Tennessee plays host to a wealth of fall festivals like the National Banana Pudding Festival, Darryl Worley’s Tennessee River Run Downtown Savannah Concert, and Big Creek ATV Festival. For a complete list of events, visit tnvacation.com/calendar.
Ongoing
Columbia – Pumpkin Paradise Festival has fall fun like hayrides, a corn box, steer roping, indoor hay maze, duck races, corn cannon and more each weekend in October at Satterwhite Farms.
Huntingdon – Daryl Thetford, a photography-based digital collage artist, showcases his latest work in Contemporary Conversations through Nov.
25 at the Dixie Carter Performing Arts and Academic Enrichment Center.
Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27
Memphis – Join docents for a Fall Tram Tour through 96 acres, including David Rogers’ Big Bug exhibit 10 a.m. to noon CT at Memphis Botanic Garden.
Oct. 6-15
Statewide – Tennessee Craft Week shines a spotlight on craft artists each October at various events and attractions across the state. Country music legend, Tanya Tucker is the 2017 Tennessee Craft Week Honorary Chairman. For a list of events, visit www.tennesseecraft.org.
Oct. 11
Memphis – The Mersey Beatles perform their Sgt. Pepper’s 50th Anniversary Show 7:30 p.m. CT at the Halloran Centre at the Orpheum. Tickets range $32-$49.
Oct. 13
Memphis – Peter Cincotti has collaborated with artists like Andrea Bocelli and David Guetta and performs 7:30 p.m. CT at the Halloran Centre at the Orpheum. Tickets are $30.
Oct. 13-14
Hohenwald – The Oktober Heritage Festival includes Tennessee arts and craft vendors, food and entertainment along with the annual Fall Classic Car & Trunk Show in downtown Hohenwald.
Oct 14
Cookeville – The 4th annual Cub Mountain Ride to the Sky consists of three challenging bicycling routes – 20, 40, 60 and 80-mile options – that ends with live music, barbecue and local craft beers at Dogwood Park.
Grand Junction – Ames Plantation Heritage Festival is a blend of educational demonstrations, hands-on activities and a wide selection of traditional skills and handcrafted items.
Hendersonville – The October Fall Artisan Festival includes pet tents, food trucks, shopping, face painting, entertainment and more 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT at No. 38 Vintage Marketplace.
Jackson – Bagel and Bluegrass Bicycle Century Tour is a series of fundraising bicycle rides of 14, 32, 64 and 100 miles that travel through Pinson Mounds State Park and Chickasaw State Park.
LaFollette – Big Creek ATV Festival has guided ATV rides beginning in historic downtown LaFollette full of heavenly views from more than 600 miles of ATV trails in the beautiful Cumberland Mountains.
McMinnville – Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley perform at the Emmy Award-winning Bluegrass Underground beginning 1 p.m. CT in The Volcano Room of Cumberland Caverns.
Memphis – Ride your bicycle for a good cause during the St. Jude Ride where teams of up to six people or solo riders can complete the course 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT on Riverside Drive at Tom Lee Park. The 24-hour ride invites 12 riders on a team to ride 4 p.m. to 4 p.m. CT Oct. 13-14 beginning at Riverside Drive at Tom Lee Park.
Millington – Truck Mania is a high-energy competition which includes a burnout contest, exhibition vehicles, drag racing and more at Memphis International Raceway.
Monterey - Celebrate Monterey's rich history at the Standing Stone Day Festival that includes Native American heritage with the “laying of the wreath & tomahawk,” exploring downtown’s Civil War history, a parade, arts, crafts and food vendors, antique cars and will welcome hundreds of riders to town as a train excursion arrives from Nashville.
Nashville – Adam Carolla’s Not Taco Bell Material Tour touches on his journey from poverty to stardom 8 p.m. CT at the James K. Polk Theater.
Savannah – Darryl Worley’s Tennessee River Run Downtown Savannah Concert is a fundraiser by Darryl Worley’s foundation that helps neighbors in need and national charities in downtown Savannah.
Sparta – Liberty Square Celebration & Lester Flatt Memorial Bluegrass Day welcomes visitors around the U.S. to come pay tribute to the bluegrass legend with a full day of music, crafts, food, games, truck and car shows and much more.
Waynesboro – The Waynesboro Harvest Festival celebrates autumn’s arrival with food, fun, local entertainment and a costume contest on the downtown square.
Oct. 14-15
Millington – Hit TV show, Street Outlaws are filming an episode at Memphis International Raceway. Be there for all the televised action beginning 6 p.m. CT Oct. 14 and noon CT Oct. 15.
