The first keg of Munich’s Oktoberfest beer is tapped on September 17th. Five days later, the autumnal equinox arrives. The days are getting shorter. The humidity is dropping. Summer is over. (I’m sorry I’m not sorry.)
This weekend marks the start of the fall festival season. Before you know it, it’ll be time to pack the kids in the car and head to a farm full of bouncy pads and cute animals, or round up your grown-up friends and head to a farm with a maze of corn and apple cider. donuts Pumpkins are popping up in patches and decorative pumpkins are starting to show up at farm markets. Meanwhile, seasonal beer, hard cider and regional wines are headed for their own events.
Whether you want to embrace the harvest spirit with family and friends or simply explore the tastes of fall, there’s a perfect event on the horizon.
Fall Festival at Summers Farm: Families have been visiting Summers Farm for fall fun for over 26 years, but this year, be sure to take note of the farm’s new address. “It’s all the same operations, same property, just a different farm four miles down the road,” explains owner Teresa Summers. The newest and largest farm near Frederick is set for wagon rides and a Dolly Parton-themed corn maze, as well as other kid-friendly activities like ziplines, slides and pull-and-pull-and-pull-and- he shrugs The pumpkin and fall festival will begin on September 17th and run through Halloween, with fireworks displays on Friday and Saturday nights starting September 30th. Open daily from September 17 to October 31. 7503 Hollow Road, Middletown, Maryland. summersfarm.com. $12.50-$17.50 online, $15.50-$20.50 at the door; free for children aged 2 and over.
Bluemont Fair: If you want your city kid to get a chance to ride a pony and compete in a sack race while getting a dose of fresh mountain air, head to the Bluemont Fair. This Loudoun County town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains hosts a fall festival with all kinds of healthy activities and demonstrations, including model train collections, quilt shows, pickle and pie contests , bake sales, antique markets and blacksmith demonstrations. September 17-18 10am-5pm 33846 Snickersville Tpk., Bluemont, Va. bluemontfair.org. $10; free for children aged 9 and over.
Bowles Farms Corn Maze and Pumpkin Farm: This is the 22nd year that Tina and Tommy Bowles have created a corn maze on their southern Maryland farm, and the weather has been perfect for a towering maze. “This year, we’ve had a nice, big rain and the corn is probably 9 to 10 feet tall,” says Tina Bowles. “We’re certainly going to lose a lot of people in the corn maze.” Luckily, the farm’s “corn cops” will be on hand to rescue anyone who gets hopelessly lost in the 15-acre sunflower-themed maze. There’s an easier version for kids, plus attractions like a farm-inspired playground, wagon rides, pick-your-own pumpkins, and the Farmer’s Daughter Cupcake Shop. You can buy tickets at the door, no advance tickets are required. Open Saturday and Sunday from September 24 to October 30. 22880 Budds Creek Rd., Clements, Md. bowlesfarms.com. $15; free for children from 3 years old.
Reston Farm Garden Market Fall Festival: Thanks to an extra car, this year’s Reston Farm Garden Market Express Train will fit even more kids and parents as it winds its way through the Reston property, past the Festival’s pumpkin displays and moon bounce houses of autumn “The train goes around the farm market and plays fun music for kids. I know all the songs; I hear them in my sleep,” jokes Bonita Weinstein, who owns the market with her husband, Lowell. After kids play at the festival and visit a petting zoo with pigs, goats, chickens and a rooster named Colonel, they can pick a pumpkin to take home; ticket Allow time to visit the market, which will be stocked with chrysanthemums and pansies, and decadent pantry items from bacon to apple cider doughnuts. Open Saturday and Sunday Sept. 24-Oct. 30 and Oct. 10 10800 Baron Cameron Ave., Reston, Va. restonfarm.com. $28 per child and $7 per parent; free for children from 24 months.
