along scenic Mirror Lake, near sandstone cliffs, up and down steep hills (did we mention the hills?) and to the finish line where you can enjoy post-race food and beverages including s’mores around a campfire, making for a truly unique running experience!

Dells On Tap Weekend

Wisconsin Dells | Oct. 19

Dells On Tap Weekend

There’s some historical evidence to suggest brewing beer in Wisconsin began back in the 1830s, before Wisconsin even became a state. To say that concocting the perfect cold one is part of the state’s history is an understatement. This annual celebration raises a glass to the Wisconsin Dells’ brewing heritage with two days of sipping alongside other beer lovers. Enjoy the Dells Craft Beer Walk on Friday, where you can barhop to sample artisan brews at participating places downtown from 5 to 9 p.m. for $25 to $35. Saturday’s Dells On Tap is one of the Midwest’s biggest microbrew tasting festivals. Brewmasters come from far and wide to set up on the fairgrounds and present their most prized elixirs. General admission runs $50 to $65, while $75 to $90 VIP tickets include early access, a commemorative mug, and a pretzel necklace. Worth it for the pretzel necklace, if you ask us.

Fall Art Tour

Sauk County Cities | Oct. 18, 19, 20

Rainbow mural Fall Art Tour

Owning art is a privilege, but knowing its maker is special. Every fall, Sauk County artists collaborate and open their studios to the public, allowing visitors an intimate look at how their work is brought to life. For three days, you can follow a tour map and cruise the hillsides of Sauk County from Spring Green to Baraboo, finding the studios of 49 artists, who make a variety of media including photography, sculpture, furniture, woodwork, paintings, ceramics, jewelry, and more. Some of the buildings are as fascinating as the art created within, including restored breweries, one-room schoolhouses, and historic storefronts.

Mid-Continent Railway Pumpkin Special

North Freedom | Oct. 19-20

Mid-Continent Railway Pumpkin Special

Bumping along on a hayride to a pumpkin patch is lovely, but taking a train is exceptional. All aboard the Mid-Continent Railway’s 100-year-old restored steel coaches for a ride to Quartzite Lake, where you can hop off the train and pick a locally grown pumpkin to bring home. The ride, offered four times a day, is about an hour to Quartzite Lake and back to the railway museum, where you can check out all the preserved railroad cars from the “Golden Age of Railroading.” You can book tickets online in advance for $12 to $22 per person. (Children under 2 are free.) Bring cash if you want to purchase a pumpkin. The museum also offers a special Autumn Color Weekend ride and the Santa Express with the big man himself every year.

Halloween Hike & Pumpkin Carving Contest at Devil’s Lake State Park

Baraboo | Oct. 26 

Beautiful fall foliage

Spooky season hits Devil’s Lake State Park with a 3 p.m. pumpkin carving contest with categories for all ages and prizes that’ll have you carving competitively. (A one-year park sticker and Culver’s gift cards go to the winners.) Then, lace your boots up at 6 p.m. for a shadowy, 1-mile torch-lit hike followed by a warm campfire with s’mores, snake-themed crafts, and trivia led by the park’s resident naturalist.

Christmas Light Parade

Baraboo | Nov. 23

Santa Claus parade

This parade has all the bells, whistles, and twinkling lights to give even the Grinch the Yuletide warm fuzzies. See lighted floats, reindeer- and horse-drawn carriages, marching bands, and, of course, Saint Nick himself as they make their way through historic downtown Baraboo. Santa will be lighting the official downtown Baraboo holiday tree atop the Al Ringling Theater before visiting with kids and posing for family photos.

Autumn in Sauk County can only mean one thing — fall activities galore.

Get updates from Sauk County delivered regularly to your inbox.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Read the Latest