The Best Autumn Events in Lancaster

The Lancaster County fall calendar does not end on Halloween. A haunted farm in Mountville stays open until Nov. 7, a film festival takes over Lititz on Nov. 12, and a Christmas train leaves Strasburg on Nov. 29.

This guide runs in date order, from this week to the end of November. Dates come from organizers and local news reports. Weather and sellouts change plans, so check before you go.

Running All Month

Haunted Rails & Tales, Strasburg Rail Road. Four Halloween train rides run through Oct. 25: The Brakeman’s Curse, The Haunting of Pumpkin Junction, Pumpkins in Paradise and A Night of Smoke and Silk.

The Spooky Scoot, Strasburg Scooter Tours. A guide leads two-person Scoot Coupes down dark back roads, with stops for local folklore. It runs through Oct. 31.

Happy Hauntings, Dutch Wonderland. The park’s Halloween season runs through Oct. 31.

Ghost Tour of Lancaster. The tour meets at Penn Square and runs through Nov. 15.

Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, Manheim. Knights joust on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 25 at 2775 Lebanon Road. The faire crowned a new Queen Elizabeth this season.

Brecknock Orchards, Mohnton. Fall festival days at 390 Orchard Road fall on Oct. 9-10, 12, 17, 24 and 31, with pumpkin, apple, squash and gourd picking, wagon rides and crafts. Admission is free. Most activities cost $7 to $26.

Oct. 5-11

Oct. 5-9: Manheim Community Farm Show. The show runs through Friday at 502 Adele Ave. Admission and parking are free, and local nonprofits run the food stands. This is its 72nd year. The date never moves: the first full week of October, right after the New Holland Fair.

Oct. 9: Night at the Museum. Binns Park in Lancaster city shows the movie for free as part of the city’s 250th movie series.

Oct. 10: StoudtoberFest. Stoudtburg Village in Adamstown fills with German food, bands and a stein-hoisting contest from noon to 6 p.m. A general ticket with a beer costs $17 plus fees. Designated drivers pay $10.

Oct. 10: Lancaster Kidpreneur Day. Binns Park hosts it.

Oct. 10: Gifts That Give Hope Fair. The Farm and Home Center hosts a gift fair built around ethically sourced goods and local nonprofits.

Oct. 10-11: Harvest Days at Landis Valley. Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, at 2451 Kissel Hill Road, calls Harvest Days its oldest and largest event. Artisans demonstrate their crafts, and there are pumpkins to pick and tractor rides to take, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Tickets cost $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for children 6 to 11. Younger children get in free. Storms in July damaged the museum and closed it for a time, and Harvest Days is one of its biggest fundraisers.

Oct. 11: Fall Cider Celebration. Historic Rock Ford hosts it, and tickets are sold online.

Oct. 12-18

Oct. 15: Three evening picks. The Conway Room runs a Study Hall on pre-Prohibition cocktails. Zoetropolis Cinema Stillhouse screens Get Out. Gallery Grow holds a happy hour workshop called Little Terrariums of Terrors.

Oct. 16-Nov. 8: Murder at Ackerton Manor. The Fulton’s studio series pairs with Gretna Theatre on an Agatha Christie spoof in which three actors play dozens of roles.

Oct. 16-18: Tales From the Shadows. Lancaster city spends the weekend on ghost stories.

Oct. 17: the busiest Saturday. AppleUmpkin Fall Festival fills Adamstown Grove, 300 W. Main St., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Apple dumplings are the signature, and admission is free. Kauffman Orchards in Bird-in-Hand holds its third annual Apple Festival with a corn maze, pumpkin picking and food trucks. The Elizabethtown Fairgrounds host the GEARS Fall Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is free, and it has a haunted barn and a hayride that is not scary. Meadow Garden Mercantile in Manheim offers goat petting and craft vendors over the same hours.

In the city on Oct. 17, the Lancaster Art Walk runs, Cirque du Canines plays the Ware Center, and the Lancaster Heart Walk steps off at Long’s Park. West Art hosts Savage Cabaret, a burlesque Halloween show for adults.

Oct. 18: Last day of Ragtime. The Fulton’s musical about immigrants, Black Americans and the wealthy in early twentieth century New York ends its run. Lancaster Bible College hosts a Choral Festival the same day, and the Ware Center welcomes the percussionist Sandeep Das.

Oct. 19-25

Oct. 21: Harvest Tour. Bird-in-Hand Village Inn & Suites, at 2695 Old Philadelphia Pike, runs a tour of local farms at harvest time.

Oct. 23: Hammer Creek Bluegrass. The Bird-in-Hand Stage hosts the band from 7 to 9 p.m.

Oct. 24: Rocky Horror at Tellus360. The Rocky Horror Picture Show plays in the city.

Oct. 24: Make & Take: Glass Christmas Tree. The Bird-in-Hand Artisan Village runs a 90-minute craft workshop from 10 a.m. to noon.

Oct. 25: Last day for the Ren Faire and Haunted Rails & Tales.

Oct. 26-31

Oct. 29: Chanticleer. The vocal ensemble performs for the Lancaster Art Song Society at Lancaster Bible College.

Oct. 30: Boos and Brews Beerfest. Penn Medicine Park hosts the Halloween beer festival.

Oct. 31: Halloween. Rachel’s Creperie hosts the Shadows of Lancaster Adventure Race. The Spooky Scoot and Happy Hauntings close out their seasons, and Brecknock Orchards holds its last fall festival day.

November

Nov. 7: Field of Screams closes its regular season. Murder at Ackerton Manor ends its run at the Fulton on Nov. 8.

Nov. 12-15: Red Rose Film Festival. Penn Cinema, at 541 Airport Road in Lititz, screens independent films with an international and local focus. Filmmakers attend, and the awards ceremony is Saturday, Nov. 14, in the IMAX theater.

Nov. 13: Extreme Blackout at Field of Screams. The night is a separate ticket and tends to sell out.

Nov. 14: Zombie Fun Run. The 14th annual 5K runs on the Field of Screams grounds. Part of the proceeds goes to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.

Nov. 14: Sourdough Bread for Beginners. The Bird-in-Hand Artisan Village runs a baking class.

Nov. 20: Annie opens at the Fulton. The musical runs through Dec. 31 with professional actors and local performers.

Nov. 26: Thanksgiving. The Bird-in-Hand Family Restaurant & Smorgasbord serves a turkey and ham dinner from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Strasburg Scooter Tours runs a Thanksgiving Day tour of two covered bridges. It starts at 246 N. Decatur St. and lasts two to three hours.

Nov. 27: Mayor’s Tree Lighting. Lancaster city’s holiday season, Lancaster City for the Holidays, opens with the tree lighting, Santa and live entertainment. Central Market stays open late. The city’s holiday programming runs through Dec. 31.

Nov. 28: Small Business Saturday. Nearly 150 local artisans and entrepreneurs set up across the city. In Bird-in-Hand, a Christmas shopping bus tour runs from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Bird-in-Hand Family Inn. The Fulton’s family show, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, opens with Santa, Frosty and Rudolph and runs through Dec. 26.

Nov. 29: Santa’s Paradise Express. Strasburg Rail Road, at 301 Gap Road in Ronks, runs a 45-minute Christmas ride with carolers, brass musicians and a visit from Santa. Arrive 30 minutes early to check in at the station box office. Call 866-725-9666 for tickets.

The city’s calendar continues into December with Light Up Southeast on Dec. 3, Santa in the City on Dec. 4, 5, 12 and 19, and New Year’s Eve at Penn Medicine Park.

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