On Saturday, October 10, two farms near Myakka City open for fall festivals on the same day. The Dakin Dairy Farms Fall Harvest Festival on Betts Road and the Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival up County Road 675 both run October 10-11, 17-18 and 24-25. Both farms have published their schedules, posted their prices and planned out their entertainment. Myakka River State Park is the usual default for a fall weekend out here. It's open, but it's still asking visitors to bring their own drinking water, almost a year after that notice went up. So for October, the easy daytime plan is one of the farms. The park's strongest fall night out is an evening event in November.
Same six days, different farms
The two festivals overlap on every date, so most families will pick one per weekend rather than doing both. These are the details each farm has posted:
| Dakin Dairy Farms Fall Harvest Festival | Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | 30771 Betts Rd., Myakka City | 5500 County Road 675, Bradenton |
| 2026 dates | Oct. 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 | Oct. 10-11, 17-18, 24-25 |
| Hours | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Admission | $20 per person, 5 and under free | $15 ages 10+, $5 ages 5-9, under 5 free |
| Parking | Free | $5 |
| Payment | Cash or card | Cash only, some vendors take cards |
| Corn maze | Included | $2 |
| Dogs | Not addressed on the events page | Friendly, leashed dogs allowed |
The Hunsader prices need one caveat. The Hunsader general information page lists them right next to the 2026 dates but never labels the prices themselves as 2026. The Bradenton Herald's 2025 festival guide printed the same $15, $5 and $5 figures for last year. Prices that haven't moved are probably fine, but a quick call to the farm before you go with a carload of kids is reasonable.
What the ticket price covers at each farm
Dakin's $20 covers a lot. The Dakin events page includes these with admission:
- The corn maze, Kid Zone playground, bounce pillow and bounce houses
- Moo Train rides and Touch-A-Tractor
- Hayrides out to the cow pasture and live cow milking demonstrations
- Live music, lawn mower race viewing, pedal carts and animal interactions
The pumpkin patch, sunflower U-pick, pumpkin cannon and apple launchers, calf cuddles, pony rides, kid ATVs and food trucks cost extra. Parking is free, the farm takes cash or card, and the farm asks for closed-toe shoes because "it's a real working farm."
Hunsader starts cheaper and charges for more of the extras. On top of admission and parking, the corn maze is $2, the children's train ride is $2, the big train ride is $3 per person, and outside vendors set their own prices for other activities. The general information page also lists a craft show, live music and shows, pumpkins, children's games, Tiny Town, the Pioneer Trades Village, hayrides, a butterfly garden, pony rides and scarecrow displays. Hunsader marks the free items by color on that page, so the page itself is the best guide to what's included.
For a family of four with two kids over 10, the gap shrinks fast. At Dakin that's $80 at the gate with free parking. At Hunsader it's $60 plus $5 for parking, before maze or train tickets. The bigger practical difference is payment. Hunsader is cash only at the gate, and Dakin takes cards.
A full stage lineup versus a working dairy
The two farms put on different kinds of shows. Hunsader runs a full entertainment schedule, and its entertainment page says all of it is free with admission. The 2026 lineup includes Rowdy the Mule, Fearless Flores, a BMX Stunt Show, Mr. Harley, the Jesse Daniels Band, The Charles Parker Band, SQUAWK!, a Monster Truck Show, Bruce Sarafian, the Pumpkin Cannon, HWY 41 South, The Big Z Band, American Motor Drome, a circus, an FMX Stunt Show, One Night Rodeo and Bob & Tom. Some acts play all six days and others only on certain dates, so check the page for the day you're going if you want to catch a specific act.
Hunsader has a long track record. Your Observer called the 2025 event the 34th annual Pumpkin Festival, and KOA's 2026 listing calls this year's the 35th. Hunsader also offers festival camping in RVs, campers, tents, cabins, silos and wagons. Each registered guest's reservation includes festival admission. Reservations need a two-night minimum, with check-in by Friday and checkout Sunday, and the farm sends campers to KOA for pricing.
At Dakin, the cows are the main event. Dakin describes itself as a working dairy, and its festival centers on the herd. Hayrides go out to the pasture to meet the cows behind the farm's milk, kids can try the milking demonstration, and calf cuddles are a paid add-on. There's live music and food trucks too, but the cows are what sets Dakin apart.
