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Guides · Mid-Michigan · Fall 2026

Things to Do in Mount Pleasant and Mid-Michigan This Fall (2026 Guide)

Chippewas home games, a downtown Pumpkin Promenade, trunk-or-treat, a pumpkin farm near Beaverton and fall walks along the Chippewa River.

The Mitten Daily · Updated October 13, 2026 · Mount Pleasant

Kelly/Shorts Stadium in Mount Pleasant under stadium lights before a Central Michigan football game, seen from the upper stands.
Kelly/Shorts Stadium before Central Michigan’s Halloween night game against Northern Illinois in 2023. Photo: Jackeno99 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), altered; derivative under the same ShareAlike license.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Fall in Mid-Michigan centers on Mount Pleasant: Central Michigan University football Saturdays, a downtown that turns out for Halloween, and farm country on every side. North into Clare County, small towns, lakes and pumpkin farms fill the weekends until the first snow.

This guide covers Mount Pleasant, Isabella County and nearby Clare and Gladwin counties for mid-October through November 2026. Dates and hours were checked against organizers’ own pages on Oct. 13, 2026. Check each listing again before you go.

Fall color and outdoors

  • The Chippewa River. Mount Pleasant’s riverside parks, such as Island Park and Mill Pond Park, sit along the Chippewa River and make an easy fall walk.
  • Back roads. County roads west and north of town toward Clare and Lake Isabella pass woodlots, farm fields and small lakes, with color later in October than up north.
  • The Pere Marquette Rail-Trail runs between Midland and Clare through farm country, a flat, paved fall bike ride.
  • Paddling. The Chippewa is a gentle paddle on calm days. Liveries cut back or close in fall, so check before you go.

Chippewas football at home

Central Michigan plays its remaining 2026 home games at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, according to the team’s schedule:

  • Sat., Oct. 17, 1:30 p.m. vs. Western Michigan.
  • Sat., Oct. 24, 1 p.m. vs. Miami (Ohio).
  • Wed., Nov. 11, 7 or 7:30 p.m. vs. Sacramento State.

The Nov. 4 game against Eastern Michigan is at Ford Field in Detroit. Game days fill Mount Pleasant’s hotels and restaurants, so book early or plan around them.

Pumpkins, mazes and farm fun

The Wild Pumpkin, 5799 Beaverton Road, Beaverton, about 45 minutes northeast: open through Oct. 30, Monday–Thursday noon–6 p.m. and Friday–Sunday 10 a.m.–6 p.m., with admission closing at 5:15 p.m. every day, according to the farm.

Farm stands around Isabella and Clare counties sell pumpkins, squash and apples through October. Many close for the season after Halloween.

Halloween and fall events with dates (2026)

  • Fri., Oct. 23, 5–7 p.m. Trunk or Treat at Central Motorsports, 905 Corporate Drive, Mount Pleasant. Free, costumes encouraged, according to the event’s listing with the Mt. Pleasant Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
  • Fri., Oct. 30, 4–6 p.m. Pumpkin Promenade in downtown Mount Pleasant. Kids 12 and under trick-or-treat outside participating businesses, with free outdoor activities, according to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.
  • Saturdays, Oct. 17 and 24. Chippewas home football (above).

Mount Pleasant and the Clare County towns post their own Halloween night trick-or-treat hours. Check city websites the last week of October. Our Oct. 8 story covers more Clare County October events.

Food and drink

Downtown Mount Pleasant’s Broadway and Main streets have the area’s best mix of local restaurants, coffee shops and brewpubs, busy on game days and quieter midweek. Clare’s downtown along McEwan Street has a smaller cluster of diners and bakeries.

A fall weekend in Mount Pleasant

Saturday morning. Start with breakfast downtown, then walk the riverside parks along the Chippewa before the game crowds arrive. If you are in town on Oct. 17 or 24, plan the day around kickoff at Kelly/Shorts Stadium; parking and traffic near campus build for hours before the game.

Saturday afternoon. On non-game days, drive northeast to The Wild Pumpkin near Beaverton, about 45 minutes away, for the farm’s fall activities. Go early on weekends; the farm stops selling admission at 5:15 p.m. On the way back, take county roads instead of the highway for fall color through farm country and small towns.

Saturday evening. Back downtown, Mount Pleasant’s restaurants and brewpubs fill up after games, so reserve a table or eat early.

Sunday. Drive north on US-127 to Clare for a late breakfast downtown, then a flat bike ride or walk on the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail. Lake Isabella and the small lakes west of Mount Pleasant are pretty on the drive back, especially in the late afternoon light.

When to go

Mid-Michigan’s color usually trails northern Michigan by a week or two, so the second half of October is often the best time for leaves here. Weekdays are quieter and hotel rooms cheaper, while football Saturdays bring the biggest crowds. By November, farms have closed and the focus shifts to indoor events and the holiday season. Check the visitors bureau calendar for late-fall craft shows and holiday markets.

Family picks

  • The Pumpkin Promenade downtown on Oct. 30.
  • A day at The Wild Pumpkin before it closes Oct. 30.
  • A Chippewas afternoon game on Oct. 17 or 24.
  • A walk in the parks along the Chippewa River.

Where to stay

  • Mount Pleasant has the most hotels, including the resort and hotel at Soaring Eagle.
  • Clare has motels convenient to US-127 and points north.

Tips

  • Avoid football Saturdays if you want a quiet weekend or cheaper rooms.
  • Fall is deer season. Watch for deer on rural roads at dawn and dusk.
  • Recheck farm hours after Oct. 30, when most pumpkin farms close.

More from Mid-Michigan

This is a seasonal guide. We publish a new one for each area every season (winter, spring, summer and fall); last updated Oct. 13, 2026.

Sources:
Central Michigan University Athletics, 2026 football schedule, cmuchippewas.com
Mt. Pleasant Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, Pumpkin Promenade and Trunk or Treat at Central Motorsports listings, meetmtp.com
City of Mt. Pleasant Parks and Recreation, Pumpkin Promenade, mt-pleasant.org
The Wild Pumpkin, fall 2026 hours, thewildpumpkin.com
Photo: Jackeno99, “Kelly Shorts Stadium 10.31.2023.jpg”, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), cropped and color-corrected; derivative under the same ShareAlike license, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kelly_Shorts_Stadium_10.31.2023.jpg

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