Pumpkin Festival at Stone Mountain ParkStone Mountain
Sept 19 to Nov 1
Fall shows with the storybook characters during the day and the whole park glowing with pumpkins at night, plus all the regular park attractions.
Fall in Metro Atlanta2 things
The ones people drive in from other counties for. Most of them run the whole season, so you don't have to pick a weekend yet.
Fall on the Farm at Southern Belle FarmMcDonough
mid September into early November, Wednesdays through Sundays · check the date
A four acre corn maze and the pumpkin patch and pig races and a cow train and jumping pillow, and the bakery. You have to buy tickets online for a time slot before you go.
The little stuff, by town1 things
The city Halloween parties and the trunk or treats and the free stuff. Cities post their 2026 dates late, so anything marked "check the date" gets fixed the second it's announced.
Fall in Atlanta
Boo at the Zoo at Zoo Atlanta
Oct 17, 18, 24, 25 and 31 · check the date
Trick or treat stations around the zoo and costumed characters and carnival games, and it's included with a regular zoo ticket.
For the rest of your list
These don't need an address, tap them and they go on your list with everything else.
Christmas in Metro Atlanta6 things
Most of these post their 2026 dates in the fall, so these show last year's windows. Garden Lights and Fantasy in Lights sell out on December weekends, so book those two first.
Garden Lights, Holiday NightsAtlanta
mid November through early January (last year Nov 15 to Jan 11) · check the date
Millions of lights all through the garden and a giant curtain of lights that dances to music, and it won The Great Christmas Light Fight. Weekends in December sell out.
Magical Nights of LightsBuford
mid November through early January (last year Nov 15 to Jan 4) · check the date
Six miles of lights you drive through with the Christmas music on the radio, and you pay by the car so it's a good one for a big family.
Stone Mountain ChristmasStone Mountain
November through early January (last year it ran through Jan 4) · check the date
The whole park does Christmas, with the lights and the Christmas shows and Santa.
IllumiNights at Zoo AtlantaAtlanta
select nights mid November through mid January (last year Nov 21 to Jan 18) · check the date
A mile long path through the zoo lit up with hundreds of giant animal lanterns.
Holidays at Georgia AquariumAtlanta
mid November through early January (last year Nov 14 to Jan 4) · check the date
Giant trees and lights all over the aquarium, a tree lighting every day, and the penguins walking around the decorations.
Fantasy in Lights at Callaway GardensPine Mountain (worth the drive)
mid November through early January (last year Nov 14 to Jan 4) · check the date
A seven mile drive through 17 lit up Christmas scenes and then the Christmas village with the giant snowflakes and ornaments. It's about an hour and a half from Atlanta and so worth it.
Town Christmas stuff
The town stuff, and I'll add the tree lightings as the cities post them in November.
Christmas in Roswell
Enchanted Woodland Trails
November and December · check the date
Little fairy houses and gnome homes hidden all along the trails, and the kids go nuts finding them.
Christmas in Atlanta
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at the Center for Puppetry Arts
the holiday season (last year through Dec 28) · check the date
The Rudolph story done with puppets, perfect for little kids.
Winter Wonderland at Fernbank
late November through early January (last year through Jan 11) · check the date
Christmas trees and holiday traditions from all over the world set up inside the museum.
For the rest of your Christmas list
This is the at-home stuff, tap them and they go on your list with the lights and the train.
put it on the wall
Turn your Christmas picks into a real bucket list
Tap the lights and the trains and the town stuff you want and pick the Christmas design you like, and I'll hold onto your picks. The Christmas lists are coming soon, and the second they're up your picks drop straight into the slots.
Good any weekend3 things
The stuff that doesn't need a date, for the Saturday when nothing's going on.
Georgia AquariumAtlanta
The whale sharks, and the tunnel where they swim right over your head.
Fernbank MuseumAtlanta
The giant dinosaurs in the big hall, and the trails out back in the woods when it's nice out.
Center for Puppetry ArtsAtlanta
Puppet shows for little kids and a museum full of puppets, including a bunch of the Jim Henson ones.
Metro Atlanta fall and Christmas questions
When is the Stone Mountain Pumpkin Festival in 2026?
September 19 through November 1, 2026 at Stone Mountain Park, with storybook character shows during the day and the park lit up with pumpkins at night.
What are the best Christmas lights in Atlanta?
Garden Lights, Holiday Nights at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Magical Nights of Lights at Lanier Islands (a drive through you pay for by the carload), IllumiNights at Zoo Atlanta, Stone Mountain Christmas, and Fantasy in Lights at Callaway Gardens if you don't mind the drive.
Where is a good pumpkin patch near Atlanta?
Southern Belle Farm in McDonough has the pumpkin patch plus a corn maze and pig races and a cow train. You have to buy timed tickets online before you go.
Is Boo at the Zoo at Zoo Atlanta free?
It's included with regular zoo admission, and in 2026 it's listed for October 17, 18, 24, 25 and 31.
What is there to do in Atlanta on a rainy day?
The Georgia Aquarium, Fernbank Museum and the Center for Puppetry Arts, and at Christmas all three do holiday stuff inside.
who's writing this
Hi, I'm Amy.
We roadschool six kids out of a van. I'm just a mom with a Ford Transit and a lot of opinions about corn mazes, so if something on here is wrong, or your town's party is missing, email me at hello@bellebucket.com and I'll fix it.
put it on the wall
Turn your picks into a real bucket list
Tap the ones you want and I'll drop them onto whichever fall design you pick, then you add your own stuff (birthdays, carving pumpkins, whatever your family does). It prints big, like 24x36 big, and it hangs on the wall all season.