Activities add awesome to your autumn
Ilove this time of year. There’s really no part of the state that’s not downright ideal to visit in autumn. Whether you want to head south or north, these ideas should be especially fun if you have kids or grandkids.
Enjoy a spooky good time at a place that celebrates dark places. Kartchner Caverns State Park’s second annual Halloween party promises loads of family fun, with a costume contest, face painting, games, a coloring contest, candy and prizes.
Details: 5-7 pm. Saturday, Oct. 26. Kartchner Caverns State Park, 9 miles south of Benson on Arizona 90. $6 per vehicle; free admission for those in costume. 520-586-4100, azstateparks.com/parks/ kaca.
During Art Experience, visitors can stroll the streets of Tubac’s arts village to meet the artists and watch them work. Galleries and shops offer paintings, pottery, sculptures, handmade furniture, soaps and clothing.
Details: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 2-3. Tubac, about 40 miles south of Tucson on Interstate 19. Free. 520-398-2704, www.tubacaz.com.
The third annual Hot Air Balloon Glow Festival will light up the grounds of Tubac Golf Resort & Spa. Ten colorful tethered balloons will be inflated and illuminated. Guests can ride in the balloons. There will be face painting and a kids zone, plus food from various vendors, including food trucks from Tucson. Beau Renfro and the Clear Country Band will play from 6 to 9 p.m.
Details: 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. 1 Avenida de Otero, Tubac. $10, $4 for age 12 and younger. 800848-7893, www.tubacgolfresort.com.
The sixth annual Southwest Fiber Arts Festival at Tubac Presidio State Historic Park presents top fiber artists, clothing, hand-dyed fibers, classes and demonstrations. See the alpacas, angora goats and rabbits that produce the fiber, plus vendors selling foods, soaps and more.
Details: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. 1 Burruel St., Tubac. $5, $2 for ages 7-13. 520-398-2252, azstateparks.com/Parks/TUPR.
It’s the last weekend this year to ride Grand Canyon Railway’s Pumpkin Patch Train. It chugs out of Williams Depot three times a day Oct. 26 and 27. The 90-minute outing includes a 30- to 45-minute stop so kids can select a pumpkin. Activities at the depot include pumpkin decorating, crafts and a hay-bale maze. Kids are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes. Hot apple cider, pumpkin pie and other fall treats will be available for purchase.
Details: 233 N. Grand Canyon Blvd., Williams. $20, $15 for ages 2-15. 800-843-8724, www.thetrain.com.
Also in Williams, Bearizona’s Howly Growly Owly fall festival winds up next Saturday and Sunday. There’s a Growly Bear Cave full of jack-olanterns for kids of all ages. Older, braver kids can venture into the Haunted Mine Shaft. There are treats for visitors who arrive in costume. You can see all kinds of animals at this drive-through wildlife park, including bears, wolves and bighorn sheep. A raptor show takes flight three times daily, and you can get hands-on in the petting zoo.
Details: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. 1500 E. Route 66, Williams. $10-$20. 928-635-2289, www.bearizona.com.