What's happening
Events Calendar
Just events, no always-open places. Each circle is something happening that day; tap a day to see what it is.
- Event
- Free
- Kids
- Halloween
- Cancelled
Friday, October 16
Friday Night Lights — High School Football
7:00 PM (varies by school)
Local high schools across Hamilton County & the area
Weekly Friday night football through the regular season — check TSSAA for your local team's matchup and kickoff time. Small admission fee typically applies.
Weekly through Nov 6
- Free
Fridays, 3:00 PM
Chattanooga Public Library — Downtown, 1001 Broad Street, Chattanooga, TN
A weekly drop-in mahjong afternoon at the downtown library — all experience levels welcome, tiles provided. Free.
Weekly through Dec 31
- Kids
Fall Festival at Flat Top Mountain Farm (Fridays)
Fridays 10 AM–6 PM
Flat Top Mountain Farm, 638 Bowman Cemetery Rd, Soddy-Daisy, TN
New! Opening day of the farm's fall season (runs through Nov 1) — hayrides, a corn maze, Highland cows and mini donkeys, and mountain views. $12 admission includes a homegrown pumpkin; kids 3 and under free. Free parking, stroller-friendly. Worth the drive north of town.
Weekly through Oct 30
Rails, Wizards & Spells (Fridays)
Fridays 4–10 PM
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, 4119 Cromwell Rd, Chattanooga, TN
New! A family fall event on weekends through Oct 25: a train ride to Wizards Way Village, an enchanted-forest walk, potion-making, oversized games, a hayride and a turntable demonstration. $35 per person, ages 2+; plan on about 2.5 hours.
Weekly through Oct 23
Enchanted Pumpkin Patch at Rock City
Fri 10 AM–10:30 PM
Rock City Gardens, 1400 Patten Road, Lookout Mountain, GA
Rock City's fall wonderland — pumpkins, twinkling lights, fall photo spots and seasonal treats among the gardens and rock formations. Runs daily through Oct 31; this file covers the Friday nights.
Weekly through Oct 30
- Kids
Mayfield Farm Park Fall Festival (Fridays)
Fridays 11 AM–4 PM
Mayfield Farm Park, 257 Hwy 307 E, Athens, TN
Three corn mazes, a 50-variety pumpkin patch, hayrides, zip lines, a mountain slide, a silo light show, animals and more (40+ activities), running through Nov 8. This is paid admission, not free — buying online saves a few dollars off the gate price; check the ticket page for the current day-by-day prices. Kids 2 and under are always free.
Weekly through Nov 6
All week, hours vary by shop
Participating coffee shops around Chattanooga
$5 featured fall coffees and $3 featured pastries at about 14 local coffee shops, Oct 12–18 (per Local3's Oct 9 report; one 2026 source). Each shop's featured items are on Nooga Nightlife's page.
Runs through Oct 18
- KidsOutside
Fall Nature Camp at Bachman (Ages 4–10)
9 AM–noon daily
Bachman Community Center, 2815 Anderson Pike, Signal Mountain, TN
A Treehouse Therapy fall-break nature camp in the center's wooded outdoor classroom, Monday-Friday Oct 12-16. $55 per day, including materials and a snack; sign up by the day. Ages 4-10 (a little flexible, per the organizer).
Runs through Oct 16
- KidsHalloween
4–8 PM (timed entry: 4-5, 5-6, or 6-7 PM)
Chattanooga Zoo, 301 N Holtzclaw Ave, Chattanooga, TN
The zoo's after-hours Halloween event. Zoo members $11.95, non-member kids ages 3-12 $17.95, non-member adults $20.95, kids 2 and under free (reserve a ticket anyway). Tickets are online-only and this one sells out — the zoo closes early (3:30 PM) to reset for it.
- KidsOutside
Campfire Concert: Donna the BuffaloSold out
Gates 5:30 PM, music 6:30 PM, until 9 PM
Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, 400 Garden Rd, Chattanooga, TN
Sold out: Reflection Riding's page says tickets are now sold out, with no waitlist listed. An outdoor concert with s'mores; kids 12 and under were free. Bring a camp chair or blanket, and food is sold on site or you can bring a picnic. Adult tickets are through Eventbrite (price isn't listed on the park's page). Outdoors, so severe weather can postpone it.
- FreeKids
Kicks off Fri evening at White Duck Taco
Highland Park neighborhood, Chattanooga, TN
New! Free. The 5th annual Porchfest — neighborhood porches become stages all weekend. Friday opens with 65 North Pickers at White Duck Taco; Saturday starts with the family-friendly Rise & Strum at Tatum Park, plus a new Songwriter Showcase on the Anderson & Greenwood main stage.
Liminal Lounge: A Listening Experience
8:00–9:30 PM
Barking Legs Theater, 1307 Dodds Ave, Chattanooga, TN
Live music from Digyphus alongside curated footage exploring Chattanooga's overlooked liminal spaces.
- Kids
Nashville Fall Festival (Fridays)
Fridays 3 PM–dark
Nashville Fall Festival, 8687 Old Harding Pike, Nashville, TN
New! Worth the drive (about 2 hours) — a corn maze set in a scenic valley, free hayrides, and tethered hot-air balloon rides ($25/person on select days, weather permitting), running through Nov 1. Online admission is $23 adult / $11 kids 7-13, kids 6 and under free; a few dollars more at the gate. Check the official site for the current balloon schedule.
Weekly through Oct 30
- KidsOutside
1–2 PM
Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, 400 Garden Rd, Chattanooga, TN
A guided barn owl program on Fridays (Oct 16, 23 and 30). A paid ticket is required, including for supervising adults; price isn't posted — call 423-821-1160. No dogs; outdoors, weather-dependent.
Weekly through Oct 30
Tales Among the Oaks Storytelling Festival
Rhea County Courthouse lawn, 1475 Market St, Dayton, TN
New! Two days of storytelling on the historic courthouse lawn with Donald Davis, Josh Goforth and Bill Lepp. Rhea County Tourism sells tickets online but doesn't list show times or prices, so check the event page before you go. Runs Oct 16-17.
Songbirds, 206 W Main St, Chattanooga, TN
Live at the Southside guitar museum's performance room.
- FreeOutside
The Tempest (Scenic City Shakespeare)
7:30 PM
Greenway Farms Park, 4960 Gann Store Rd, Hixson, TN
New! Free outdoor Shakespeare. Bring lawn chairs or picnic blankets; seating is not provided. RSVPs aren't required but help the company send weather delay or cancellation updates. Also runs Oct 16, 17 and 23.
- KidsOutside
Wild Wonders: Native Animal Encounters
Fridays 1:30–2:30 PM
Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, 400 Garden Rd, Chattanooga, TN
New! A guided visit to the Native Animal Area to meet bobcats, raptors and red wolves while staff and volunteers explain each animal's habits and conservation. Sign up through Eventbrite; price isn't listed on the park's page, so call 423-821-1160. Outdoors, weather can cancel it.
Weekly through Oct 30
- KidsOutside
Wild Wonders: Native Animal Encounters
1:30–2:30 PM
Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center, 400 Garden Rd, Chattanooga, TN
A tour of the Native Animal Area to meet Reflection Riding's animal ambassadors. Also Saturday Oct 17 at 11 AM and 1 PM. Fee and ages aren't posted — call 423-821-1160; outdoors, weather-dependent.
