1. Lose yourself in the region’s largest corn maze in Leesburg
Your kids will shriek with delight when you lose them in a never-ending corn maze. For six weeks in the fall, Temple Hall Fall Festival, owned by NOVA Parks, is a wonderland of seasonal fun, from blasting pumpkins into the air, to watching adorable pigs sprint around a track. Find your way through a 24-acre maze (if you can), and see regal, live turkeys, peacocks and chickens waddling about. Before you leave, pick up a pumpkin to take home and carve. George Mason’s nephew owned this farm in 1810. Temple Hall offers educational farm tours year-round. // 15855 Limestone School Road, Leesburg; Daytime admission: $14 adults, $11 kids (3-11); Nighttime admission: $10 adults, $8 kids, fees apply to some activities
2. Welcome fall with old-fashioned apple picking in Bluemont
Cider doughnuts. That piqued your interest, right? Around the first days of autumn, the family-owned Great Country Farms in Bluemont invites visitors to rejoice in everything apple at its Apple Gala & Fresh Cider Fest (Aug. 31 to Sept. 29). Along with picking your own apples, you can sit down at the farm’s “Roosterant” to sample hot apple cider, cider doughnuts, apple pies and smoked pork barbecue. Watch as a farmer demonstrates his antique cider press, then make your way through the 1.5-acre maze. The entry fee entitles you to slip over to the adjacent Bluemont Vineyard to taste Autumn Apple wine and beer at Dirt Farm Brewing. // 18780 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont; Admission weekdays: $10 adults, $8 children; Weekends: $12 adults, $10 children, dogs welcome
3. Split some oysters open in Fisherville
The Virginia Oyster Trail is made up of seven oyster-centric destinations, including the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in Virginia’s Northern Neck. The humble bivalve infuses energy and prosperity into this mostly agricultural region and beckons visitors to explore the bucolic peninsula. Options include Ebbing Tides Eco Tour, which involves a two-hour paddleboarding expedition to an oyster reef sanctuary. Learn the inside workings of an aquaculture farm with captain Danny Crabbe of Crabbe’s Charter Fishing, and dine al fresco at The Chef’s Table Tour, beside the Lynnhaven River. // Artisans Center of Virginia: 1290 Richmond Ave., Staunton; prices vary for each activity and tasting
4. Celebrate one of DC’s coolest neighborhoods at its namesake fest
DC DAY TRIP
Over its decade-plus existence, DC’s annual H Street Festival has grown into one of the city’s most anticipated festivals of the year (and DC hosts a lot of festivals!). Stroll 11 blocks and stop at 14 staging areas for a diverse mix of music, dance, youth performances, interactive family-friendly programming, fashion, heritage, arts, poetry and, yes, even more. The festival, held this year on Sept. 21, was started to promote local artists and showcase this growing neighborhood—today it attracts over 150,000 visitors clamoring to experience all manner of festival fun. // H Street between Fourth and 14th streets NE; free
5. Get your glow on at a pumpkin carving fest in Reston
The Glow: A Jack O’Lantern Experience in Reston is a 1/3-mile trail lined with more than 5,000 hand-carved pumpkins, all sourced from local farms. Some dangle from above, others have detailed renderings of faces, including a few recognizable politicos and superheroes. In Prehistoric Park, find a 16-foot-tall dinosaur and a Harley-riding skeleton. Colorful jack-o’-lantern displays are an enchanting sight, designed to delight rather than scare. Watch the live carving demonstrations at this fun event for the whole family. Glow festivities are held on weekends beginning in early October and run through Halloween. // Lake Fairfax Park: 1400 Lake Fairfax Drive, Reston; timed ticket prices vary depending on times and days of the week
6. Raise a glass for Oktoberfest in Alexandria
Raise your stein at Port City Brewing’s annual Oktoberfest featuring its Märzen-style lager. Like its tasty pale ale, IPAs, pilsner, Porter and Belgian-style white, Port City’s Oktoberfest beer is produced using the highest quality ingredients and brewed true to style. This popular brewery in Alexandria hosts weekly running events, yoga, pedals ‘n pints and trivia games, but during Oktoberfest, the brewery cranks it up a notch with live tastings, multiple food trucks, brats and pretzels. Don your best lederhosen for the costume contest, then compete in the Stein Hoisting Competition. Prost! // 3950 Wheeler Ave., Alexandria; free
7. Cheer for the new home team in Loudoun
What is life without goals? You can watch a few expertly kicked ones at Loudoun County’s new stadium in Leesburg’s Bolen Park. The region has a growing passion for soccer, and the Loudoun United FC’s soccer stadium can now welcome up to 5,000 fans per game. Loudoun United is DC United’s highest-level soccer franchise and is a member of the United Soccer League, a second-division affiliate of Major League Soccer. With 12 home games this season, kicking off Aug. 9, families in attendance will be excited to watch talented Virginia players on the field. // 19798 Sycolin Road, Leesburg; Individual game tickets start at $22, season tickets $144-$1,140
8. Get spooked with a walking tour in Middleburg
Loudoun County has more than one skeleton in its closet and you can discover most of them at the Middleburg Ghost Tour. Take a walking tour in downtown Middleburg to investigate the town’s chilling history, a place with more reported sightings of the supernatural per square acre than anywhere else in the United States. Anthropologist Heather Kyle shares her deep knowledge of the town’s ghostly apparitions. The 90-minute tour includes stops in a forgotten Middleburg graveyard and the site of the brutal murder of a 1930s socialite. // Begins at the metered municipal lot on South Liberty St., Middleburg; $30 per person. Tours are held Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; advanced reservations required
9. Get your holiday shopping done early in Occoquan
Shop till you drop at the 50th anniversary of the most popular festival in Prince William County, the Occoquan Arts & Crafts Show. Every fall (Sept. 28 to 29) and spring (June 2020), the historic streets of Occoquan are closed to cars, and people gather to shop for an extensive assortment of juried art and handmade crafts. Tents are erected, carnival-style food sold, live music abounds and Water’s End Brewery’s beer garden opens at River Mill Park. Take the shuttle to four satellite locations, including the Workhouse Arts Center. // 314 Mill St., Occoquan; free to attend festival, shuttle bus $5 per rider
10. Feast on Latin American cuisine in DC
DC DAY TRIP
La cosecha means “harvest” in Spanish, which is the concept behind the new market in Northeast DC. A center for Latin American heritage and culture, La Cosecha will have 14 eateries and shops when it’s fully expanded. Some highlights include El Cielo, an innovative Colombian restaurant by chef Juanma Barrientos; Amparo, with its modern renditions on coastal Mexican cuisine by Christian Irabien; Ali Pacha, a plant-based fine dining outpost by Bolivian chef Sebastian Quiroga; and Peruvian Brothers—a former food truck specializing in coastal Peruvian sandwiches and empanadas. La Cosecha is a new dining destination founded by Union Market, EDENS and Washington, DC’s Latin American embassies. // 1270 Fourth St. NE, Washington, DC
This post originally appeared in our July 2019 print issue, as part of the 52 Weekend Adventures cover story. Want to stay up to date on all of the best things to do in Northern Virginia? Subscribe to our biweekly newsletter, here.
