Columbus Day Weekend is one of the best times to experience fall in the Lakes Region! 🍁🎃 From longtime local traditions and fall festivals to scenic hikes, farm fun, and family-friendly activities, there’s plenty happening throughout the long weekend. We’ve rounded up some of the best ways to get out, explore, and make the most of fall in New Hampshire! 🍂🏡✨
Columbus Day Weekend | October 9th - October 12th, 2026
🏡🍂 Step Inside Some of the Lakes Region’s Most Beautiful Homes!
If you love home design, architecture, or simply seeing what’s being built around the Lakes Region, you won’t want to miss the Lakes Region Parade of Homes! ✨
Spend Columbus Day Weekend touring an incredible collection of newly built and beautifully designed homes while meeting the talented local builders, designers, and craftspeople behind them. From custom details and fresh design ideas to stunning New Hampshire settings, there’s inspiration around every corner. 🔨🏠
🗓️ Saturday & Sunday | October 10th & 11th
🏡 Self-guided home tours throughout the Lakes Region
✨ Custom Homes + New Construction
🛠️ Meet Local Builders & Industry Professionals
🎟️ Tickets required
Whether you’re planning to build, looking for design inspiration, or just love touring beautiful homes, make a weekend of exploring what our local building community has created! 🍁🏡✨
For More Information ⟶ https://lakesregionparadeofhomes.com/web/homes/year/2026/
🍄🍂 Take a Walk on the Wild Side of Fall!
Slow down, soak in the fall foliage, and discover what’s growing beneath the trees during a Mushroom Walk with the Squam Lakes Association! 🌲🍄
Join Pollyanna for a leisurely walk through the woods while searching for mushrooms and other fungi and learning tips for identifying what you find along the way. It’s a fun opportunity to experience the forest from a whole new perspective during one of the most beautiful times of year! 🍁🔎
📍 Squam Lakes Association | Holderness, NH
🗓️ Friday, October 9
⏰ 10:00 AM–12:00 PM | Meet at 9:45 AM
🎟️ FREE | Registration required
👥 Limited to 12 participants
👨👩👧 All ages welcome; children must be accompanied by an adult
Space is limited, so grab your walking shoes and reserve your spot for a morning of fall foliage, fresh air, and fungi! 🍄🍁🌲✨
Please note: This is an educational identification walk, and the SLA does not provide assurances regarding mushroom edibility.
For More Information ⟶ https://www.lakesregion.org/event/mushroom-walk-squam-lakes-association-holderness-nh/
🎡🍂 A Columbus Day Weekend Tradition Returns!
It wouldn’t be fall in New Hampshire without the Sandwich Fair! Gather the family and head to Sandwich for four days of classic fair fun, agricultural traditions, competitions, parades, rides, exhibits, and plenty of fair food. 🎃🐄🎠
The festivities kick off Friday night with FREE admission, an Equipment Skills Competition, and tractor pulling before a full weekend of fair favorites!
📍 Sandwich Fair | 7 Wentworth Hill Rd., Sandwich, NH
🗓️ Friday | 4:00–9:00 PM
🗓️ Saturday & Sunday | 8:00 AM–6:00 PM
🗓️ Monday, October 12 | 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
✨ Friday Night: FREE Admission
🎟️ Adults: $14 | Children under 12 FREE
🚗 Saturday Auto Parade: 1:00 PM
🎉 Sunday Grand Street Parade: 1:00 PM
🇺🇸 Monday: Military FREE with ID | Seniors 60+ $7
From the midway and agricultural exhibits to the parades and longtime fair traditions, it’s the perfect way to spend a crisp fall weekend in New Hampshire! 🍁🎡🐮🥧✨
For More Information ⟶ https://www.lakesregion.org/event/sandwich-fair-columbus-day-weekend-sandwich-nh-2-2/2026-10-09/
👻🎃 Enter… If You Dare!
