Looking for things to do in Southeast Texas this weekend? From a Pumpkin Walk and haunted hayride at the John Jay French Museum to a ghost walk through downtown Orange, Spookfest at Spindletop and the symphony's pops opener, there's plenty happening around Beaumont, Orange, Nederland and Bridge City from Friday, October 16 through Sunday, October 18, 2026.
We found 20 things to do in Southeast Texas this weekend, with plenty of Halloween fun for the kids, free things to do and a few indoor options. The weather helps too: Saturday cools off to a sunny 76°F.
← Part of our Things to Do in Southeast Texas guide
Want what's always open rather than what's on this week? See Weekend Things to Do in Southeast Texas: What's Actually Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday →
Image: Beaumont Heritage Society
1. Walk Through a Haunted House at SETX Stages
Where: Southeast Texas Stages, 4155 Laurel St., Beaumont
When: Friday and Saturday, 8 to 10 PM
Price: $15
Want to start the weekend with a scare? Southeast Texas Stages, the theatre company formerly called Beaumont Community Players, is turning its black box theatre into a walk-through haunted house for a short October run.
If this weekend is already full, it opens again October 23, 24, 30 and 31, from 10 PM to midnight. Members get 20% off. Buy tickets from the theatre.
2. Take the Crosswalks Tour of Downtown Beaumont
Where: Downtown Beaumont
When: Friday and Saturday at 5 PM
Price: $20
The Beaumont Heritage Society's Crosswalks Downtown Walking Tour follows downtown's booms and busts, from the Spindletop days to Ben Rogers' ill-fated Hilton Hotel. Along the way you'll stop at the Kyle Building, the Petroleum Building, Antioch Baptist Church and The Copa, places plenty of us have driven past for years without knowing the stories behind them.
Your meeting point comes with your ticket. The tour runs through October 31, so there's still time if you can't make this weekend.
3. Vote for a Scarecrow at Shangri La
Photo: Shangri La Botanical Gardens
Where: Shangri La Botanical Gardens, 2111 W. Park Ave., Orange
When: Friday and Saturday, 9 AM to 5 PM; last entry 4:30 PM
Price: Free
Shangri La's 16th Scarecrow Festival is still up, and this is your chance to pick a favorite. Local groups built the scarecrows from recycled materials, and they're set among thousands of pumpkins throughout the gardens. The winners are announced at the Autumn Fair on October 24.
Shangri La is closed Sunday, so make this a Friday or Saturday trip.
4. Catch Street Fighter on Opening Weekend
Where: Cinemark Beaumont 15 and XD, 3855 I-10 S., Beaumont; Regal Star, 4455 Dowlen Rd., Beaumont
When: Opens Friday
If you'd rather spend part of the weekend in a theater seat, the live-action Street Fighter opens Friday, October 16. It's rated PG-13, runs 1 hour 59 minutes and is set in 1993, with Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken and Jason Momoa as Blanka.
Cinemark Beaumont is showing it in standard and XD with D-Box seats, and Regal Star has afternoon and evening showings. Check showtimes before you go.
5. Bring the Dog to Dogtoberfest Downtown
Where: Main Street Outdoor Plaza, downtown Beaumont
When: Saturday, 8 AM to 2 PM
Leash up the dog for Saturday morning. Beaumont Main Street's Dogtoberfest fills the Main Street Outdoor Plaza with dog contests, interactive attractions and family activities.
Event details are on the City of Beaumont event page, or call Beaumont Main Street at (409) 838-2202.
6. Ride the Ivory Bill Down the Neches
Photo: Neches River Adventures
Where: Collier's Ferry Park, 5390 Pine St., Beaumont
When: Saturday, 10 AM to noon
Price: $26.50 adults · $21.20 seniors 65+ · $15.90 ages 4 to 12 · Free ages 3 and under
Saturday morning is a great time to get out on the river. Neches River Adventures takes the Ivory Bill on a two-hour public tour through bottomland hardwood and pine forest, and proceeds go to the Big Thicket Association.
The boat holds 30, so book and pay online ahead of time. The river runs about 10 degrees cooler than town, and Saturday is already cooling off, so bring a jacket.
7. Let the Kids Climb the Trucks at Touch-a-Truck
Photo: Beaumont Children's Museum
Where: Beaumont Children's Museum, 701 Main St., Beaumont
When: Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM
Price: $10 · $5 members
If you have a kid who waves at every fire truck, this one's for them. The 15th Annual Touch-a-Truck and S.T.E.A.M. Fair brings emergency, utility, construction, transportation and delivery vehicles to the Children's Museum for kids to touch, climb on and ask about.
Tickets include museum entry and the S.T.E.A.M. Fair inside. Online registration closes Friday at noon, and proceeds fund the museum's programs and camps. The museum is also open Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM.
8. Eat a Bug at AMSET's Free Family Arts Day
Photo: Art Museum of Southeast Texas
Where: Art Museum of Southeast Texas, 500 Main St., Beaumont
When: Saturday, 10 AM to 2 PM
Price: Free
AMSET's Free Family Arts Day has art activities, concessions and the Mexican Heritage Society Dancers at 11 AM and 12:30 PM. This month's theme is Eat-A-Bug, for anyone brave enough.
