Photo courtesy of Cox Farms

The leaves are beginning to change, the fall breezes are coming in and every time you walk into a store you’re greeted with a wide selection of Halloween goodies and Christmas ones too. Fall is officially here, and what is one of the best things about this season? No, the answer is not your midterm exams – it’s hayrides, pumpkin patches and tons of outdoor seasonal fun. Living in Northern Virginia has its perks. Being close to some of the best pumpkin patches, farms and fall activities are some of them.
So what are some of the top contenders for fun this fall?

Not ready to fully commit to fall and Halloween just yet? Then get a late start on apple picking at Hollins Farms Orchard, which is located in Delaplane. You’ll find a great selection of end-of-season apples. If you like, you can get yourself a pumpkin as well. Bringing children? Then give them a sight of that pony they keep asking for with a pony ride.

If you’re a fan of farm animals and the outdoors, then Leesburg Animal Park is the place for you. Located in, of course, Leesburg, this site offers a Pumpkinville area on their property devoted to all things fall. Check out their Native American tepee as Thanksgiving looms near or try navigating your way through the hay maze with your friends. At Leesburg Animal Park you have the option to enjoy hayrides and farm-related play areas for the whole family to participate. Take a peek at the farm animals and feed even them while you’re there.

Are you ready to be spooked? You’d better be on your visit to the Old Mine Ranch in Dumfries. They’re in full Halloween force for the entire month of October, offering the Spookfest of goblins and ghouls six days a week. If you’re not a fan of being scared, then there’s still plenty to do there. Why not pick some pumpkins for this year’s jack-o-lanterns and going on a seasonal hayride through the fields? There’s even a moon bounce and a petting farm making this a family destination for fun this fall.

All those who are looking for an attraction that can have you entertained for hours need to look no further than Ticonderoga Farms in Chantilly. From now to early November, they offer a Fall Festival, where you have the chance to pick pumpkins, take the young kids to the fun spooky zones and even play on Noah’s Ark – or rather the replica. There is plenty of activity and festivity celebrating the autumn spirit at Ticonderoga Farms.

One of the biggest fixtures for fall fun is Cox Farms in Centreville. It’s host to one of the biggest and most fun festivals of the season and has plenty of room to offer numerous varieties of activities and attractions on their 90-acre property. Want to feel like a kid again? Then take a slippery slide down one of their five slides or dig your way through a straw tunnel. Grab a cup of cider and a plate of treats and then head over to the pumpkin patches or hayrides and get your fill of fall.

“Fall Festival 2011 offers something for everyone,” said Aaron Cox, director of Cox Farms. “We have all kinds of farm animals to visit, including baby piglets and a couple other litters due later in the season, baby chicks, baby calves and milking cows and, of course, our very friendly goats to pet and feed at the Goat Village. There are new additions everywhere, from the Three Little Pigs House — the house’s exit is a slide, of course — to the live characters on the hayride. On weekends, you can test your strength and try your hand at the Festival Games. And after you’ve worked up an appetite running around the farm, enjoy our delicious new spiced apple cider funnel cake… Trust me, it is dangerously delicious. We’ve been perfecting the recipe for weeks. And although it was really hard work to sample all those different recipes, it was worth it.”

Prepare to have a great time this season with so much to do. But be sure to save room for more as Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

Photo courtesy of Cox Farms

By: Stephanie Tipple

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