The Southwood CDD's November 2025 agenda package covers routine operations. It logs an irrigation leak at Four Oaks Boulevard and Piney Grove Drive, new rubber mats at the Tot Lot and a yellow jacket nest on Overlook Drive that took three treatments. Halloween is in there too. In October 2025, the Tallahassee Police Department told district staff that its support for the annual Southwood Halloween Trick or Treat Event "would be limited" because of the October football schedules at Florida State and Florida A&M.
The district handled it on its own. Staff asked the landscaping contractor for more volunteers and worked out tax forms for the outside helpers. They also had Tallahassee Blueprint make a bigger map of the closures so each person could be given a post. In Halloween week, staff hired at-will workers, did run-throughs with TPD, checked every barricade location and found 35 people to cover all 35 closures.
That is how Halloween works in SouthWood now. It is an event the neighborhood runs and the police support. In 2026 the setup faces its biggest test yet, because both universities have home games on Halloween itself.
From 18 Officers to a District Crew
The closures go back a long way. On Halloween 2019, WTXL reported that SouthWood had been closing these roads "for many years." It also said people came from all over the Big Bend because parents saw the closures as making it one of the safest places to trick-or-treat. That year, TPD planned to have 18 officers on duty, along with parking enforcement technicians and special events traffic assistants. A resident told the station that people handed out chocolate until 9 or 9:30.
Compare the two years. In 2019, 18 officers anchored the night. In 2025, the district put its own 35 people on 35 barricades because police help was limited. The crowds the station described in 2019 are still the reason for all this. What has changed is who stands at the corners.
Halloween Shares Its Saturday With Both Stadiums
The 2026 calendar raises the stakes. Florida State hosts Clemson at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium on Saturday, October 31, and the official schedule still lists kickoff as TBA. Florida A&M hosts Southern University at Bragg Memorial Stadium the same day at 3 p.m. FAMU's athletics department calls it "a marquee SWAC showdown." The weekend before is busy too. FAMU Homecoming is October 24 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, also at 3 p.m., and the university says it "annually draws thousands of alumni, supporters and fans from across the country."
In 2025, the football schedule alone was enough to stretch TPD's Halloween support. This year, two home games and trick-or-treating all happen on the same day. Here is what's on the calendar so far:
- 3:00 p.m. FAMU vs. Southern kicks off at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
- 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. VenderWeen by Together Fest TLH runs at Tom Brown Park, with vendor trick-or-treating, a Kids Zone and haunted attractions, according to Visit Tallahassee.
- 6:00 p.m. SouthWood's 35 intersections close to guest traffic.
- 9:30 p.m. The closures end.
- 10:00 p.m. El Jalisco at 3197 Merchants Row Boulevard closes, based on its posted Saturday hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Holiday hours can change, so it's worth calling ahead.
The FSU kickoff time is the missing piece. Once it's announced, it will show whether game traffic and the SouthWood closures overlap.
Where the Barricades Go
The district's 2026 notice lists every closed intersection by Unit. Sorted by the main road each side street meets, most of the closures fall along four corridors:
| Main road | Closures | Side streets |
|---|---|---|
| Four Oaks Blvd. | 11 | Baringer Hill, Andalusia, Buckhead Trace, Shady View, Twain, Dickinson East Side, Calumet, Riverton Trail, O'Toole Way, Goldenrod Way, Rain Lily Way |
| Esplanade Way | 7 | Drayton, Fielding, Climbing Way, New Dawn, Fernleigh, Merryfield, Overlook |
| Orange Avenue / Orange Avenue East | 7 | Mossy Creek Trail, Coneflower South Side, Coneflower North Side, Mist Flower, Jasmine Hill North and South Sides, Biltmore Avenue |
| Mulberry Park Blvd. | 4 | Ivy Green Trail, Chanticleer Court, Cunard Drive, Greyfield Drive |
| Grove Park Drive | 2 | Baringer Hill Drive, Mossy Creek Lane |
| Shumard Oak Blvd. | 2 | Raleigh Way, Summertree Drive |
| Merchants Row Blvd. | 1 | Summertree Drive |
| Blair Stone Road | 1 | Shady View Lane |
The notice also says two district alleyways that meet Mulberry Park Boulevard will be barricaded but unmanned. Every other closure on the list gets one of the staffed posts the district has been filling.
Visitors park in the public lots at Town Centre, by the Golf Club and by the Southwood Pool. Curbside parking is also open on parts of Four Oaks Boulevard, Shumard Oaks Boulevard, Esplanade Way, Cummings Avenue, Biltmore Avenue and Merchants Row Boulevard. If you live off Four Oaks or Esplanade, that means guests will park along your main road and walk in toward the closed side streets.
What Residents Keep During the Closures
The 2026 notice says all roads stay open for emergencies and for residents, and that golf carts and pedestrians can use the closed roads. In 2019, WTXL said residents got through with proof of residency and that officers would help direct anyone driving home from work. The 2026 notice doesn't say how residents will be checked this year.
Golf carts have rules of their own, and the Halloween notice doesn't change them. The SouthWood Residential Community Association's FAQ says carts can be used on private property but not on the nature trails, and that some carts can use select city streets. The association also posts a 2022 golf cart information sheet with a copy of the city ordinance. According to that copy:
- SouthWood streets and alleys are designated for carts, except Capital Circle Southeast, Blair Stone Road, the Orange Avenue extension, Tram Road and certain stretches of Shumard Oak, Four Oaks and Merchants Row.
- Sidewalks and nature trails are excluded.
- Carts may run between sunrise and midnight and must carry certain safety equipment and liability insurance.
- A cart can't carry more passengers than it has seatbelts, and children under five aren't allowed as passengers.
The 2022 sheet requires a driver's license for every driver on the street. Florida law has changed since then. Under section 316.212 of the Florida Statutes, a driver under 18 can use a learner's license or a regular license, and an adult driver needs government-issued photo ID. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says the age and ID rule took effect October 1, 2023. It also treats low-speed vehicles separately, and those must be titled, registered and insured. The city and TPD are the ones who say how these rules apply to a teenager driving a cart on Halloween. Back in 2019, district staff were already asking people to be careful on golf carts that night.
The Two Fridays Before
SouthWood Golf Club has live music on both Fridays before Halloween, which makes for an easier night out than the Saturday. MusicLocal lists Firewall at Southwood Golf Club, 3750 Grove Park Drive, on Friday, October 23, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Its venue page lists The Elements on Friday, October 30, at 6 p.m. These are third-party listings, and the club's own site didn't show an events calendar when we checked.
October 30 is also the night of the Tallahassee Symphony's free Halloween Symphony Spooktacular at Cascades Park, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Trick-or-treating starts at 6 and the music at 7:30. Kids get a costume night downtown on Friday and still have the SouthWood streets on Saturday.
For a quick meal before the closures start, the Town Center dining directory lists El Jalisco, Subway and Canopy Road Café. The Subway at 3196 Merchants Row Boulevard is open until 9 p.m. on Saturdays. Canopy Road Café is at the same address. El Jalisco's 10 p.m. Saturday closing makes it the one listed spot still open half an hour after the barricades come down.
If you live in SouthWood, Halloween is one night each year when you can see how the district runs things, from staffing 35 corners to keeping your own street open to you. Whether you're planning to stay or just curious what your home is worth in a neighborhood that runs its own Halloween, Jamie Yarbrough can walk you through it. Get your home valuation whenever you're ready.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
