As the leaves are changing colors and a longer Fall break is coming up, students and staff will have a lot of time to check out local events in the area varying from haunted houses to harvest festivals.
Pumpkin Patches:
Cox Farms in Centerville has their annual Fields of Fear haunted nights. According to the Cox Farms website the activities range from a haunted corn maze, dark night hayride, the haunted forest, and the firegrounds. Students will walk around checking out scary actors, and long playground-like slides to entertain you with. During the day it also has a pumpkin patch and non haunted hay rides provided with their infamous apple cider and donuts. Tickets can be purchased in person or online.
- Price: $30-40
- Dates: September 20, 2024 – November 2, 2024
- Field of Fear: Friday and Saturday 7:30 – 11 p.m
- Location: 15621 Braddock Rd, Centerville, VA 20120
https://fieldsoffear.coxfarmsva.com/
Great Country Farms apple orchard is open for picking your own fresh fruit and vegetables along with demonstrations for fresh pressed apples for cider tastings. The produce is paid for by pound in addition to the admission prices. In addition, the website has provided directions about the wagon rides and how to take it down to the orchard to pick ripe apples. There’s live music, roasting marshmallows, pig racing all available. The pumpkin patch has recently opened as of October 1st.
- Price: Weekly: $12/child and $14/adult
- Holiday Admissions: $14/child and $16/adult
- Open weekdays from 9am – 5pm
- Dates: October 1-31st 2024
- Location: 34345 Snickersville Turnpike, Bluemont, VA 20135
https://greatcountryfarms.com/festivals-events/fall-pumpkin-harvest-festival/
Scenery:
Great Falls park has a scenic 1.5 mile hike with beautiful acres of fall leaves along the Potomac River with waterfalls and trees surrounding you. It’s a gorgeous place to attend during this time, and reminds me of going on the road driving down to Algonkian park in this season. The website provides you with regulations such as entering by foot or bicycle, but you have to walk the bike across the overlook once you reach that point. There are three different overlooks.
- Price: $10
- Peak Bloom: October 10 – 31st
- Time: 7am – 9pm
- Location: 9200 Old Dominion Dr, Mclean, VA 22102
https://www.nps.gov/grfa/index.htm
Fall Markets and Shopping:
Nalls Produce Stand and Festival is a family-run institution housed on their farm. They offer a lot of fun opportunities in the fall listing on their website such as their Pumpkin Hill, Pumpkin Wall and their Produce shop where you can get fresh local spices, jams, honey, condiments etc. It’s a perfect place to get your pumpkins this fall and even better to hangout with friends and family. You can take nice pictures of all of the scenery that is displayed, as well as being kid friendly.
- Price: Free
- Date: Pumpkin Hill opens: Now through first weekend of November
- Time: Monday – Saturday: 9am – 7pm, Sunday: 9am – 6pm
- Location: 7310 Beulah St. Alexandria, VA 22315
Burke Nursery Fall Market and Pumpkin Playground is a local fall festival with a ton of halloween decor and a fresh market. They advertise on the website sacks for sale to enjoy while shopping around for as apple cider donuts, honey, jams and jellies, pickles etc. In the nursery they sell mums and a variety of other flowers to decorate your yard or porch this fall. Lastly, they offer pony rides, but only on Saturday and Sundays from 10am – 5pm.
- Price: Free
- Dates: October 1 – 31, 2024
- Time: Monday-Saturday: 9am – 7pm, Sunday: 9am – 6pm
- Location: 9401 Burke Rd, Burke VA
http://www.pumpkinplayground.com/
