What's On in Rockledge This Fall, From Scarecrow Season to Trunk or Treat

Every day in October, visitors to Rockledge Gardens can pick up a map at the front entrance or at the foot of the steps to the Botanical Boutique, the orange building. It shows the scarecrows hidden across the garden center's five acres. Find all of them, bring the map to checkout, and you get a prize. The hunt costs nothing and runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the month.

That quiet daily routine points to how autumn works in Rockledge. The city's official calendar lists only a few fall events, and each is tied to one Friday evening or one Saturday. Rockledge Gardens, at 2153 U.S. Hwy 1, runs the steady background: a month-long hunt, bread vendors twice a week, and a packed list of weekend programs. Planning a good fall here comes down to reading both calendars together and spotting the days where they overlap.

The Five Acres on U.S. 1 That Carry the Month

Start with the weekly schedule, because it's the part most people miss. Every Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a local baker sets up inside The Market, the red building on the property. In October the rotation includes Emily Bakes Bread on Wednesdays, plus Ya Motha's Bread, Pink Bow Sourdough and Seeds & Seasons Bakery on different Saturdays. The Market also stocks local craft beer, natural wine, coffee and kombucha. Two food counters operate inside it. Garden Party, a plant-based kitchen, is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mad Utter, which makes its own ice cream, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The seasonal events sit on top of that routine and are aimed at different ages:

• Fall Market, Sunday, Oct. 4, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 35 local makers and artisans, live music from Mer Mads, face painting, pumpkin photo spots and the guest food truck Miss Lola's. It's free and happens rain or shine.
• Little Bugs Learning Lab: Fall Fun, Sunday, Oct. 11, 3 p.m. For ages 4 to 12, with seasonal crafts, a costume parade at 3:45 p.m., and trick-or-treating at candy bowls set out around the kiosks, The Market, Mad Utter and Garden Party. Tickets are $15 per child and $12 for each additional sibling, and reservations are required.
• Toddler Tuesday, Oct. 20, 9:30 a.m. Held the third Tuesday of every month in the Riley Room: a nature-themed story time, sensory play from SeiserSensory and a craft to take home. Each child needs a ticket.
• Ghouls in the Gardens, Fridays Oct. 23 and 30, 7 to 10 p.m. An 18-and-over night with a horror-themed haunted greenhouse, a scary movie on the lawn, a costume contest and three bars spread across the nursery. Alcohol service is limited to guests 21 and up.

Ghouls in the Gardens needs some planning. The garden center calls it one of its most popular yearly events and says it tends to sell out. Any tickets left on the night are sold at the gate for $25, which is more than the discounted online price. The two nights have different lineups. DJ Judge plays on the 23rd, and Wax Phantom plays on the 30th with Nunzi Wood Fired Pizza joining Bruja's Table among the food trucks. The movie is picked by a public vote on the garden's Instagram account, @rockledgegardens, during the week of each event.

Where the City's Calendar Fits In

Compared with that, the City of Rockledge's fall schedule is short, and each event has a set time and place.

The 5th Annual Rocktober 5K is on Saturday, Oct. 3, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. It starts at the Rockledge Civic Hub, 530 Barton Boulevard, loops the Don Griffin Trail at Lake Betsi and finishes back at the Hub. Awards follow right after the race, and the course is open to runners and walkers of all ages. Registration is at rocktober5k.com.

Food Truck Friday comes back to Larry L. Schultz Park, 2540 S. Fiske Boulevard, on the second Friday of September, October and November, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The remaining 2026 dates are Oct. 9 and Nov. 13, and DJ Johnnie V provides the music.

Trunk or Treat is on Halloween itself, Saturday, Oct. 31, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Frank T. Forester Recreation Center, 960 Cogswell Street. The city's listing includes Blue Bucket trunks for children with disabilities or allergies, plus sensory-friendly and quieter options. Costumes are required, and children under 13 must come with a parent.

Each city event takes up one slot in the day. That leaves the rest of the day open for the garden center's schedule, which is why the overlap days are the ones to plan around.

Four Days When the Calendars Overlap

Saturday, Oct. 3. The Rocktober 5K finishes at the Civic Hub by 9:30 a.m. Rockledge Gardens opens at 9, and a baker sets up in The Market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. So a morning run, a loaf of bread and a lap of the scarecrow hunt fit into one morning without backtracking. The Fall Market follows the next day, on Sunday.

Friday, Oct. 9. Rockledge Country Club, 1591 S. Fiske Blvd., hosts the Wacky Tacky Golf Tournament & Social from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. It raises money for The Arc of Space Coast and includes an after-tournament social, auctions and refreshments. Food Truck Friday opens at Schultz Park, a little farther down the same road, at 4:30 p.m. That puts both of the day's events on South Fiske. Drivers heading north should know that the Fiske Boulevard and Lakemoor Boulevard intersection project is adding traffic signals, four ADA pedestrian crossings, ramps and short sidewalk links along Lakemoor Boulevard. The city scheduled the work from April through fall 2026, and FDOT estimates completion in late 2026.

Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31. The adults-only Ghouls in the Gardens runs Friday night. The next morning, Seeds & Seasons Bakery has the Saturday bread slot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's also the last day of the scarecrow hunt. Trunk or Treat on Cogswell Street then runs from 4 to 6 p.m. A household with children and adults can cover Halloween weekend without leaving Rockledge.

October at a Glance

Full details and ticket links for the garden events are on the Rockledge Gardens events page. The city's listings are on the City of Rockledge calendar.

After October

The schedule slows down in November. The last Food Truck Friday of the year is Nov. 13 at Schultz Park. The regular Little Bugs Learning Lab returns on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m. It's for ages 6 to 12, and parents can drop children off for the whole session. Rockledge Gardens also lists a Winter Camp for Dec. 28 to 30, with tickets still to come.

The big December event is shared with the city next door. The Cocoa/Rockledge Parade is on Saturday, Dec. 12, starting at 10 a.m. at Rockledge High School and heading through Historic Cocoa Village. Brevard County Parks & Recreation, the City of Cocoa and the City of Rockledge present it together, and a festival with Santa and stage entertainment follows. The official listings don't agree on exactly where the parade and festival end, so check the latest details closer to the date.

Light Up Rockledge has no 2026 date yet. Last year's tree lighting was Dec. 6, 2025, and as of late September the city calendar had not posted this year's. Check back in November.

Planning the Season

For a Rockledge household, the most useful takeaway is how the two calendars divide the work. The garden center is open for most of the season, so a quick scarecrow hunt with the kids needs no planning; bread and ice cream follow their posted schedules. The city events and the ticketed garden events are set for specific dates and times, so they need a spot on the calendar. Ghouls in the Gardens tends to sell out, and the Learning Labs require reservations, so those are the ones to book early. The Fall Market and the scarecrow hunt are both free.

These are the local details Maria Schmackpfeffer follows closely as a ONE Sotheby's International Realty advisor serving Rockledge and the wider Space Coast. They're part of understanding how a neighborhood actually lives from week to week. If you're weighing a move within Brevard, preparing a Rockledge home for sale, or just want a clear read on the local market, Maria is glad to talk it through on your schedule. Let's Connect.