Fall Fun Guide: Friday, Oct 23 – Saturday, Oct 24

📍 What’s closest to you? Type your ZIP code into our Fall Fun Finder and every event in this guide lines up from nearest to farthest.

This is one of the busiest fall weekends of the year around here, and Saturday’s forecast looks just about perfect. If you only get out once this fall, make it this weekend. A few of these sell out, so grab tickets early.

🍂 Festivals & Events

Fall Harvest Family Days at Mount Vernon
📅 Sat, Oct 24 (and Sun, Oct 25) · ⏰ 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
📍 George Washington’s Mount Vernon · 💵 Included with admission: $30 ages 12+, $16 ages 6–11
Right in our backyard. Watch wheat being treaded in Washington’s 16-sided barn, visit the farm animals, and see colonial cooking and textile demos. Details

Breaux Vineyards Harvest Festival
📅 Sat, Oct 24 (and Sun, Oct 25) · ⏰ 11 AM – 6 PM
📍 Purcellville, VA · 💵 Free admission
Live music, oysters, vendors, contests and even group hikes through the vineyard. Pick a designated driver! Details

International Gold Cup
📅 Sat, Oct 24
📍 Great Meadow, The Plains, VA · 💵 Members Hill $81, rail parking passes $108
Steeplechase racing in the heart of hunt country. Tailgates, tweed and some serious fall color. Tickets

Annandale Parade
📅 Sat, Oct 24 · ⏰ 10 AM – noon
📍 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA · 💵 Free
A hometown parade going since 1950, and kids are invited to come in their Halloween costumes. Details

Canines on the Creek + Movie on the Big Screen
📅 Sat, Oct 24 · ⏰ Dogs 12 – 5 PM, movie 6 – 9 PM
📍 Carroll Creek, Downtown Frederick, MD · 💵 Free (bring a can of dog food to donate)
A dog costume contest and parade, then a free movie at the amphitheater. Details

🎃 Pumpkin Patches & Orchards

Great Country Farms, Bluemont, VA
📅 Fri & Sat · ⏰ 9 AM – 5 PM · 💵 $14–18 depending on the day
Live music on Saturday, plus pig races, the pumpkin cannon and 80-foot slides. Tickets

Cox Farms, Centreville, VA
📅 Fri, Oct 23 ($20) and Sat, Oct 24 ($30) · ⏰ 10 AM – 6 PM
Online tickets only, and Saturdays sell out. Friday is the smarter move. Tickets

Mackintosh Fruit Farm, Berryville, VA
📅 Fri & Sat · ⏰ Picking 8 AM – 5 PM
🎶 Bonus: the Cider Room has live music Friday 5 – 8 PM, and Saturday night is line dancing, 6 – 8 PM ($10). Details

Last Festival Weekend at Messick’s & Braehead
📍 Messick’s Farm Market, Bealeton, VA (Sat & Sun, about 10 AM – 5 PM)
📍 Braehead Farm, Fredericksburg, VA (9 AM – 6 PM, $15 festival ticket)
Both wrap up their fall festivals after Sunday, Oct 25. Corn mazes, hayrides and animals. Messick’s · Braehead

🥾 Get Outside

Fall Color Snap Sketch Hike
📅 Sat, Oct 24 · ⏰ 10 AM – noon
📍 Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria
A guided walk to sketch and photograph the fall color. Call 703-768-2525 for cost and sign-up. Details

Twilight Boardwalk Stroll
📅 Sat, Oct 24 · ⏰ 6 – 8 PM
📍 Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria
The wetland boardwalk at dusk, when the critters come out. Details

🏍️ For the Riders

Hunt Country Loop
⏰ Anytime Saturday · 💵 Free
Not an organized event, just a great ride: head out Route 50 through Aldie and Middleburg to Upperville, swing up through Bluemont, and loop back through Purcellville and the wine country. Stone walls, horse farms and color the whole way, and you’ll roll right past the Breaux Harvest Festival and Great Country Farms. Watch for slow traffic and wet leaves in the shady curves.

👻 After Dark

Fields of Fear at Cox Farms
📅 Fri, Oct 23 & Sat, Oct 24 · ⏰ 7:30 – 11 PM (last entry 10)
📍 Centreville, VA · 💵 About $45, online only, and it sells out
Tickets

Workhouse Haunt: Dark Encounters
📅 Fri, Oct 23 & Sat, Oct 24 · ⏰ 7 – 10 PM
📍 Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, VA · 💵 About $35–39 · Ages 13+
Tickets

Halls of Hysteria
📅 Fri, Oct 23 & Sat, Oct 24 · ⏰ About 6 – 10 PM
📍 Fredericksburg Convention Center · 💵 $25, free parking
An indoor haunted trail, so no worries if the weather turns. Details

Times and prices can change, so check the event’s website before you head out. Next Fall Fun Guide: Sunday, Oct 25.