By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun If your kids are lamenting that summer is gone and that means no more trips to a theme park, it's time to hit the road: In the fall, you can still enjoy family fun at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, which opens briefly for the season. At night, its popular Howl-O-Scream event turns the park into a scary place, but during the day, you can enjoy silly, not-too-spooky fun with The Count's Continue Reading...
The Glow debuts as NOVA’s latest Halloween event
Halloween is huge in Northern Virginia and the Washington, DC, area. From family-friendly festivals to terrifying haunted houses, each fall you can count on more than 100 events to celebrate the spooky and downright scary. The latest addition to the area falls into the former category and makes an illuminated show out of a Halloween icon. The Glow, coming to Fairfax County October 6-29, 2017, is a display of more than 5,000 hand-carved Continue Reading...
Halloween thrills at 10 Mid-Atlantic theme parks
By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com In southern states and other areas where it’s warm year-round, you can go to a theme park pretty much at any time. Not so in the mid-Atlantic, where chilly temperatures mean theme parks are seasonal and most shut down after summer. Even so, many open back up for the fall with special Halloween events. Although dates and hours are limited and not all rides may be operating, these now Halloween theme parks Continue Reading...
14 things to love about the Kings Dominion Great Pumpkin Fest
Thanks to Kings Dominion for hosting us to explore The Great Pumpkin Fest and share our experiences! By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun Fall is here, and for kids that means time for autumn activities like painting a pumpkin and going through a hay maze… stuff you can do at a theme park, right? At Kings Dominion you can do that now because The Great Pumpkin Fest is here! Each year the park opens for a few weekends in the fall so kids and Continue Reading...
New frightful fun at Busch Gardens Howl-o-Scream
Summer's not over, but for some it's not too early to start thinking of Halloween... especially when the spooky holiday this year will feature some new attractions at one of the area's favorite parks! If you love Halloween, you need to visit Busch Gardens in Williamsburg for its Howl-o-Scream event. Each year, the beautiful theme park takes on a spooky look from late September through the end of October. During the not-very-scary day, guests Continue Reading...
Halloween freebies and deals
Trick-or-treat! You don't need to go door-to-door looking for fun freebies. On Halloween day and night, October 31, 2016, you can enjoy free meals for kids and other goodies at restaurants and merchants across the country. Here are some of the Halloween freebies and deals you can take advantage of locally: ? Baja Fresh: Kids in costume get a free kids' meal with the purchase of an adult meal ? Bass Pro Shops: The outdoor supplier hosts a Continue Reading...
Halloween is on Monday… here’s where to enjoy it
Yes, it's a Monday, which means it's a school night, but October 31, 2016, is Halloween, and that means that in addition to trick-or-treating, other festivities are going on! Although many Halloween events have taken place in the weekends prior to the actual holiday, there are still several community events you can enjoy on Halloween day or night in Fairfax County and Northern Virginia. Below are some of them. Manassas, VA Library Continue Reading...
Halloween is here with 100+ events in NoVa
Halloween is here! If you love the holiday, you've got great reason to celebrate -- we have dozens and dozens of public, family-friendly Halloween celebrations in Northern Virginia. Some events have already taken place and even so, our Fairfax Family Fun Halloween Guide still has more than 100 events coming up! See our big Halloween events guide (events listed in chronological order) for descriptions of the events and links to the official Continue Reading...
Dutch Wonderland celebrates Happy Hauntings
By Patricia Hall, Fairfax Family Fun We are fans of Dutch Wonderland, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, theme park for kids, and have written about it numerous times, including a very detailed post based on some of our visits, and through a guest post about a family's first-time visit to the park. We also mentioned Dutch Wonderland in our round-up of mid-Atlantic theme parks celebrating Halloween. Now we have a special offer for you -- a chance to Continue Reading...
Indoor, all-weather Halloween fun at Fair Oaks Mall-O-Ween
By Patricia Hall, FairfaxFamilyFun.com Halloween is big in Northern Virginia, with many fun family events leading up to the holiday. But on Halloween night itself, where can you go? If you don't want to stay at home, if you live in a neighborhood that is not all that great for trick-or-treating, or if you just want to go somewhere with a more festive atmosphere, a nice option is the annual Mall-O-Ween at Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax. This Continue Reading...