Fear Farm is back at Beans & Greens Farm, bringing plenty of thrills, chills, and screams to Gilford all October long! 🌙💀
Your night begins along a dark woodland trail before taking you inside the farm’s abandoned greenhouses, where twisting rooms, flickering lights, and unexpected scares are waiting around every corner. 😱🌲
📍 Beans & Greens Farm
🗓️ Fridays & Saturdays throughout October + Halloween
⏰ 7:00–10:00 PM | Last entry at 9:30 PM
⚠️ Guests under 18 must be accompanied by an adult
🎟️ Tickets required
One trail. Endless screams. Grab your bravest friends and see if you can make it through Fear Farm! 👻🌽🔦💀
For More Information ⟶ https://www.lakesregion.org/event/fear-farm-beans-and-greens-farm-gilford-nh/2026-10-09/
🥾🍁 Take Your Fall Adventure to New Heights!
Lace up your hiking boots and experience the beauty of autumn at Castle in the Clouds during one of their guided Saturday Hikes! 🍂⛰️
This week’s hike heads to Turtleback Mountain, where experienced volunteer hikers will lead the way through the Lakes Region Conservation Trust trail system. It’s a great chance to get outside, enjoy the fall colors, and explore more of the beautiful landscape surrounding the Castle. 🌲🍁
📍 Castle in the Clouds
🗓️ Saturday, October 10
⏰ 8:00 AM–12:00 PM
🥾 Turtleback Mountain
🎟️ FREE | Pre-registration required
📍 Meet at the picnic pavilions by Shannon Pond
Dress for the weather, wear appropriate hiking footwear, and bring water, snacks, and anything else you’ll need for a morning on the trails. Please note that dogs are not permitted on this guided hike.
Grab your hiking boots and soak up the fall scenery from one of the Lakes Region’s most beautiful trail systems! 🍁🥾⛰️✨
For More Information ⟶ https://www.lakesregion.org/event/saturday-hikes-castle-in-the-clouds-moultonborough-nh/2026-10-10/
🍂🏕️ Make a Weekend of Fall at Gunstock!
Celebrate Columbus Day Weekend surrounded by crisp mountain air and beautiful fall foliage during Fall Fest Weekend at Gunstock Campground! 🍁⛰️
Campers can enjoy a weekend packed with seasonal activities, including harvest-themed crafts and games, a scavenger hunt, cozy fall treats, an outdoor movie, and a special visit from Fred the Magician on Sunday! 🎃✨
📍 Gunstock Campground
🗓️ Saturday, October 10 – Monday, October 12
🎨 Harvest Crafts + Games
🔎 Scavenger Hunt
🍪 Cozy Treats
🎬 Outdoor Movie
🎩 Fred the Magician | Sunday, October 11
Pack up the camper, bring the family, and spend the long weekend enjoying fall in the mountains! 🍁🏕️🎃
Please note: Columbus Day Weekend requires Friday, Saturday & Sunday camping reservations. Check availability in advance.
For More Information ⟶ https://www.lakesregion.org/event/fall-fun-at-gunstock-campground-fall-fest-weekend-gilford-nh/
🎨🎃 A Picture-Perfect Fall Weekend at the Farm!
Celebrate a beautiful October weekend with FREE Face Painting & Fall Fun at Moulton Farm! 🍁🌻
Bring the family Saturday or Sunday for free face painting, then make a day of all your favorite fall activities—get lost in the corn maze, pick the perfect pumpkin, stroll through the sunflower patch, and browse seasonal goodies around the farm. 🌽🎃
📍 Moulton Farm
🗓️ Saturday, October 10 & Sunday, October 11
⏰ 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
🎨 FREE Face Painting
🌽 Corn Maze
🎃 PYO Pumpkin Patch
🌻 Sunflower Patch
🚜 Wagon Rides on select days
🍩 Cider Bellies Donuts + farm bakery treats
Come for the face painting, stay for the pumpkins, cider doughnuts, whoopie pies, and all the classic New Hampshire fall fun! 🍂🎃🍎✨
For More Information ⟶ https://www.lakesregion.org/event/free-face-painting-other-fall-farm-fun-moulton-farm-meredith-nh/2026-10-10/
There’s no shortage of ways to get out and enjoy the Lakes Region this week. We hope this guide helps you make the most of it while supporting the amazing local businesses and events that make our community so special.
