“Autumn at the Arboretum: A Fall Fairy Tale” features 100,000 pumpkins, gourds, and squash during a festival from September 17 through October 31, 2022, at the Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Road, Dallas, Texas.

It’s the 17th year for “Pumpkin Village”, highlights pumpkin “houses” and other creative displays making use of all those squash.

The event showcases the return of Cinderella’s carriage. Other “gourd-eous” displays are based on the classic tales of Jack and The Beanstalk, The Three Little Pigs, The Sword in the Stone, and even a magic carpet ride selfie experience from One Thousand and One Nights.

Dallas Arboretum Board Chairman Jim Ryan said, “Every year, the Dallas Arboretum raises the bar with beautiful and imaginative festivals, and this year is no exception. Those young and young-at-heart will enjoy seeing pumpkin houses and taking photos and videos. Plus, there are plenty of events during the festival to keep everyone entertained.”

Autumn at the Arboretum also features the breathtaking colors of fall reflected in the 150,000 autumn flowers — marigolds, chrysanthemums, and pentas =— accented by pumpkins, gourds, and squash.

Many special events take place during the festival. Some highlights:

• Live piano music and Dallas’ best party bands every weekend.


• Seasonal daily samples that use in-season plants from A Tasteful Place garden.


• Mommy and Me Mondays and Tiny Tot Tuesdays, a hay bale maze and a pumpkin patch with pumpkins for purchase.
• From September 10 to December 31, 2022, the garden presents 50 of the statues from “#IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit,” the largest collection of statues of women ever assembled together, to be installed throughout the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden.

“Following a hot Texas summer, the changing of the seasons is such a welcome and beautiful spectacle, and there’s no better place to enjoy it than the Arboretum,” said Andrea Russell, vice president of Reliant, sponsor of “Autumn at the Arboretum: A Fall Fairy Tale”. “As a longtime partner of the Dallas Arboretum, Reliant is once again thrilled to support their world-class gardens and festivals that offer something for the whole family to enjoy.”

Admission is $12 for children 2-12 years old; $16 for seniors 65 years old and up; $20 for adults; free for children under 2.

And, don’t miss…

Guests can also visit A Tasteful Place, a 3.5-acre food, herb, and vegetable garden. Weekly activities include free Monday cooking demonstrations with Dallas College Cooks along with cooking, floral and horticulture demonstrations.

Visitors can explore the eight-acre Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden where science and fun become one. Plenty of daily hands-on activities await children such as STEM Stops, science and plant labs, and demonstrations, many of which have the fairy tale theme incorporated.

In addition to Reliant’s presenting sponsorship, other sponsors include Bank of Texas, Kirkland & Ellis, Oncor, Park Place, CC Young, Doyle & Associates, Kimberly-Clark and Rosewood Corporation.

(Photo courtesy of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden)