A hot air balloon rises over a hillside corn maze, with the wooded South Harpeth River valley behind it. That is the opening photo on the Nashville Fall Festival's website, and it sums up Bellevue in October better than any shopping center sign.
Lay this season's calendar over a map and most of it lines up along water. The festival sits on the South Harpeth. The most popular early-morning program at Warner Park Nature Center this month meets at the Little Harpeth. A 6.4-mile greenway runs along the main river between the two. Sawyer Brown Road, where Bellevue's newest dining room opened in August, is where the day ends. So use this guide as a route. The calendar items connect.
Start on the South Harpeth: The Nashville Fall Festival
The Nashville Fall Festival covers 70 acres along the South Harpeth River at 8687 Old Harding Pike. It has a hillside corn maze, a seven-acre sunflower field, a pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, hayrides and live music. The 2026 season runs September 18 through November 1, open only Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. That leaves four full weekends from today.
Hours differ by day, which matters if you're planning around a Saturday morning at the nature center:
| Day | Festival hours |
|---|---|
| Friday | 3:00 p.m. until dark |
| Saturday | 9:00 a.m. until dark |
| Sunday | 12:00 p.m. until dark |
On Saturdays the festival also offers golden-hour tethered balloon rides, weather permitting. That makes late afternoon the best time to go if the balloon is the draw. The festival also lists a Halloween Flashlight Night on October 31, when the maze stays open after dark. It's a Saturday this year, so a Halloween night at the farm doesn't require a school-night trade-off.
Its official page also lists a river walk among the attractions, so the river is part of the visit too. Check the festival's site for current details before you buy tickets, since posted hours and activities can change during the season.
Mornings on the Little Harpeth: Warner Park Nature Center's Fall Calendar
Warner Park Nature Center, 7311 Highway 100, runs the most detailed fall schedule near Bellevue. Most programs are free. The center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the Warner Parks are open from sunrise to 11 p.m.
October is fall migration season, and the calendar shows it. Fall Migration Bird Banding runs on several dates, including this morning, October 6, from 8 a.m. to noon. It repeats Saturday, October 10, at the same hours, and again on Wednesday, October 14, from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, October 10, is the fullest day of the month. Migration Birding at the Little Harpeth River runs 7 to 9 a.m., Native Nature Share runs 9:30 to 10:30, and Migratory Bird Day runs 10 a.m. to noon.
You can do all of that and still reach the festival's 9 a.m. Saturday opening later in the morning, or save the farm for the balloon hour.
Here are the dated programs through November:
| Date | Program | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, Oct 9 | Lookin' for Lichen | 1:30–3:00 p.m. |
| Tue, Oct 13 | Family Bird Walk | 10:00–11:30 a.m. |
| Wed, Oct 14 | Fall Foliage Hike | 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. |
| Fri, Oct 16 | Family Fungi Walk | 10:00–11:30 a.m. |
| Fri, Oct 16 | Autumn Sound Bath Meditation | 6:30–8:00 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct 17 | Vol Call: Hiker's Euonymus | 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct 17 | A Fall Bees' Mead | 2:30–4:00 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Ask a Master Gardener | 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct 24 | Nashville's Native Orchids | 1:00–2:30 p.m. |
| Fri, Oct 30 | Warner Woods Haunted House | 5:30–9:30 p.m. |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Creature Casualties | 10:00–11:30 a.m. |
| Fri, Nov 6 | Seed Saving Season | 10:00–11:00 a.m. |
| Sat, Nov 7 | Helping Wildlife Through Winter | 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov 14 | Early Winter Birds of Edwin Warner Park | 7:30–9:30 a.m. |
| Sat, Nov 21 | Curious Naturalist | 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. |
| Tue, Nov 24 | Thankful for the Hill Forest | 9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. |
Halloween weekend works out well. The Warner Woods Haunted House runs Friday evening, Creature Casualties runs Saturday morning, and Flashlight Night at the corn maze runs Saturday after dark. That's a three-part Halloween within a few miles, and none of the events overlap.