Myakka River State Park is open, with some changes
Myakka River State Park, at 13207 State Road 72, keeps its usual hours of 8 a.m. to sunset every day. The North Gate opens only on Saturdays, Sundays and state holidays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entry is $6 per vehicle. The official park page still carries a notice, effective October 28, 2025, that drinking water is temporarily unavailable. It asks visitors to bring their own, and free bottled water is available at the ranger station from 8 a.m. to sunset. The page doesn't give a cause or a date for when water will be back.
The food has changed too. The Myakka Outpost runs the Lazy Gator Cafe, and it says repairs to its main food service building have been delayed. In the meantime, food comes from a food truck next to the gift shop and rentals. Homemade alligator stew is still on the menu, and beer and wine are available for guests 21 and over with valid ID. The upstairs gift shop sells novelty ice cream, drinks and snacks. Canoe, kayak and beach cruiser bike rentals go by the hour, no reservations, depending on weather and park conditions. The Outpost site also warns that water levels on Upper Myakka Lake and the Myakka River are at record lows and paddling is difficult. That warning isn't dated, so ask at the rental counter before you plan a paddle around it.
None of this keeps you out of the park. A daytime visit right now just takes some planning: bring water, plan on the food truck, and check paddling conditions when you get there. For families with young kids, this Saturday works out well. Junior Ranger Saturdays at the park run October 10 from 10 a.m. to noon for the regular $6 vehicle fee. That leaves plenty of time to make Dakin's 10 a.m. opening a little late, or to get to Hunsader after lunch.
The park's big fall event is at night
The park event to plan around this season happens after dark. On Saturday, November 7, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., Friends of Myakka River and the Suncoast Stargazers are hosting "Experiencing Myakka's Magic," an astronomy night. Astronomy experts bring state-of-the-art telescopes for looking at planets, galaxies and star clusters, and the park's dark skies give them a good view.
These are the details:
- Tickets are $15, $10 for Friends members, and $5 for children 6 to 12
- Attendance is capped at 200 people, and all sales are final
- The park entrance fee is waived after 5:30 p.m. with an event ticket
- The park gate closes at 6:30 p.m. for event entry
All proceeds go to the park and the Wild and Scenic Myakka River. The event needs none of the things the park is short on during the day. Nobody needs the café or a paddle for stargazing, so this is the one fall park outing with no workarounds. When the research was gathered, the Friends registration page showed 63 spots left.
The rest of the season, in order
The farm festivals take up October weekends, but there's more on the calendar around them:
- Saturday, October 17, 4 to 6 p.m. Feral FARMacy's free Sarasota-Manatee Homegrown Market and Trunk or Treat at Old Miakka United Methodist Church, 1620 Myakka Road, a buy, sell and trade farm swap. It wraps up an hour after both festivals close for the day.
- Saturday, November 7, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Astronomy night at Myakka River State Park.
- Saturday, November 14. Another Homegrown Market at the same church. The listing says 3 to 5 p.m. in its header and 4 to 6 p.m. in its description, so check the Feral FARMacy events page before you go.
- A Saturday in early December. Dakin's December Bull Bash. Gates open at 5 p.m., Mutton Bustin' starts at 6:30 and bull riding at 7, with riders competing for a $3,000 purse. Santa is scheduled to visit, tickets are $25 at the gate, kids 5 and under get in free, and part of the proceeds goes to the Dakin Family Scholarship Fund. Dakin hasn't announced the exact date yet.
The Old Miakka Fall Hootenanny has already taken place this year. It's the yearly benefit that helps preserve the community's 1914 schoolhouse.
Driving west on SR 70 through mid-November
If your festival or errand route takes you west on State Road 70, road work runs through the same weeks. According to the MyMPO traffic update for the week of October 4, Polo Trail at SR 70 closed October 5 for about 30 days. A full detour is posted, and the road is expected to reopen in early November, weather permitting. 197th Street East at SR 70 is closed for about 45 days while crews build the north side of its roundabout. Only emergency vehicles and school buses can get through, and reopening is expected in mid-November. That segment from Bourneside Boulevard to Waterbury Road will also get roundabouts at 213th Street East, 225th Street East/Panther Ridge Trail and County Road 675/Waterbury Road. Both SR 70 widening projects are estimated to finish in summer 2027. On SR 64, a developer's roundabout at Uihlein Road has lane shifts and detours through the end of October.
Polo Trail is expected back in early November, close to the astronomy night, and 197th Street by mid-November. By the December Bull Bash, both detours should be gone.
We live and work out here too, and we know how much these working farms and open acres shape a Myakka City fall. If you ever want to talk through what it takes to own land with room for a pumpkin patch or a few head of cattle, Houses with Hart is glad to walk the property with you. Contact Us whenever you're ready.
