Fall

Pumpkin Village at Leesburg Animal Farm
19270 James Monroe Highway Leesburg, Virginia 20175 (phone 703-433-0002)
Leesburg Animal Farm is a petting zoo on 21 acres that also features a 3-level kids’ indoor play zone and “discovery room” for arts and crafts. In the fall, it hosts the Pumpkin Village with moon bounces and inflatable slides, kid-sized mazes and zip lines, play structures, giant slides, pedal carts, and more, including live entertainment on weekends. Admission to the Pumpkin Village includes all zoo and festival attractions plus a take-home small pumpkin and free apple and fresh cider snacks. Festival admission rates are:  weekdays $11.95 for adults and $9.95 kids 2-12 (free for under age 2) and seniors; value weekends $13.95 adults and $11.95 kids and seniors; and “prime” weekends $14.95 adults and $12.95 kids and seniors; mulit-day passes are also available. See details on the website and check out the full list of activities. Please note there are extra fees for pony and camel rides.

Cox Farms
15621 Braddock Road, Centreville, VA  20120 (phone 703-830-4121)
Probably the largest festival around, right in Fairfax County, with many giant slides (including a very long one), a fun hayride, rope swings, a pumpkin patch, straw tunnels, the CORNundrum corn maze, and a special kid zone for children under 5, plus farm animals to visit (goats, pigs, bunnies, and more), many photo opps, live family-friendly music and shows every day of the festival, and food (with a large seating area right across from the entertainment stage). Everyone gets a take-home pumpkin as they exit, and you can sample fresh apples and cider while at the festival; you also can watch as they make the yummy cider donuts on site! Cox Farms also has a large store selling produce, plants, pumpkins and unique gourds, the farm’s famous kettle corn and pies, jams, decorations, giftware, and other items. Regular admission is $10 on weekdays, $15 on weekends, and $17 on prime weekends, and there are Value Visit Days (just $5 admission) and a discount weekend for first responders; children up to 24 months are free. Family-owned Cox Farms also hosts a “Fields of Fear” event for older kids and adults on most nights in October, and the Pumpkin Madness weekend with pumpkin dropping, smashing, and other ways to “recycle” your Jack-o-lanterns. See the full list of activities and give yourself plenty of time to visit (or plan multiple visits) since there’s so much to do!

Great Country Farms
18780 Foggy Bottom Road Bluemont, Virginia 20135 (phone 540-554-2073)
This family-owned farm with fun for guests of all ages is in Bluemont, Virginia, about an hour from Fairfax County and totally worth the drive. Enjoy a wagon ride, visit farm animals, play mini golf or giant chess, bounce on the big “jumping pillow,” find your way around the corn maze, and more. Kids also can enjoy some big slides, playgrounds, a bumpy “cow train,” rope swings, and more. Visit the farm store for fresh produce, treats (try the cider donuts!), and home goods; and the Roosteraunt offering basic concessions and special items. The Fall Harvest Festival adds live entertainment and unique attractions, such as pig races, a “pumpkin-munching” P-Rex dinosaur, visits with the Pumpkin Princess, and pumpkin cannons you can fire.  Admission is $10 per child (free for children under 3 years old) and $12 for adults. See the full list of attractions and special festival activities. Don’t miss the Apple Gala & Cider Festival early in the season, and the Pumpkin’ Chunkin’ weekend with pumpkin smashing and the dropping of a giant pumpkin into a pond!

Whitehall Farms Fall Fun Days
6080 Colchester Road, Fairfax, VA 20124 (phone 703-968-3900)
This recent addition to area fall festivals (opened in 2015) in Clifton features fun activities such as a corn maze, hay wagon rides, inflatables for kids, and cornhole game; $12 admission (kids age 3 and under are free).

