🍁 Fall Fun Around Champaign-Urbana: Your Ultimate Autumn Bucket List

Fall is one of the best times to explore Central Illinois - from cozy flannel events to apple picking and glowing pumpkin displays! Whether you’re new to the area or a long-time local, here are our favorite ways to celebrate the season around Champaign-Urbana.

🥕 1. Visit Local Farmers' Markets

Stock up on fall favorites like squash, pumpkins, and greens while supporting local growers. Many markets, like Urbana’s Market at the Square, run through October, the perfect weekend outing for families.

🪓 2. Flannel Fest in West Side Park

Don your plaid and enjoy live music, lumberjack shows, food trucks, and crafts at Flannel Fest, happening October 25. A true local tradition!

🏈 3. Illini Game Days at Grange Grove

Join the excitement outside Memorial Stadium! Grange Grove features free inflatables, face painting, and live performances for all ages.

🏛️ 4. Explore the Museum of the Grand Prairie

Located in Mahomet’s Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, this museum offers fun, educational (and often free) programs for kids throughout the fall.

🎃 5. Hardy’s Reindeer Ranch

Get lost in the 10-acre corn maze, take a hayride, try out the pumpkin launcher, or visit the gift shop at this local favorite. A must-visit for fall family fun!

🍎 6. Go Apple Picking

Head to Curtis Orchard for apples, cider, cider donuts, and other seasonal treats. Young or old, it’s a local favorite for a reason and will kick off fall the right way! 

🧡 7. Celebrate at the CU Pride Festival

Every fall, downtown Champaign bursts with color and joy during the CU Pride Festival & Parade, a week of family-friendly events and community spirit. This year, it is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25, with events happening all week long

🌾 8. Discover Negangard’s Pumpkin Patch

Known as a hidden gem, Negangard’s offers endless pumpkins and gourds at great prices. Don’t forget to swing by the Sidney Dairy Barn afterward for one last ice-cream stop of the season!

🌌 9. Look Up and Stargaze

Fall skies are crystal clear, so grab a blanket, some hot chocolate, and head to Middle Fork River Forest Preserve, Illinois’ only international dark-sky park, for some spectacular stargazing!

🚶‍♀️ 10. Take in the Fall Colors

From Allerton Park in Monticello to Homer Lake and Anita Purves Nature Center, Central Illinois is full of trails bursting with autumn color. Pack a picnic, grab your camera, and go explore!

🔥 11. Cozy Up Outdoors

Whether it’s roasting s’mores in your backyard fire pit or enjoying a local outdoor movie night, fall evenings are made for gathering together.

🍂 Fall is the perfect time to explore everything our community has to offer, and maybe even fall in love with a new neighborhood while you’re at it!

Thinking about making a move this season? The Gallivan Group is here to help you find your perfect home in Champaign-Urbana and beyond.

📲 Contact us today to get started!