The museum is free all weekend: Friday 9 AM to 5 PM, Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM and Sunday noon to 5 PM. It's an easy add-on if you're already downtown for Dogtoberfest.
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Subscribe free →9. Vote for a Pumpkin at the John Jay French Museum
Photo: Beaumont Heritage Society
Where: John Jay French Museum, 3025 French Road, Beaumont
When: Saturday, 6 to 9 PM
Price: $5 ages 4 and up · Free ages 3 and under and Beaumont Heritage Society members
This might be the best family pick of the weekend. The Pumpkin Walk and Fall Festival lines the museum grounds with carved and decorated pumpkins, and visitors vote for their favorites. There's also a haunted tour of the 1845 French home, a haunted hayride around the grounds, a kids' Halloween craft and a vendor fair.
Want to enter a pumpkin of your own? It's free. Drop it at Heritage Hall, 2985 French Road, Thursday or Friday from 9 AM to 4 PM, or Saturday from 10 AM to noon. Up to four people get in free with a SNAP/EBT card and ID through Museums for All. Event details.
10. Celebrate Halloween Early at Spookfest
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress
Where: Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum, 5550 Jimmy Simmons Blvd., Beaumont
When: Saturday, 5 to 9 PM
Price: Free
The 1901 oil boomtown at Spindletop-Gladys City goes Halloween for Spookfest, and it's free. The first two hours, 5 to 7 PM, are sensory-friendly, and the costume contest starts at 6:30.
Family fun goes until 9. Questions go to the museum at (409) 880-1750, or see the event page.
11. Watch Frankenweenie Outdoors at Monsters in the Park
Where: Tex Ritter Park, 1500 Boston Ave., Nederland
When: Saturday, from 5 PM
Over in Nederland, Monsters in the Park has bounce houses, games, Halloween activities and an outdoor screening of Frankenweenie. Costumes are encouraged, so it's a good test run for Halloween night.
The schedule is on the city's event page.
12. Follow the Historic Ghost Walk Through Downtown Orange
Where: Heritage House Museum, 905 W. Division St., Orange
When: Saturday, 5 to 8 PM; last tour leaves at 7:50 PM
Price: $10 adults · $5 children
Want something a little spookier? The 10th Annual Historic Ghost Walk is a half-mile walking tour of downtown Orange. At each historic stop, high school theatre students act out a local story of triumph, tragedy, mystery or legend, and every story is new this year.
Tours leave every 10 minutes. While you wait, 4-Way Split plays at the Heritage House, and the Little Cypress Lions Club and Kiwanis Club run food trucks with hamburgers, hot dogs, pretzels and chocolate-dipped strawberries. Buy tickets online. Proceeds go to restoring the house.
13. Hear the Symphony's America 250 Pops Concert
Photo: Reagan Rothenberger, CC BY 3.0
Where: Julie Rogers Theatre, 765 Pearl St., Beaumont
When: Saturday, 7:30 PM
Price: $36 to $62
For a dressier Saturday night, the Symphony of Southeast Texas opens its Pops series with America 250: A Star-Spangled Celebration, for the nation's 250th. Maestro Chelsea Tipton II conducts, and guest artists The Night and Day Orchestra play patriotic classics and big band hits.
Buy tickets online or call the box office at (409) 892-2257.
14. Laugh With Danny Tran at The Hattman
Where: The Hattman, 3330 Bowling Ln., Orange
When: Saturday, 8 PM
Price: From $25
Need a laugh? Dallas comic Danny Tran headlines the Texas Comedy Showcase in Orange, produced and hosted by Erik Knowles, with comedians from around Texas.
General admission is already sold out, so this is one to book now. Preferred seats in rows 2 and 3 are $25, and front-row VIP seats are $30, plus fees.
15. Meet the K9 Unit at the Beaumont Police Trunk or Treat
Where: Beaumont Police Department, 255 College St., Beaumont
When: Sunday, 2 to 5 PM
Sunday afternoon is for the kids at the Beaumont Police Department Trunk or Treat. Expect candy, the SWAT, Traffic and K9 units up close, and a meet and greet with officers, civilian staff and community partners.
Costumes are encouraged. BPD calls it "a safe and not-too-spooky event for all ages," which makes it a good pick for little ones. Details are on the department's event page.
16. Dissect an Owl Pellet at Tyrrell Park
Where: Tyrrell Park Nature and Visitor Center, 3930 Babe Zaharias Dr., Beaumont
When: Sunday, 2:30 to 4:30 PM
Price: Free; reservations required
Got a curious 8- to 12-year-old? At Hoooo's There?, kids take apart an owl pellet with guided instruction, then go home with the bones and a junior science worksheet.
Seats are limited and go first come, first served, so call ahead. Reserve at (409) 880-3163.
