Between October 16 and October 28, 2026, the City of Fruitland Park and the Friends of Lake Griffin State Park have six public events on their calendars. November has almost nothing public on either calendar. December 11 brings it back with Hometown Christmas.
Two local organizations are behind those six events, and they work from two different places. The city runs its events along West Berckman Street, between Gardenia Park and City Hall. The Friends group runs its events on the water at Lake Griffin State Park. For one Saturday, October 24, both are booked on the same day.
Thirteen days, six events
Here is the late-October stretch in order, using what each organization had posted as of this week.
| Date | Event | Where | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Oct. 16 | Pumpkins with Cops | 516 W. Berckman St. | 6–8 p.m. | Free, registration required |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Kayak 101 class | Lake Griffin State Park | 9–11:30 a.m. | $35 |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Eco-Tour | Lake Griffin State Park | 9–10:30 a.m. | $30, or $25 with your own kayak |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Blues, Brews & Bites | Gardenia Center, 205 W. Berckman St. | 6:30–9 p.m. | Tickets listed as "coming soon" |
| Mon., Oct. 26 | Sunset Tour | Lake Griffin State Park | 6–9 p.m. | $40 |
| Wed., Oct. 28 | Eco-Tour | Lake Griffin State Park | 9 a.m. | $30, or $25 with your own kayak |
Pumpkins with Cops opens the stretch. It's a free pumpkin-carving evening on West Berckman Street, and the city requires registration ahead of time. The other city event in the window is new. The rest belong to the Friends group, and they're the part of fall in Fruitland Park that's easiest to overlook.
The new event on Berckman Street
The city describes Blues, Brews & Bites as "a new community event celebrating local food, refreshing drinks, and live blues music." It runs Saturday, October 24, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Gardenia Center, with food from local restaurants and beverage vendors while blues musicians play. When we checked, the ticket line still read "Coming Soon," so keep an eye on the city's page if you're planning to go.
The Gardenia Center is part of the Gardenia Park Recreation Complex at 201 W. Berckman St. The complex also has the city pool, a skate park, a playground and a pavilion. Pumpkins with Cops is at 516 W. Berckman, and City Hall, where Hometown Christmas takes place, is at 506 W. Berckman. So all three of this season's city events happen on one street.
The calendar on the water
The Friends of Lake Griffin State Park is a citizen support organization founded in 2011. It raises money and volunteer hours for park projects, and it offers guided kayak tours and classes. Florida State Parks Certified Paddle Tour Guides lead the tours. Four of the six public events in this window are theirs.
The route suits beginners. The paddle starts at the park's launch and follows the Dead River through marsh toward Lake Griffin. Florida State Parks says the Dead River has no current, and the lake is about a mile from the boat ramp. According to the park, cormorants, anhingas, alligators, herons, softshell turtles and ospreys are frequently seen along the canal through the Dead River marsh.
Each tour serves a different kind of paddler:
- Kayak 101, October 23. A two-and-a-half-hour class for $35, held the morning before the Saturday tour.
- Eco-Tours, October 24 and 28. A 90-minute guided paddle. It costs $30 with a kayak supplied, or $25 if you bring your own, which must be longer than 11 feet. The Friends ask guests to arrive 30 minutes early, bring water, and wear shoes that can get wet. Guides don't accept tips.
- Sunset Tour, October 26. Kayaks launch about an hour before sunset. The group pauses to watch the sky change color and paddles back to the ramp by headlamp, and the event page describes watching the moon rise behind the group. Arrival is at 6 p.m. and the cost is $40.
The Sunset Tour page has some practical advice for a fall evening. The Friends say to expect the temperature to drop about 5 to 10 degrees before you're off the water, and they suggest long sleeves and a windbreaker or jacket. You'll also walk a few steps in mid-calf-deep water to get in and out of your kayak.
These tours are small. When we checked, the October 24 Eco-Tour had five spaces left and the Sunset Tour had nine. The Friends handle questions by email at [email protected], and their pages note that the park will direct phone callers to that address.
October 24, start to finish
The Eco-Tour and the blues evening are about eight hours apart, so you can do both on the same Saturday:
- 8:30 a.m. Arrive at Lake Griffin State Park, 3089 U.S. Highway 441-27. The park entrance fee is $5 per car. Entry is free with a Florida State Parks annual pass or a current Friends membership.
- 9 to 10:30 a.m. Paddle the Dead River marsh with the Friends' guides.
- Late morning. Stay and walk. The half-mile nature trail leads to the Mammoth Live Oak, which the park calls the second-largest live oak in Florida and estimates at 300 to 500 years old. The Swamp Trail is a 1.3-mile round trip through basin marsh.
- 6:30 to 9 p.m. Blues, Brews & Bites at the Gardenia Center.
If you'd rather paddle on your own schedule, Just Paddle It LLC rents kayaks at the park. On the vendor's booking page, a single kayak costs $29.95 for one hour and $39.95 for two. A tandem costs $39.95 for one hour and $54.95 for two. Park admission is extra. The vendor doesn't post regular daily hours on the pages we reviewed, so check its booking calendar before you drive over.
November on both calendars
The city's November calendar lists routine programs and meetings. It has no signature event. The Friends' only November listing we found is an Eco-Tour on November 14 that needs a code to book, so it isn't open for public signup. We also found no public Friends tours posted for December. Their schedule may grow, but late October is what's posted right now.
The state park doesn't close in November. It's open 8 a.m. to sundown every day of the year, for $5 per vehicle with two to eight people or $4 for a single-occupant vehicle. The park offers occasional interpretive programs at its amphitheater and asks visitors to check with the ranger station for schedules. You can ask about guided hikes there too. So in November the trails and rental kayaks are still there. The posted guided tours aren't.
December 11 at City Hall
The next big date on the city's calendar is Hometown Christmas on Friday, December 11, starting at 5:30 p.m. at Fruitland Park City Hall, 506 W. Berckman St. The city expects local entertainment, a live DJ and holiday music, food trucks, merchandise and community vendors, bounce houses, laser tag, free children's activities and holiday photo spots. Mr. and Mrs. Claus traditionally arrive by fire truck. The page lists a start time but no end time. It also says activities may change or be canceled because of weather.
The city's December calendar doesn't list a separate parade or tree lighting. For now, Hometown Christmas is the city's whole holiday program, and it happens on the same street as the October events.
To catch the season's best weeks, book a Friends tour this week, watch the city's page for Blues, Brews & Bites tickets, and save December 11.
Small calendars like this one are part of what Lili Whittington helps clients get to know in Fruitland Park, whether they're settling into town or thinking about a move nearby. If you'd like a local's view of what's coming up here or in the surrounding communities, Schedule a Call.
