Toddler-friendly Halloween events and trunk or treats in Williamson County

Halloween is on a Saturday this year, so the costume can get two or three outings. Most of the trunk or treats are the weekend before. These are the ones I'd take a toddler or preschooler to, in date order.

Friday October 16: Halloween Music & Movement

Williamson County Public Library, 1314 Columbia Avenue, Franklin. 10:30 to 11am in the Children's Activity Room, for ages 0 to 5 with a grownup. No registration needed.

Saturday October 17: Halloween Bash, Fairview

Fairview Recreation Complex, 2714 Fairview Boulevard. 5:15 to 7:30pm, run by Williamson County Parks and Recreation. It's $5 a child, and kids 3 and under get in free, along with adults. Come in costume, and register online through the county's parks site.

Friday October 23

Truck or Treat at Ford of Franklin, 1129 Murfreesboro Road, Franklin. 4 to 7pm. Trick-or-treat stations and activities around the dealership, free and open to everyone.

Trunk or Treat at The Learning Experience, 120 Swanson Branch Way, Franklin. 6 to 8pm, with trunks, a bubble house, a touch-a-truck and a coloring station. It's free, and they ask you to RSVP on Eventbrite.

Saturday October 24: the big one

Several good options land on the same day, so pick the one closest to home.

Pumpkinfest, Main Street, Franklin. Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sunday 11am to 5pm. There's a KidZone with games, crafts and children's activities, plus costume contests, food and music. A $1 shuttle runs each way from The Park at Harlinsdale Farm, 239 Franklin Road, but strollers that don't fold can't go on it. With a toddler, I'd get there right at 10 on Saturday.

Booktacular, John P. Holt Brentwood Library, 8109 Concord Road. 3 to 5pm. Kids make their way around the library stopping at treat stations, and every child 12 and under gets a free book. Costumes are encouraged.

Trunk or Treat and Fall Festival, Southern Hills Church of Christ, 2508 Goose Creek Bypass, Franklin. 4 to 8pm, free and open to all, with a costume parade. Registering ahead is optional and walk-ups are welcome.

Trunk or Treat at Bowie Nature Park, 7211 Bowie Lake Road, Fairview. 4 to 6pm, with decorated cars and treats.

Spring Hill Trunk or Treat, Fischer Park at Port Royal, 4285 Port Royal Road. 5 to 8pm, hosted by the City of Spring Hill. The park has a playground and restrooms, which helps.

If you're out that way earlier, the Fairview library, 2240 Fairview Boulevard, runs Boo for Books from 11am to 2pm. Come in costume for a free book and candy.

Sunday October 25

Trunk or Treat at The Learning Experience, 2832 Duplex Road, Spring Hill. 2 to 5pm, free and open to the community, with trunks, games, snacks and a visit from Bubbles.

Trunk or Treat at Concord Community Church, 9826 Concord Road, Brentwood. 5 to 6pm, and free. Trunks, prizes, candy, games, hayrides, popcorn and cotton candy, for kids of all ages.

Thompson's Station Trunk or Treat at Big Blue Marble Academy, 4794 Main Street, Thompson's Station. 5 to 6:30pm, with trunks, games and food. It's free and open to the community, with an RSVP on Eventbrite.

The week before Halloween

"Boo to You" story times, Leiper's Fork library, 5333 Old Highway 96. Preschool Story Time for ages 3 to 5 is Tuesday October 27, and Toddler Time for 18 to 35 months is Wednesday October 28, both 10 to 11am. Toddler Time is capped at 12 kids, so register ahead by calling the branch at (615) 794-7019.

Creepy Critter Crafts, Bowie Nature Park, Fairview. Wednesday October 28 at 10am at the Bowie Nature Center. The park asks families to register for its programs.

Halloween Music & Play Party, TN Kids Co, 7180 Nolensville Road, Suite 2H, Nolensville. Wednesday October 28, 9:30 to 11:30am, for ages 2 to 10. It's $25 a child and includes a full day of play, adults are free, and they take RSVPs ahead.

Trunk or Treat at First Baptist Church of Fairview, 7310 Overbey Road. Wednesday October 28, 6 to 8pm. A community night with food trucks, a cake walk, a balloon artist and face painting.

Trunk or Treat at 95 Seaboard Lane, Brentwood. Thursday October 29, 5 to 7pm. Huntington Learning Center and the other family-focused businesses at that address, including Brentwood Pediatric Dentistry and Brentwood Children's Clinic, hand out candy and giveaways. The food trucks there charge.

Baby Boo Bash, Williamson County Public Library, 1314 Columbia Avenue, Franklin. Friday October 30, 10:30 to 11:30am. Babies come in costume for baby-safe playtime and a craft. This is the one I'd circle with a baby or young toddler.

Trunk-or-Treat at Community Baptist Church, 5001 Port Royal Road, Spring Hill. Friday October 30. It's free, with trunks, games, and snacks and hot chocolate inside. The church hasn't posted a start time yet.

Halloween morning

Magic Show, Spring Hill Public Library, 144 Kedron Parkway. Saturday October 31, 10 to 11am. All ages, costumes optional, and everyone leaves with a treat. It's an easy morning before an evening of trick-or-treating.

Worth the drive: Boo at the Zoo

Nashville Zoo, October 16 to November 1, 5 to 9pm nightly. Tickets are $19 Monday through Thursday and $23 Friday through Sunday for everyone 2 and up. Kids under 2 are free but still need a ticket. Parking is $10, and it runs rain or shine.

There are trick-or-treat stations for ages 2 to 12. The zoo describes it as spooky, not scary, with nothing set up to frighten anyone. It also says some areas can feel scary to young children after dark, so with a toddler I'd go right at 5.

Fall festivals

Fall Festival at Riverbend Nurseries, 2008 Lewisburg Pike, Franklin. Saturday October 10, 10am to 2pm. It's free, with hayrides, face painting, a bounce house, a petting zoo and pumpkin painting. Food is for sale.

Fall Fun Day, Bowie Nature Park, 7211 Bowie Lake Road, Fairview. Also Saturday October 10, and free. The touch-a-truck runs 10am to 1pm, and there's pumpkin painting while supplies last, face painting, games, nature programs and food vendors.

Fall Fest at The Awaken House, 3035 Reserve Boulevard, Spring Hill. Saturday October 17, 10am to 6pm, with a family movie at 6:30. Admission is free, and activity bracelets are for sale when you arrive. There's a petting zoo, pumpkin decorating, bounce houses, mini golf, food trucks and over 30 vendors.

Family Day at The Park at Harlinsdale Farm, 239 Franklin Road, Franklin. Saturday November 7, 10am to 2pm. It's the City of Franklin's free fall festival, with wagon rides, pony rides, a petting zoo and cane pole fishing.

Owl Day at Owl's Hill Nature Sanctuary, 545 Beech Creek Road South, Brentwood. Also Saturday November 7, 10am to 1pm. Owl presentations, crafts and a scavenger hunt. Adults are $15 online or $17 at the door, kids 12 and under are $10 or $12, and kids 2 and under are free.

Pumpkin patches are still open through the end of October too. My pumpkin patch guide has dates and prices, and there's a full guide to Gentry Farm if that's your pick.