October is the best month to be a tourist in Minneapolis, and it is not particularly close. The heat is gone, the trees turn, the sports calendar is stacked, and the whole city leans into being haunted for a few weeks. Here is what is actually happening in October 2026 — and how to fit a trolley tour around it.
The first weekend is the big one: October 2–4
Three separate things land on the same weekend, so book early if you are coming in for any of them.
Twin Cities Marathon weekend runs Friday through Sunday, October 2–4. The marathon itself goes off Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and the TC 10 Mile at 7:00 a.m. — both are sold out to the general public. Still open at last check: the TC 10K on Saturday at 7:30 a.m., which doubles as the 2026 USATF 10K Championships, and the TC 5K at 9:00 a.m. The Health & Fitness Expo is at Saint Paul RiverCentre, Friday 11–7 and Saturday 10–6. Check tcmevents.org for the current details and course maps.
Gophers vs. Michigan is Saturday, October 3 at Huntington Bank Stadium, kickoff time to be announced. Gophers vs. Iowa follows on October 24. Both are on the official schedule, which notes dates and opponents can change.
The Minnesota Orchestra continues its season opening celebrations Thursday, October 1 through Saturday, October 3 at Orchestra Hall, with Søndergård conducting Mozart and Prokofiev. Details at minnesotaorchestra.org.
If you are watching the marathon rather than running it, note that a lot of downtown streets close early Sunday. Plan Saturday for sightseeing and keep Sunday morning for spectating.
Spooky season, which Minneapolis takes seriously
The Rocky Horror Spooktacular opens the month at the State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Avenue, on Thursday, October 1 at 7:30 p.m. — see Hennepin Arts for tickets.
The Twin Cities Horror Festival XV runs October 16–31 at the Crane Theater, 2303 NE Kennedy Street. Fifteen years of original, weird, live horror theatre — genuinely one of the more distinctive things this city does.
The Jack-O’-Lantern Spectacular at the Minnesota Zoo runs from late September through November 1, and is the easy answer if you have kids along.
And the one you can only do with us
Our Candlelight Ghost Tour boards at the Pillsbury Club mansion and runs hardest in October — this is the month it was built for. If your group prefers history to hauntings, the Gilded Age Mansion Tour goes inside houses most visitors only drive past, and the narrated scenic tour is the fastest way to understand the city if it is your first visit.
October is also when people start booking the Holiday Light Ride for November and December. The Naughty ride is 21+ and BYOB; the Nice ride is all ages with a holiday market stop. Both board at the mansion rather than a parking lot, which is the whole point. Everything currently scheduled is on the calendar of tours.
Where to eat, drink and wander in between
October is patio-weather-with-a-jacket season, so use it. Our best Minneapolis parks list is the one to read this month — Minnehaha Falls and the chain of lakes are at their best right now. With kids, start at best family activities.
For game days, the best sports bars in Minneapolis. For a cold night that wants something darker, the best speakeasies. And for the morning after a marathon or a Gophers night game, the best coffee shops in town.
Where to stay
Three good options, all of them ours and all of them walkable to something. 300 Clifton is a National Register mansion bed and breakfast in Loring Park, with a garden hot tub and a speakeasy in the basement — the pick for a romantic or spooky-season weekend. Oakland’s on 9th is furnished studios with full kitchens in the middle of downtown, month-to-month with no contracts, which suits marathon families and long football weekends. And the Pillsbury Club — where the trolleys depart — is worth an evening on its own.
Book October now
The first weekend of October is already the busiest of the month, and ghost tour seats go before the leaves do. Check the tour calendar and grab your date — it really is the thing to do in Minneapolis this month.
Keep reading: What Do You Actually See on a Minneapolis Mansion Tour?