Fun Fall Activities in and near Shakopee

Activities Attractions Best of Shakopee Events Festivals Outdoors

Pumpkins, apples, fall leaves, corn mazes—from family-friendly fall festivals to spooky thrills, Shakopee has fall activities for everyone!

Embrace the season at Sever’s Fall Festival. There are over 20 attractions for all ages included with admission, like a corn maze, extreme corn pit, petting zoo, and live entertainment. For an additional charge, you can ride a pony, zoom down a giant slide, and pick out your own pumpkin. Enjoy quintessential fall treats like pumpkin lattes, caramel apples, and apple fritters at the festival’s two food courts.

Sever’s Fall Festival runs weekends September 16-October 29, 2023, plus Thursday, October 19 and Friday, October 20 for MEA break.

Fall is an ideal time to experience the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. The country’s largest Renaissance Festival features live jousting, entertainment, an artisan marketplace with over 250 vendors, and games. Kids can meet magical folk at the Fairywing Forest and Mermaid Cove, get up close to slithering snakes, and make free crafts.

The Renaissance Festival is held on weekends from August 19-October 1, 2023 as well as Labor Day and Festival Friday, September 29. Fall themes include Wine, Chocolate & Romance (September 2-4), Woofstock (September 9-10), Experience Love for the Arts (September 16-17), Bold North Adventure (September 23-24), and Oktoberfest (September 29-October 1).

For sweet treats and family-friendly eeriness, visit Tricks and Treats at Valleyfair. The theme park is transformed into the nostalgic, fall festival-inspired Land of Treats and the playfully spooky Land of Tricks. Wear your costumes and check out the Halloween-themed crafts, entertainment, and activities, plus special seasonal treats. Valleyfair’s most popular rides will be open, too, so you can enjoy mild and wild thrills.

Tricks and Treats is held on select dates September 30-October 29, 2023.

Stock up on your favorite nostalgic, international, and hard-to-find sweets at Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store. In addition to a massive assortment of candy (there are 91 different flavors of saltwater taffy alone), you’ll find fall goodies like locally grown apples, pumpkins, and pies. Don’t forget to look up—the store’s walls and ceilings are decorated with murals and life-size figures depicting superheroes, Disney characters, and more.

Minnesota’s Largest Candy Store is open daily through Thanksgiving weekend. The store doesn’t accept credit or debit cards, but there’s an ATM on-site.

Bite into the season’s iconic fruit at Minnesota Harvest. Stroll through the apple orchard, say hello to the friendly farm animals, and then savor some delicious pastries and caramel apples at the country store. The historic farm also offers kid-friendly activities like wagon rides, a corn pit, corn maze, gem mining, and apple cannons.

With colorful foliage and hundreds of pumpkins, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum puts on a festive display for fall. Admire the scarecrows and pumpkins by the visitor center and purchase Arboretum-grown apples, pumpkins, squash, and other goodies at the Apple House. For leaf peeping, explore the Three-Mile Drive or Three-Mile Walk.

The Arboretum is open daily, and the pumpkin and scarecrow displays are included with admission. The scarecrows will be on display September 16-October 31, 2023, and the pumpkins will pop up from October 1-31, 2023.

Get in the Halloween spirit at the Phantom’s Feast, an ages 17-plus dinner with ghost stories. Held on the grounds of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, your ticket includes entertainment, a fall-themed four-course meal, beverages, and a souvenir mug. Stick around after the show for a ghost hunt.

The Phantom’s Feast is held on select dates October 13-29, 2023.

Plan a getaway to Shakopee this fall! Shakopee is home to Valleyfair, Canterbury Park, and the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. It’s also conveniently located to area attractions like Mystic Lake Casino and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.