Fall for Burnet County activities and events in the autumn months
Spend your fall vacation days in the Highland Lakes of Burnet County, and you could be fishing any of the five lakes one day and hiking country trails in crisp, cool weather the next. You can go from touching up your summer tan to cuddling around a warm fire. While every season holds its charms in the Texas Hill Country, perhaps fall can be counted as the best in terms of variety, beauty, and a wide range of activities, all in the Highland Lakes of Burnet County.
Through most of September, the days are still hot enough to swim, boat, fish, and ski. The waters are warm and the evenings cool enough to truly enjoy the outdoors for as long as possible. Not until mid- to late October do things start to get colder, especially at night. Daytime temperatures, though, can still climb high enough to merit shorts and sandals.
Some of the best attractions to visit as the days begin to cool include Sweet Berry Farm and Vanishing Texas River Cruises.
At Sweet Berry Farm, you can pick your own zinnias from a colorful flowering field or choose a pumpkin from the makeshift pumpkin patch. Travel through one of three mazes and try out a variety of other family-friendly activities throughout the fall until mid-November. It’s also open Thanksgiving week for a special celebration.
Vanishing Texas River Cruises is especially exciting in the fall as northern migrating birds, including American bald eagles, make their way south through the middle of Texas. Many of them stay the winter. In fact, the eagles are the region’s most famous Winter Texans.
For other attractions and activities in the area, check out The Highland Lakes of Burnet County website’s Things to Do, Attractions/Sightseeing page. You’ll find even more information on the blog page, which includes monthly event roundups and stories on area specialities like best barbecue restaurants and the Marble Falls craft beer trail.
The interactive Events Calendar lists all of the current concerts, festivals, parades, and more. Find something you like, and you can save it to your digital calendar with the touch of a finger or the click of a mouse.
Here are some of the events to look forward to each fall in Burnet County.*
SEPTEMBER
Destruction Derby
Spicewood Volunteer Fire Department
9805 Texas 71 East, Spicewood
Crash the party in Spicewood at one of the biggest events in the area. Helps fund the local volunteer fire department.
Day Out with Thomas
Burnet Community Center
401 E. Jackson St., Burnet
The Austin Steam Train features Thomas the Tank Engine each fall.
OCTOBER
Main Street Car Show
Downtown Marble Falls
Over 100 antique, classic, and muscle cars on display all along Main Street. Free admission includes live music! Vendors and shopping available.
Burnet Art Festival, Octoberfest, and Fort Croghan Day
Plein air artists take over the courthouse square in Burnet while live music entertains. Concerts, vendors, and food available all day and into the night. At Fort Croghan, re-enactors bring the area’s rich history to life with demonstrations of pioneer days from the mid-1800s when the county was first settled.
Hill Country Heritage Fest
Inks Lake State Park
3630 Park Road 4, Hoover’s Valley
Pioneer and Native American demonstrations, including flint knapping, a firearms display, and Buffalo Soldier re-enactors.
NOVEMBER
UtopiaFest
Reveille Peak Ranch
105 CR 114, Burnet
A unique, family-friendly festival staged each year at Reveille Peak Ranch. The ranch offers campgrounds and miles of hiking and biking trails in the glorious Texas Hill Country.
Walkway of Lights
Lakeside Park
307 Buena Vista Drive, Marble Falls
More than 2 millions lights make up holiday sculptures set up beside concrete pathways along the shoreline of Lake Marble Falls. Usually opens just before Thanksgiving and runs through New Year’s Day.
Trail of Lights
Three locations in Burnet: Wallace Riddell Park, Hamilton Creek Park, and the Burnet County Courthouse Square from Dec. 1-Jan. 1.
DECEMBER
Christmas Lights displays (see November listings) continue through the month as well as parades, an ice rink, and a snow day.
Dec. 5
Bertram Country Christmas
Vaughn Street in downtown Bertram
Do all of your Christmas shopping with vendors and local stores. North Pole Flyer, part of the Austin Steam Train, boards four different trips from the Bertram train station.
Christmas Market on Main
Old Oak Square
305 Main St., Marble Falls
Listen to the Highland Lakes Brass Quartet while you browse the shops as well as 60 vendors with unique gifts for everyone on your list.
Dec. 12
Christmas on the Square Parade and Snow Day
Burnet County Courthouse Square, Burnet
Vendors, food, live music, a parade, and, believe it or not, snow on the courthouse square. It all happens on Dec. 12, and admission to everything is free. The parade begins at 5 p.m., but snow day and the rest can be enjoyed all day long. Snow day includes a sledding hill and a separate play area for snowballs, snow sculptures, and snow angels.
*Some of the earlier events in September and October were canceled because of concerns about COVID-19. The events listed in November and December are expected to continue, especially the holiday lights displays.
