Oct 12

Fun Fall Festivals For the Family in Northern Virginia

Photo credit: Julien Genestoux / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

There are so many fun fall activities for you and your family to enjoy in the Northern Virginia area.

Below is a list I compiled of some fun fall festivals for 2009.  Please be sure to check out their websites or call ahead to ensure their schedule/admission has not changed since this post was published:

IN FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA:

Burke Nursery & Garden Center Fall Festival and Pumpkin Playground
Dates/Times: October 1 – 31, 2009 from 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Location: 9401 Burke Rd, Burke, VA 22015
Phone: 703-323-1188
Admission: $9 per person on weekdays; $12 per person on weekends. Children under 2 are free.
Coupons/Offers: None that I can find
Other info: They have special attractions such as a pumpkin fort, authentic Native American Teepee, hayride, farm animals, ghost tunnel slide and play area, and more. For a list of their daily events click here.

Cox Farms Fall Festival
Dates/Times: September 19 – November 8, 2009 from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (changing to 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM in November)
Location: 15621 Braddock Rd, Centreville, VA 20120
Phone: 703-830-4121
Admission: $9 per person on weekdays; $15 per person on weekends. Children under 2 are free.
Coupons/Offers: I’ve written a couple of posts on different discounts and offers.  You can view those posts here. Cox Farms occasionally has trivia questions posted on their FaceBook Fan Page to win free tickets.  Also, if you sign up to be a member of their email list, you can get “member discounts” throughout the year.
Other info: Advertised as the “DC area’s largest & finest fall festival”

Heather Hill Gardens
Dates/Times: September 26 – October 31, 2009; M-F 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM; Sat. 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM; Sun. 11:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Location: 8111 Ox Rd, Fairfax Station, VA 22039
Phone: 703-690-6060
Admission: $4.50 per person. Children under 2 are free.
Coupons/Offers: None that I can find
Other info: Heather Hill Gardens has been open since 1992 when the owners moved into the Victorian house on the property, which now feature 3 acres of native plants, woodlands and grasslands. Kid activities at the fall festival include: Tube Slide, Pumpkin Fort, Penny Paradise, Swings, Climbing Rope, Trapeze Bar, Rings, Petting Zoo.  Adults can buy the following items for their garden: Pumpkins, Gourds, Mums, Straw, and Winter-hardy pansies.

Mount Vernon Fall Harvest Family Days
Dates/Times: October 17 – 18, 2009 from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location: Mount Vernon Estate, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy, Mount Vernon, VA 22121
Phone: 703-780-2000
Admission: Included in regular admission to Mount Vernon Estate.  Adults and 12 years old+ are $15.00; Senior Citizens (62+) are $14; Youth (6-11 years) are $7.00; Children 5 and under are FREE
Coupons/Offers: None that I can find
Other info: The four-acre George Washington Pioneer Farmer site celebrates the harvest season with FREE horse-drawn wagon rides, a straw bale maze, an opportunity to meet “General Washington,” and the chance to learn how to dance 18th-century-style! Plus outdoor cooking demonstrations and concessions.
Cruises are half-price, courtesy of Spirit Cruises and Potomac Riverboat Company.
The Fall Harvest Family Days event is included with Estate admission.
Mount Vernon has a FaceBook Fan Page here but I have not noticed any discounts or special offers for FB fans.

IN FAUQUIER COUNTY:

Hollins Farm Orchard
Dates/Times: October 1 – November 1, 2009 ONLY WEDNESDAYS – SUNDAYS (please note, not open Monday or Tuesdays) from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location: 11324 Pearlstone Ln, Delaplane, VA 20144
Phone: 540-592-3574
Admission: Not clear on website… it appears that if you come to the orchard you are there to pick-your-own produce (All Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkins are $0.50 per lb; All other pumpkins are $0.70 per lb; Corn Stalks are $5 per bundle; 1 Peck Apples are $8; 1/2 Peck Apples are $4; Tomatoes are $2 per lb; All other Vegetables are $2 per lb; Red Raspberries are $5 per pint). The 5 Acre Corn Maze is listed as being “Free admission”
Coupons/Offers: None that I can find
Other info: This appears to be only a pumpkin patch, pick-your-own produce farm, and 5-acre corn maze instead of a technical “fall festival”.
The orchard is high on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains overlooking the historic Crooked Run Valley. They are next to Sky Meadows State Park on the Virginia “Peach Way” — a seven-mile section of Leeds Manor Road between Route 17 (Winchester Road) and I-66 — that is home to the four largest peach orchards in Northern Virginia.  Boasts itself as the “Area’s largest pick-your-own Pumpkins”.

