What to See and Do at Longwood Gardens During Autumn's Colors

Autumn's Colors is on view at Longwood Gardens through November 15, 2026, and most of what it includes — harvest displays, the Garden Railway, and live music in the Beer Garden — is free with Gardens admission. The season's headline events are two themed Fountain Fest weekends in October 2026, plus daytime and illuminated fountain performances that run through November 1, 2026. One planning detail matters more than the rest: members need free reservations to visit Fridays–Sundays after 3:00 pm through November 1.

Seasonal harvest displays

The autumn displays run through November 15, 2026 and are free with Gardens admission. Expect festive seasonal blooms — colorful chrysanthemums and late-blooming annuals — accented with pumpkins and gourds. The displays are placed in three specific spots, which makes them easy to work into a walk through the grounds:

• Rose Arbor
• Peirce-du Pont House Plaza
• Idea Garden

Harvest displays of pumpkins and gourds also appear throughout the outdoor gardens, so the seasonal planting isn't confined to one area.

Fountain performances

The Main Fountain Garden runs two kinds of shows, both now through November 1, 2026:

Schedules for both are published separately on the Gardens' site, so check the daytime and illuminated schedules before you pick a day — the two don't run on the same timetable.

One illuminated performance is tied to the season: Symphony of Horror, on Friday, October 23, 2026 at 8:15 pm. It combines a classic silent film, live organ music, and the fountains, and it's free with Gardens admission.

Themed weekends in October 2026

Two Fountain Fest weekends anchor the month. Both run 5:00–9:00 pm and are free with Gardens admission.

Emerald City Weekend — October 16, 17, and 18, 2026. A Wizard of Oz–themed weekend built around the fountains.

Spellbound Weekend — October 23, 24, and 25, 2026. A Halloween-oriented weekend that includes the Friday Symphony of Horror illuminated fountain performance set to live organ music, plus Halloween Magic on Saturday and Sunday.

If you're choosing between them: Emerald City Weekend is the lighter, family-fantasy option; Spellbound Weekend is the one to pick if you want the Halloween programming and the silent-film fountain show.

Garden Railway

The model train display runs now through January 10, 2027 and is free with Gardens admission. It includes steam, diesel, electric, and specialty engines running along nearly 500 feet of track set among foliage, flowering plants, and woody plants. It's a long-running display rather than an October-only one, so it works as a fallback if a weekend event is crowded.

Live music in the Beer Garden

Live music in the Beer Garden is free with Gardens admission and runs most Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings through November 1. It's an open, sit-with-family-and-friends format under the stars — a good pairing with an illuminated fountain performance on the same evening.

Registration and reservation details worth checking

Most Autumn's Colors programming is free with admission, but two things require action in advance:

• Member reservations: Required to visit Fridays–Sundays after 3:00 pm through November 1. Members can make free reservations through the Member Portal.
• Meet Us at the Mums: Free with Gardens admission, but advance registration is required. It runs October 24, 2026, 1:00–3:00 pm.

If you're visiting on a weekend afternoon or evening in October, confirm your reservation status before you go — the 3:00 pm Friday–Sunday cutoff is the detail most likely to catch a member off guard.