17. Take the Eco-Art Boat to the Ghost Fleet
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Photo: William L. Farr, CC BY-SA 4.0
Where: Beaumont Marina, 560 Marina Dr., Beaumont
When: Sunday, 4 to 6 PM
Price: $35; reservations required
Here's one you won't see every weekend. The Big Thicket Association and Neches River Adventures take a boat down the Neches to the MARAD Beaumont Reserve Fleet, the mothballed ships known as the ghost fleet.
Seating is limited, so reserve a seat through the Big Thicket Association.
18. Hear Something Beautiful at First United Methodist
Where: First United Methodist Church, 701 Calder Ave., Beaumont
When: Sunday, 5 PM
Price: Free; donations welcome
End the weekend with music. The FUMC Chancel Choir performs with organist Janie Greenway, featured vocalist Hillary Howerton and guest musicians from the Symphony of Southeast Texas. The concert also opens a retrospective of Nederland artist Joyce Elaine Philen: botanical art, watercolors, sculpture and mixed media.
A reception with light refreshments follows, and the artist will be there. If you can't make Sunday, the exhibit stays up through November 15.
19. Spend Sunday Afternoon at Beaumont's Museums
Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Library of Congress
If you'd rather take Sunday slow, four Beaumont museums are open in the afternoon:
- Art Museum of Southeast Texas, 500 Main St.: noon to 5 PM, free
- McFaddin-Ward House Museum, 1906 Calder Ave.: garden tour at noon, house tour at 1 PM, free. The house tour is for ages 8 and up. Book online.
- Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum, 5550 Jimmy Simmons Blvd.: 1 to 5 PM, last admission 4 PM. $5 adults, $3 seniors 60+, $2 ages 6 to 12, free ages 5 and under.
- Texas Energy Museum, 600 Main St.: 1 to 5 PM, tickets sold until 4 PM. $5 adults, $3 ages 6 to 12, $3 seniors 65+.
Spindletop-Gladys City is also open Friday and Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM, and McFaddin-Ward tours run both days. Either one is a solid pick if you have visitors in town.
20. Pick a Pumpkin in Bridge City or Nederland
Still need a pumpkin for the porch? Two church pumpkin patches are open all weekend.
First Baptist Church Bridge City, 200 W. Roundbunch Rd., Bridge City: Friday and Saturday 10 AM to 7 PM, Sunday noon to 7 PM. Admission is free, and pumpkins are priced by size. There are play areas, games and several photo setups, and the patch takes cash, check, PayPal, Cash App and Venmo.
Nederland Apostolic Church, 1308 S. 27th St., Nederland: Friday 4 to 7 PM, Saturday 10 AM to dark, Sunday noon to dark. It's the patch's first weekend, with photo spots, a kids' play area, food trucks and a coffee shop.
Free Things to Do in Southeast Texas This Weekend
If you're trying to keep the weekend inexpensive, you have plenty of options. Some of the best free things to do in Southeast Texas this weekend include:
- Scarecrow Festival at Shangri La, Friday and Saturday
- Free Family Arts Day at AMSET, Saturday
- Spookfest at Spindletop-Gladys City, Saturday
- Owl Pellet Workshop at Tyrrell Park, Sunday
- Something Beautiful at First United Methodist, Sunday
- McFaddin-Ward House Museum tours, all weekend
- The Stark Museum of Art, Friday and Saturday
- The First Baptist Bridge City pumpkin patch, all weekend
If you want to make a full Saturday of it without spending much, start at AMSET's Family Arts Day in the morning and finish at Spookfest in the evening.
What to Do in Southeast Texas on Sunday
Sunday is quieter, but there's still enough to make a day of it. The Beaumont Police Department Trunk or Treat runs from 2 to 5 PM, and the Owl Pellet Workshop at Tyrrell Park starts at 2:30. The Eco-Art Boat leaves the Beaumont Marina at 4, and Something Beautiful starts at First United Methodist at 5.
In Beaumont, AMSET, the McFaddin-Ward House, Spindletop-Gladys City and the Texas Energy Museum are open Sunday afternoon. Shangri La, the Stark Museum, the Beaumont Children's Museum and the Museum of the Gulf Coast are closed Sunday, so plan those for Friday or Saturday.
Southeast Texas Weekend Weather
As of the National Weather Service forecast issued October 14, Friday looks sunny in Beaumont with a high near 87°F and a slight chance of showers between 7 AM and 1 PM.
Saturday cools off, with sun, a high near 76°F and gusts up to 30 mph, then a low around 54 Saturday night. Sunday is sunny with a high near 80°F. If you're heading to the Ghost Walk or the Pumpkin Walk, bring a jacket for Saturday night.
More Things to Do Around Southeast Texas
Planning further ahead? Jefferson Theatre's 13 Nights of Halloween film series starts Monday, October 19, and we keep upcoming festivals, markets, concerts and community events on our Southeast Texas events calendar.
And if you'd rather have the good stuff sent to you, What's Up SETX is free. We send local events, food finds, businesses and things worth knowing around Southeast Texas every Monday and Wednesday.