Fall Fest at Tower Hill

Tower Hill Botanic Garden, located in Boylston, Mass., will be hosting three consecutive weekends of Fall Fest at the end of September through Columbus Day in an effort to inspire, educate, and entertain the many travelers who will hit the road this autumn looking for signs of autumn.

Tower Hill, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting plants and people, offers foliage views of Mt. Wachusett, the highest peak in Central and Eastern Massachusetts, and of the Wachusett Reservoir, the second largest body of water in the Bay State. The year-round garden has plantings that are specifically designed to impress in each season, and fall’s natural color scheme will be on full display.

Fall Fest has activities for all ages and interests the weekends of Sept. 26 and 27, Oct. 3 and 4, and Oct. 10, 11, and 12, including hay rides, heirloom apple orchard tours, cooking demonstrations, live music, apple tastings, book signings and talks by authors, and samplings of cider and beer from local brewers.

Opportunities to listen to and meet experts in their field include Lee Buttala, author of “The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving,” at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27; John Bunker, a Maine apple historian, will speak on “The History of Apples in Massachusetts,” at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3; and Dan Bussey, a nationally known apple expert and author will speak on “Saving the Heirloom Apple,” at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10.

Children’s activities each weekend include a story walk, scavenger hunt, and fall crafts. There will also be a Live Caterpillar Show from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, and a chance for kids to dress as their favorite character from the Hundred Acre Wood as author Kathryn Aalto offers a reading of her original story, “A Walk in Pooh’s Footsteps,” at 11 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 12.

Food demonstrations and tastings include Didi Emmons, a chef and award-winning author of “Entertaining for a Veggie Planet,” on Saturday, Sept 26; Sandra Tosches on Canning: 101 on Sunday, Oct. 4; Carolyn Johnson, executive chef, and Katie Hamilburg, pastry chef of 80 Thoreau, a Concord, Mass., restaurant, on Sunday, Oct. 11; and Maura Kilpatrick, the award-winning pastry chef from Sofra Bakery in Cambridge, on Monday, Oct. 12.

For more information about these events and others being offered this fall, please call 508-869-6111 or visit towerhillbg.org. Tower Hill Botanic Garden is located at 11 French Drive in Boylston, Mass., just outside Worcester and is about an hour’s drive from Boston, Nashua, Springfield, Providence, and Hartford.