When do the leaves change in Florida?
Florida offers only muted color, but bald cypress, sweetgum, and red maple along the Panhandle's river bluffs at Torreya State Park and Blackwater River turn rust and gold in late November into December.
Peak: December 2–December 6
Color builds from November 20 · mostly bare by December 30
Florida is sampled at 22 weather points, then moved 8 days later so the model agrees with 1 published peak date from explorefall.com. Against Florida's own climatology, the 2026 weather puts the peak 1 day earlier. Florida turns close to together, with about 1 day between its earliest corner and its latest. How the forecast works
Known for
Things to do in fall in Florida
33 iconic stops, including scenic drives, farms, haunts, and the views locals plan their October around.
Halloween Horror Nights
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks December 4
Universal's after-hours haunt takeover has run every fall since 1991, filling the Orlando park with a rotating slate of maze houses and…
Ghosts & Gravestones St. Augustine
Ghost tourColor nearby peaks November 30
A nightly 80-minute narrated trolley tour of the oldest city in the country, stopping at Tolomato Cemetery, the Old City Gates and the Old…
Amazing Grace Family Farms
Corn mazeColor nearby peaks November 30
A Clay County farm on State Road 21, about 30 minutes south of Jacksonville, that opens a crop maze and pumpkin patch each autumn alongside…
Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks December 1
Busch Gardens' after-dark Halloween takeover, billed as Tampa Bay's most terrifying event, fills the animal-and-coaster park with haunted…
Color nearby peaks December 4
Long & Scott Farms opens its fall festival northwest of Orlando around a cut corn maze, a genuine rarity in a state with almost none.
Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival
Fall festivalColor nearby peaks December 2
For three October weekends this working farm east of Bradenton throws its long-running Pumpkin Festival, an old-school country fair of…
Pinto's Farm Pumpkin Patch
Pumpkin patchColor nearby peaks November 30
A family entertainment farm in Miami's Redland, Pinto's turns fall into a pumpkin patch alongside its rides, goat yoga, dog-friendly…
House of Horror Haunted Carnival
Haunted attractionColor nearby peaks December 1
At the center of Halloween in Miami for over 25 years, this haunted carnival packs three walk-through haunted houses, including what it…
Leaves & views
Farms & harvest
- Bedner's Farm Fresh Market Fall FestivalCorn maze · Color peaks Nov 30
- First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood Pumpkin PatchPumpkin patch · Color peaks Nov 29
- The Little Farm Redland Pumpkin PatchPumpkin patch · Color peaks Nov 30
- Pumpkin Towne WellingtonPumpkin patch · Color peaks Nov 30
- Southern Hill FarmsFarm · Color peaks Dec 4
- Club Lake Venue Fall FestivalCorn maze · Color peaks Dec 4
- Hagerty Farms Pumpkin PatchPumpkin patch · Color peaks Dec 3
- Fox Squirrel Corn MazeCorn maze · Color peaks Dec 4
- Harvest Holler Corn Maze and Pumpkin PatchPumpkin patch · Color peaks Dec 4
- Dakin Dairy FarmsFarm · Color peaks Dec 3
Halloween
- Fright Nights at the South Florida FairgroundsHaunted attraction · Color peaks Nov 30
- 13th Floor Haunted House JacksonvilleHaunted attraction · Color peaks Nov 26
- Deering Estate Historic Ghost ToursGhost tour · Color peaks Nov 30
- Jungle Island HorrorlandHaunted attraction · Color peaks Nov 29
- Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld OrlandoHaunted attraction · Color peaks Dec 4
- American Ghost Adventures OrlandoGhost tour · Color peaks Dec 4
- Mortem ManorHaunted attraction · Color peaks Dec 4
- Scream-A-GeddonHaunted attraction · Color peaks Dec 1
- Pemberton Haunted AcresHaunted attraction · Color peaks Dec 3
- UNDead in the WaterHaunted attraction · Color peaks Nov 30
- Ybor City Ghost TourGhost tour · Color peaks Dec 1
Frequently asked
- When do leaves peak in Florida in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for December 2–December 6 (best estimate December 4). Color starts around November 20 and trees are mostly bare by December 30.
- How reliable is the Florida forecast?
- The forecast blends recent-year weather normals with photoperiod and elevation; it tightens as the season approaches. Against published peak dates the model lands within a few days for most regions, but it can be a week or more out. Mountains and coastlines are the hardest. Higher elevations turn roughly one day earlier per 300 m.
- When is Florida's autumn season?
- Florida is in the northern hemisphere, so its color season is autumn (September to November). The turn takes roughly 40 days end to end, centered on December 4, and the last 17 of those are thinning canopy rather than color.
- What are the best things to do in fall in Florida?
- The iconic stops: Halloween Horror Nights, Ghosts & Gravestones St. Augustine, Amazing Grace Family Farms, Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Scott's Maze Adventures at Long & Scott Farms, Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival. Every one is mapped on this page with its peak-color timing.
Nearby & similar
Cities in Florida
Local peak timing and things to do in fall, computed for each city.
Season by season
2026 (forecast)
Peak December 2–December 6
November 20 → December 30