IN LOUDON COUNTY:

Great Country Farms Fall Pumpkin Harvest
Dates/Times: September 26, 2009 – October 31, 2009 from 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (last admission at 5:00 PM)
Location: 18780 Foggy Bottom Rd, Bluemont, VA 20135
Phone: 540-554-2073
Admission: $8 per person on weekdays; $10 per person on weekends and holidays (Columbus Day).  Children under 2, CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) & Fan of the Farm Members (paid annual memberships) are free.
Coupons/Offers: None that I can find that are current.  I mentioned on a previous post about a contest from NoVA Magazine to win a free twilight hayride to select pumpkins, followed by an evening bonfire at Great Country Farms with friends.  The contest is now closed.
Other info: Great Country Farms (GCF) is a 200 acre working farm situated on the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains outside the village of Bluemont, VA. GCF offers produce as well as the farm experience to its customers.
The Zurschmeide Family has been farming in Loudoun County for over 35 years and GCF was started by the second generation of Zurschmeides in Loudoun in 1994. The farm started with a Community Supported Agriculture which is now entering its 16th season.
GCF has a FaceBook Fan Page here but does not seem to offer coupons or discounts to FB members.

Ticonderoga Farms Fall Festival & Halloween Spectacular
Dates/Times: September 17 – November 10, 2009 from 9 AM – 6 PM.
Location: 26469 Ticonderoga Rd, Chantilly, VA 20152
Phone: 703-327-4424
Admission: $7.95 per person on weekdays; $11.95 per person on weekends.  Children 2 and under are free.
Coupons/Offers: There was a ValPak coupon from the September ValPak mailing that I received for $2 off admission per person and another for 10% off Senior Citizens 60+ (on Mondays only).  These coupons do not appear to be on the ValPak.com website.
Other info: Ticonderoga Farms is a 5th generation, family owned, family run farm of 1,000 plus acres of rolling fields and forest. Some of the Fall Festival activities include: Hayrides, Hillside Slides, Panda Puzzle, Tetherball, Tire Play, Log Cabins and Hay Forts, Noah’s Ark & Swings, Antique Tractors & Machinery on display, Croc Pond and Wishing Well, Face Painting and Karaoke (weekends), Mulled Cider Tasting, Corn Shucker Demonstration, Pumpkin Patch Visit, etc. They have a FaceBook Fan Page here but I have not seen any discounts offered on their FB page.

Leesburg Animal Farm Pumpkinville
Dates/Times: September 26 – November 3, 2009 from 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (5pm after daylight savings)
Location: 19270 James Monroe Hwy, Leesburg, VA 20175
Phone: 703-433-0002
Admission: $8.50 per person on weekdays; $12.50 per person on weekends and holidays (Columbus Day). Children under 2 are free.
Coupons/Offers: There is an online coupon here good for 1 $7.50 admission valid weekdays after 3:00 PM.  They also offer a “Multi-Day Pass” good for 3 weekdays and 1 day on the weekend for $25.95 per person.
Other info: Leesburg Animal Park has been open since spring 2000. The Park offers many animals you can pet and feed. There is also the opportunity to visit Giant Tortoises, Lemurs, and a Serval Cat. Join in on a wagon ride, pony ride or live animal show.  Pumpkinville includes Hay Mazes, Giant Hill Slides, Straw Tunnels & Rope Swings, Moonbounces, Pick a Patch Pumpkin (while supplies last), All You Can Eat Apples & Fresh Cider, Fort Pumpkin, Spooky Pirate Ship and FREE entry to the Leesburg Animal Park.

IN PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY:

Old Mine Ranch Pumpkin Patch
Dates/Times: October 1 – 31, 2009 from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Location: 17504 Mine Rd, Dumfries, Virginia 22026
Phone: 703-441-1382
Admission: $6 per person. Children under 2 are free.  Additional fee of $2 per pony ride, if you want to purchase a ticket for that.
Coupons/Offers: None that I can find
Other info: Pumpkin Patch admission includes: one small pumpkin, one cookie, admission to petting farm, moonbounce.

IN STAFFORD COUNTY:

Clark’s Farm Fall Festival
Dates/Times: September 26 – November 1, 2009 from
Location: 721 Courthouse Rd, Stafford, VA 22554
Phone: 540-659-2172
Admission: $5 per person on weekdays; $7.50 per person on weekends. Children under 2 are free.
Coupons/Offers: None that I can find
Other info: This fall festival touts itself as “Family Fun at Affordable Prices”. Admission includes: Barnyard Animals (goats, pigs, chickens, calf, etc.), Face Painting, Maze, Hay Mountain, Moon Bounce, Pumpkin Bowling, Pumpkin Painting, Straw Mountain, a free pumpkin to take home, and pony rides on the weekends.

Know of any fall festivals in the Northern Virginia area that I’ve missed?  Please leave a comment to let others know about it!