Oct. 15
Castalian Springs – Get ready for Irish ghost stories told in a special edition of If These Logs Could Talk conducted by Bledsoe’s Lick Historical Association 2 p.m. CT at Historic Wynnewood.
Knoxville – Dinner on the Gay Street Bridge raises funds for the Arts & Heritage Fund that includes cocktails, music by the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, dinner and a silent auction beginning 5:30 p.m. ET in downtown Knoxville.
Knoxville – A night of rock ‘n’ roll can be enjoyed as J Roddy Walston and the Business perform 8 p.m. ET on the U.S. Cellular Stage at the Bijou Theatre.
Nashville – Get a last look at Ancestral Modern: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Kaplan & Levi Collection before it closes at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.
Oct. 16-29
Rocky Top – Norris Dam State Park’s Annual Fall Color Trips feature a one-hour pontoon boat trip 11 a.m. ET, 12:30 p.m. ET, 2 p.m. ET and 3:30 p.m. ET on Norris Lake to view fall colors and wildlife. Canoes are $7 per person.
Oct. 17, 24, 31
Townsend – A tour and hike featuring a presentation about The Walker Sisters of Little Greenbrier by Robin Goddard and a hike to the Walker Sisters homestead departs 9:15 a.m. ETfrom the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center.
Oct. 18
Chattanooga – The Bodeans perform as part of the October Concert Series 7 p.m. ET at Songbirds Guitar Museum.
Knoxville – Audiences will go crazy when the Foo Fighters bring their Concrete & Gold USA Tour 2017 with The Struts 7:30 p.m. ET to Thompson Boling Arena.
Oct. 19
Chattanooga – The Not So Scary Animals program explores the jobs of seemingly scary animals in the natural world 9:30-10:30 a.m. ET at Tennessee Aquarium.
Oct. 19-21
Oliver Springs – Windrock Park Fall Jamboree has guided rides, rock crawls, drag races, mud bogs, live music and more with more than 72,000 acres of off-road adventure for the entire family.
Oct. 20
Chattanooga – Chuck Berry Birthday Bash featuring Paul Childers take the stage 7 p.m. ET at Songbirds Guitar Museum.
Nashville – Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, the off-Broadway hit comedy, is performed 8 p.m. CT at the James K. Polk Theater.
Nashville – The Music of World War I is narrated by Michael Lasser, public radio host and Peabody Award winner, and performed by vocalists Cindy Miller and Alan Jones 6:30 p.m. CTinside the Frist Center Auditorium at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts.
Oct. 20-21
Celina – Moonshine Daze is a light-hearted and entertaining heritage celebration in downtown Celina.
Mount Pleasant – The Mid-South BBQ Festival is KCBS sanctioned and includes a classic car show, entertainment, art and crafts vendors, a Kid’s Zone, children’s costume contest and local barbecue to sample in downtown Mount Pleasant.
Nashville – The 14th annual Tennessee History Festival makes history come alive as living historians present demonstrations, re-enactments and other programs at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park.
October 21
Cookeville - Participants in the Haunted Half Marathon beginning 7 a.m. CT can bundle their registration with tickets to the Blues & Brews Craft Beer Festival with more than 60 craft beers taking place noon to 5 p.m. CT at Dogwood Park.
Knoxville – Bryan Bowers brings his autoharp and songwriting talents to the stage 8 p.m. ET at the Laurel Theater. Tickets are $15.
Nashville – The 9th annual Barktoberfest is Middle Tennessee’s biggest dog festival with food trucks, a pet adoption fair, local vendor booths to browse and shop, A Howl-O-Ween Costume Contest and fun outdoor activities for the whole family at The Woods at Fontanel. Admission is free with $5 cash parking.
Oct. 21-22
Bell Buckle – More than 100,000 people attend the Webb Art & Craft Show to enjoy the best artisans, craftsmen and diverse food offered 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Oct. 21 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CT Oct. 22 in downtown Bell Buckle.
Oct. 22
Cookeville - Enjoy live music, a gourmet cocktail buffet, wine and beer selections and a live auction of regional and national art at Bacchanal: A Celebration of Art, Wine + Food.
Elizabethton – Old Time Music Jam is a celebration of the rich musical traditions of the East Tennessee region, led by Art Lang 1:30-4 p.m. ET at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park.
Knoxville – Howl-O-Ween Pooch Parade & Pet Expo includes a judged costume parade with prizes, food trucks and expo with educational booths, pet businesses and rescue groups 1-5 p.m. ET in the UT Gardens.
Oct. 24
Knoxville – A mix of rock, rap, reggae and funk is performed when 311 and special guest perform 8 p.m. ET at The Mill & Mine. Tickets are $40 in advance, $45 day of show.