The Miles in Between: Greenway and Overlooks
The Harpeth River Greenway connects the Warner Parks side of Bellevue to the Morton Mill side. Greenways for Nashville describes the Warner Parks to Morton Mill segment as 6.4 miles. It lists access from two Edwin Warner trailheads, the Bellevue Exchange Club Complex, Harpeth Valley Golf Center and several neighborhood access points. Metro's Warner Parks trail page describes 12 miles of primitive hiking trails inside the parks. Paved connections link them to the Harpeth Greenway, with trailheads at the nature center, Natchez Trace, Owl Hollow and Deep Well.
Metro's parks closure page, last updated October 2, 2026, listed no closures for the Warner Parks, the Harpeth Greenway or Red Caboose Park. That page is a snapshot, so check it again before a long walk. The trailhead descriptions above come from pages published a year or more ago.
Peak leaf color calls for height. Friends of Warner Parks has a guide to the best overlooks. It names the Allée in Percy Warner, the Steeplechase overlook, Luke Lea Heights, the church overlooks and Sharp View in Edwin Warner, with hiking directions for Luke Lea Heights and the Edwin Warner overlook. The guide dates from 2020, so treat access notes as a starting point. The nature center's October 14 Fall Foliage Hike is the guided option.
The greenway will get longer, but not this season. Metro's 2026 projects list describes a planned 0.7-mile connection at Ariza Bellevue. It would run from the existing Morton Mill Road trail to an existing pedestrian bridge and a future park, with groundbreaking expected in late 2026. For now it's a project to watch.
Weeknights Close to Home
Not every fall plan needs a Saturday. Several Bellevue staples run on weeknights.
- Bellevue Farmers Market: Thursdays, 4 to 7 p.m., at Red Caboose Park, 656 Colice Jeanne Road. The 2026 season is listed as running from May through October, but no final market date has been posted. That leaves only a few Thursdays, so check before you go.
- Bellevue Harpeth Historic Association: Rudy Kalis speaks on "We are all products of the shadows of our past" on Monday, October 12, at 6:30 p.m. at Bellevue Church of Christ, 7401 Highway 70 South. The association also lists a field trip to Dyer Observatory on Friday, November 20, at 10 a.m.
- Bellevue Community Center: The 2026 fall schedule at 7638A Highway 70 South includes toddler programming Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m., plus Mahjong, Bingo and line dance. The center's Bob Ross: Spooky Mansion oil-painting workshop on October 19 is already sold out, a sign that seasonal classes there fill early.
- Bellevue Branch Library: 720 Baugh Road, open Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 2 to 5 p.m. That covers the later evening hours the nature center doesn't offer.
We couldn't confirm a 2026 Bellevue trunk-or-treat or community Halloween party when this was written. The Halloween plans above all come from current, confirmed listings.
Finish on Sawyer Brown Road
After a day on the river, dinner is on Sawyer Brown Road. Serrato's Steakhouse opened its third Middle Tennessee location at 8119 Sawyer Brown Road in One Bellevue Place on August 6. Davidson County Source reported the menu as hand-cut steaks, fresh seafood and handcrafted cocktails. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Reservations are available online or at 615-678-6337. Chef Jose Serrato opened the first location in Franklin in 2021 and a Brentwood location in 2024. Bellevue now has a locally owned steakhouse without the drive south.
Two more openings are coming. Nothing Bundt Cakes is preparing a bakery at 8133 Sawyer Brown Road, B1-604, with Bundt cakes in assorted sizes and flavors plus birthday and wedding cakes. WhatNow reported on October 1 that no opening date has been announced. Swig, the drink shop known for customizable "dirty sodas," Refreshers, Revivers and lemonades, is planned for 7661 Highway 70 South in the Galleries at Bellevue. It also had no announced opening date as of WhatNow's July report.
Here's one Saturday that ties it all together. Start at 7 a.m. with Little Harpeth birding. Walk a stretch of the greenway around midday. Catch the balloon at golden hour on the South Harpeth. Then head to Sawyer Brown Road for an 8 p.m. table at Serrato's.
Seasons like this one show how much of Bellevue sits within reach of the river. If your weekends here have you wondering how a home's location fits the routines you care about, from trail access to a short drive to the farm, Hannah Myers is glad to talk it through at your pace. Let's Connect.
