Things to Do in Durham Region in the Fall

Fall might be the most photogenic season in Durham Region, and there is genuinely enough going on to fill every weekend from mid-September through Halloween.

Start with the festivals. The Brooklin Harvest Festival takes over downtown Brooklin in late September with sidewalk sales, pop-up eateries, and live entertainment, and Bowmanville Applefest turns the historic downtown into a full celebration of apple everything, cider, pies, fritters, and local artisan vendors, usually mid-October.

For classic agri-fun, Pingle's Farm Market in Hampton runs a full Harvest Festival through late September and October with a giant corn maze, wagon rides, and pick-your-own pumpkins, and Watson Farms and Maple Grove Farm in Bowmanville both combine apple picking with a genuine country day out.

If you want the colours without the crowds, Heber Down Conservation Area in Whitby and Lynde Shores Conservation Area are both excellent for a fall hike, and Lynde Shores doubles as a great spot for birdwatching if you bring seed for the chickadees.

For something a little spookier, the Downtown Whitby Haunted Walk and Pickering Museum Village's lantern-lit ghost walks are both local favourites, and if you are near Ajax's Rotary Park or the Duffins Creek trail in October, keep an eye out for the salmon migration, a genuinely cool natural spectacle most people driving by have no idea is happening.