Fall Fun Guide: Sunday, Oct 18 – Tuesday, Oct 20

Katy and I love this time of year, and there is way too much going on around here to sit at home. So we’re starting something new: every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday this fall, I’ll round up the best festivals, pumpkin patches, orchards, hikes and rides within a couple hours of Alexandria. Grab a coffee and pick your adventure.

🍂 Festivals & Events

Sky Meadows Fall Leaf Festival
📅 Sun, Oct 18 · ⏰ 11 AM – 4 PM
📍 Sky Meadows State Park, Delaplane, VA
Fall fun in one of the prettiest parks in Virginia, with the Blue Ridge right behind it. Event info

Foliage Wagon Ride
📅 Sun, Oct 18 · ⏰ 11 AM
📍 Shenandoah River State Park, Bentonville, VA
Let someone else do the driving and just soak up the color along the river. Event info

“At All Times Ready” Living History
📅 Sun, Oct 18 · ⏰ 11 AM – 4 PM
📍 Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, WV · 💵 Included with park entry
Programs marking John Brown’s 1859 raid, with Marine Corps living historians. Harpers Ferry in the fall is worth the drive by itself. Details

Migration Sensation
📅 Sun, Oct 18 · ⏰ 2:30 PM
📍 Mason Neck State Park, Lorton, VA
Close to home for us. Learn about the birds passing through on their way south. Event info

🎃 Pumpkin Patches & Orchards

Great Country Farms, Bluemont, VA
📅 Daily through Oct 31 · ⏰ 9 AM – 5 PM (last wagon to the patch at 4)
💵 Weekdays $14–16, weekends $16–18 (cheaper online)
Today’s a weekend day, so you get pig races at 11, 1 and 3, cider pressing and the pumpkin cannon. Monday and Tuesday are quieter and cheaper. Tickets

Cox Farms, Centreville, VA
📅 Today is sold out, but Mon, Oct 19 is open · ⏰ 10 AM – 6 PM (last entry 5)
💵 $20 on weekdays, online tickets only
Giant slides, hayrides and the Cornundrum corn maze. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Tickets

Butler’s Orchard, Germantown, MD
📅 Wed – Sun through Nov 1 · ⏰ Sun 9 AM – 6 PM (last entry 4:30)
💵 Sunday $20 with a reservation, $25 walk-in
Pick-your-own pumpkins, hayrides, corn and straw mazes. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Details

Hollin Farms, Delaplane, VA
📅 Weekends · ⏰ 9 AM – 4 PM
💵 Apples $25 a peck, pumpkins 85¢ a pound, sunflowers $2 a stem. Bring cash.
About 10 kinds of apples to pick, plus cider donuts. What’s ripe

Hartland Orchard, Markham, VA
📅 Daily through October · ⏰ 9 AM – 2 PM
💵 Pick-your-own apples $25 a half bushel, cash or check
Golden Delicious, Fuji and Granny Smith. Call ahead: 540-364-2316. Details

Burke Nursery Fall Market & Pumpkin Patch, Burke, VA
📅 Daily through Oct 31 · ⏰ Sun 9 AM – 6 PM, Mon – Sat 9 AM – 7 PM
The closest patch to us, about 20 minutes away. Shenandoah apples, cider donuts and weekend pony rides. Details

🍎 Heads up: A spring freeze hit some orchards hard this year, so a few (like Homestead Farm and Stribling Orchard) have no pick-your-own apples. They’re selling pre-picked apples instead. Always call before you drive out.

🥾 Get Outside: Go Anytime

Mount Vernon Trail
⏰ Open 6 AM – 10 PM · 💵 Free
About 18 paved miles along the Potomac from Mount Vernon to Theodore Roosevelt Island. Walk it, bike it, or just sit by the river. Trail info

Great Falls Park, McLean, VA
⏰ 7 AM until dark, every day · 💵 Entrance fee
Tip: get there before 10:30 on nice days, or you could sit in a 45 to 60 minute line to get in. Park info

🏍️ For the Riders

Skyline Drive Color Ride
⏰ The park is open 24 hours · 💵 $25 per motorcycle, good for 7 days
The higher elevations in Shenandoah usually peak around mid-October, so this is prime time up top, with the lower slopes coming in over the next week or two. The park posts a fresh color report video every Thursday. Watch for slow traffic at the overlooks and leaves on the road in the curves. Color reports

👻 After Dark

Workhouse Haunt: Dark Encounters
📅 Sun, Oct 18 · ⏰ 7 – 10 PM
📍 Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA · 💵 About $35–39
A haunted trail just down the road from us. Recommended for ages 13 and up. Tickets

Times and prices can change, so check the event’s website before you head out. Next Fall Fun Guide: Wednesday, Oct 21.