Pumpkin Festival at Butler’s Orchard: Butler’s Orchard’s 42nd annual Pumpkin Festival is already packed with spaces for kids to run free, including a haystack filled with hay and a 70-foot jump platform, and this year there will be three new rides in addition to the popular mazes, pumpkin cannons and hayrides. Cute baby goats will climb the 16-foot-tall Goat Mountain, and the first tractor purchased for the farm will be ready to pull the tractor. “Get your friends together and try to pull this tractor to the finish line,” says Tyler Butler, general manager of Butler’s Orchard, about this new activity featuring his grandfather’s old John Deere M tractor. Meanwhile, construction-obsessed kids will love getting on the mini-excavators and digging a hole with hydraulic levers with these little machines shipped from Sweden. On your way out, drive to the pumpkin patch to pick your own pumpkins for 75 cents a pound. Open Wednesday to Sunday from September 24 to October 30 and October 10. Butler’s Orchard, 22222 Davis Mill Rd., Germantown, Maryland. butlersorchard.com. $10-$15 online, $12-$17 at the door; free for children under 2 years old. Advance booking is recommended, especially on weekends.
Fall Pumpkin Harvest Festival at Great Country Farms: Piglets scramble for Oreos and a “P-Rex” dinosaur eats pumpkins during the Fall Pumpkin Harvest Festival at Great Country Farms in Bluemont. This popular family attraction features a corn maze and a 12-acre play area with a new extra-long “mega slide,” as well as cider press demonstrations and wagon rides to the pumpkin patch of your choice. On weekends, adults will appreciate live music (the Jimmy Buffett-style Tropical Attitudes Band kicks off the festival on Oct. 1) and a pop-up for Henway Hard Cider in the “Roosteraunt” on the farm. Open every day from October 1 to 31. 34345 Snickersville Tpk., Bluemont, Va. greatcountryfarms.com. $10-$16. Free for children aged 2 and over. Advance booking is recommended, especially on weekends.
Fall Family Fun at Miller Farms: Miller Farms has been owned by the Miller family since 1873 and is considered the largest producer of vegetables in Prince George’s County, with more than 200 acres dedicated to production. County residents know Miller Farms’ Clinton Market as a go-to spot for a variety of products: produce and meat, of course, but also a full-service bakery, soft-serve ice cream, a nursery stocked with mums and, at the beginning of summer, pick your strawberries. Come fall, the farm opens its fields and barn to the community on Saturdays and Sundays for fall family fun, with guided tours of the fields, a corn maze, jumpers and slides, games and animal encounters of farm Piles of pumpkins encourage browsing, and the day isn’t complete without sampling the bakery’s apple cider donuts, available glazed or topped with cinnamon sugar. Open Saturday and Sunday from October 1 to 30. 10140 Piscataway Rd. Clinton, Md. millerfarmsclinton.com. $14.95 online, $16.25 at the door; free for children under 2 years old. Advance booking is recommended.
Pumpkin Patch at Queen Anne Farm: Queen Anne Farm doesn’t have the jumping pads, pig races, or other bells and whistles found at other farm festivals, but that’s what makes it so charming. During the summer and early fall, the main attraction is the roadside stand, not far from the Anne Arundel County line, where tables are stocked with sweet corn, tomatoes, okra and eggplant . But in the fall, it takes on the look of a one-season shop: sheaves of Indian corn speckled with jewel-toned purple, lemon yellow, and deep chestnut. Decorative pumpkins with twisted goosenecks. Nubby pumpkins in creamy white or vermilion. But in a field just behind the store, there are even more pumpkins: traditional orange pumpkins in a field, surrounding a kid-sized pumpkin-shaped playhouse. Pull a wagon to the pumpkin patch to find the perfect canvas for a lantern, or take a tractor ride to explore. There’s plenty of room to run around, plus photo backdrops that include straw animals, but the lack of amenities makes Queen Anne a better choice for families with younger children or an outing for adults looking for supplies to make a centerpiece or decorate them. front yards Open every day from October 1 to 31. 18102 Central Ave., Mitchellville, Maryland queenannefarm.com. $10 per car for pumpkin entry.
Visit Loudoun Farm: Loudoun County is a multifaceted place. For one thing, it has the highest median household income in the US, according to the Census Bureau, and is the fastest-growing county in northern Virginia. Loudoun is also home to more than 1,200 farms, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Census of Agriculture. The twice-yearly Loudoun Farm Tour showcases dozens of local farms, allowing visitors of all ages to meet pigs and alpacas; tour fields and greenhouses; go for a walk; or simply pick up some fresh beef, vegetables, honey or artisan cheese to take home. From October 15 to 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A downloadable map will be available loudounfarms.org. Admission to most farms is free; there may be additional fees for some activities or tours.
