Boo at the Zoo (Nashville Zoo)
Fall festival · Tennessee
Nashville Zoo strings its paths with pumpkins and fall scenery for Boo at the Zoo, a trick-or-treat and costume event built for younger kids, with the regular animal exhibits open late into the evening. It has run every October for years on Nolensville Pike, just south of downtown Nashville.
Don’t miss
Plan your visit
Color nearby peaks: November 6–November 10
Color builds from October 24 · mostly bare by December 1
Method: daily ERA5 temperatures drive a photoperiod + chilling phenology model, sampled at Boo at the Zoo (Nashville Zoo)’s own coordinates and elevation (167 m) rather than a regional average. Estimates, not promises — check locally before you plan a trip around it.
Boo at the Zoo (Nashville Zoo) on the map
More things to do in Tennessee
Cades Cove
Scenic drivePeak October 26
An 11-mile one-way loop circles this pastoral valley ringed by 5,000-foot peaks in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where October brings elk bugling in the fields and yellow poplar and sourwood coloring the surrounding slopes.
Don’t miss: 11-mile loop drive · Historic homesteads and churches · Wildlife viewing
Foothills Parkway
Scenic drivePeak October 28
This 33-mile ridgetop parkway skirts the Smokies' western edge; the Look Rock Tower observation deck near its midpoint delivers a 360-degree view of the whole range, a favorite for watching October color wash across ridge after ridge.
Don’t miss: Look Rock observation tower · 360-degree mountain views · Fewer crowds than the park interior
Dollywood's Harvest Festival
Fall festivalColor nearby peaks October 24
Dolly Parton's Pigeon Forge theme park fills its 1890s-style streets with thousands of hand-carved pumpkins each fall, adding barbecue and bluegrass acts and nightly Great Pumpkin LumiNights displays from September into early November.
Don’t miss: Great Pumpkin LumiNights · Bluegrass and gospel acts · Thousands of carved pumpkins
Fall Creek Falls State Park
State parkPeak November 7
Tennessee's largest state park centers on a 256-foot waterfall, the tallest east of the Rockies, dropping into a hemlock-shaded gorge on the Cumberland Plateau where sourwood and maple color typically peaks in late October.
Don’t miss: 256-foot Fall Creek Falls · Cane Creek Gorge overlooks · Suspension bridge
Plan from a city
Frequently asked
- When does Boo at the Zoo (Nashville Zoo) peak in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for November 6–November 10 (best estimate November 8). Color starts around October 24 and is mostly bare by December 1.
- What is Boo at the Zoo (Nashville Zoo) best for?
- Younger kids' first Halloween outing in Nashville.
- How do I get to Boo at the Zoo (Nashville Zoo)?
- The closest city is Nashville, about 6 mi away (it's right in town). It's part of Tennessee's fall lineup.
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