Wayside Farm Fun
5273 Harry Byrd Highway, Berryville, VA  22611 (phone 540-539-3276)
This 20-acre family farm features enough fun for kids without the crowds of other festivals. You can have fun watching the pic races, visiting farm animals and seeing the goat overhead on their Goat Walk, get lost in the corn maze, or sit under a tree and play pumpkin checkers. There are hayrides, slides,a pumpkin playhouse, pedal tractor racing, corn cribs, and more. Daily pumpkin smashing sessions provide extra fun. Admission fees are just $10 per person (free to kids 2 and under) and include all activities. Fairfax Family Fun readers receive 20% off admission! (Just mention Fairfax Family Fun when buying your tickets.) The only thing you pay extra for is the pumpkins you pick at the eight-acre adjacent pumpkin patch (there is no admission fees for those just visiting the patch). The patch and farm store also sell unique pink pumpkins as a fundraiser for breast cancer charities. See the full list of activities.

Burke Nursery Pumpkin Playground
9401 Burke Road, Burke, VA  22015 (phone 703-323-1188)
The Burke Nursery Pumpkin Playground,has a pumpkin fort, merry-go-round, pirate ship, western town, “money mountain,” teepee, rope swing, tumbling tubes, a young toddler play area, and various slides with different themes.  Activities include storytelling, hayrides, and farm animals to visit (peacocks, goats, and chickens). Admission is $10 per person on weekdays, $14 on weekends (kids under 2 are free) and includes all basic activities and a small carvable pumpkin, plus face painting on weekends. Please be aware there is an extra charge for activities offered on weekends: pony rides ($5), wobble wagon ride ($2), moon bounce ($2), and balloons ($2). Snacks are available for purchase and there’s a picnic area.  The store sells apples, honey, jams, salsas, pumpkins, and harvest décor. See the full list of activities.

Amazing Farm Fun at Ticonderoga Farms
26469 Ticonderoga Road, Chantilly, VA 20152 (phone 703-327-4424)
This family-run farm on 1,000 acres in Chantilly boasts farm attractions such as wagon rides, giant slides in two areas, a bamboo chimes, a tee pee village, rope swings, the area’s only wobbly bridge, two jumping pillows, pedal cart tracks, tot areas, and more.  While at the farm, you can visit animals including chickens, peacocks, and goats, which you also can see exploring their Goat Village. The farm also offers live entertainment during the festival and food concessions. Need to take a break? Enjoy one of the many shaded areas or roast marshmallows in the open pit. Admission is $9.95 on weekdays and $16.95 on weekends and Columbus Day; free for children under 2. See the full list of activities.

Reston Farm Market Fall Festival
10800 Baron Cameron Ave., Reston VA  20190 (phone 703-759-0000)
Reston Farm Market’s Fall Festival is a medium-sized event that offers more than smaller pumpkin patches but is not as large as the festivals at large area farms. Here, kids can enjoy rides on a miniature train, jump on various moon bounces, visit animals in a small petting zoo, play games, and have fun with activities such as face painting, balloons, a puppet show, magic,  and the famous Jacks are Wild dog show. Also enjoy apple cider samples, a take-home pumpkin, and lots of shopping (for produce, baked goods, and seasonal and home decor) in the farm shop.  Admission is $10 on weekdays ($7 after 3 pm) or $15 on weekends and holidays ($12 after 3 pm); free to children under age 2. Visit the Reston Farm Market site and see the events calendar for details.

Cows-n-Corn
5225 Catlett Road, Midland, VA 22728 (phone 540-439-4806)
Enjoy a fall day on a real dairy farm, with cows, ice cream, and special activities including a corn maze.  Fall festival admission includes a hayride tour of the dairy farm, a “meet and greet” with a cow, puppet shows, a play area for kids, butter-making demos, the corn maze, the moo bound, and cow train rides. Festival hours are Saturdays 10 am to 9 pm and Sundays 11 am to 7 pm (also Friday nights 6-9 pm for Hot Dog and Hayride nights); weekdays are reserved for group tours. Admission is $10 per person and free to kids under age 3.

Lake Ridge Nursery
3705 Old Bridge Road Woodbridge, Virginia 22192 (phone 703-590-0178)
Nursery and garden center with a pumpkin patch with many play activities for kids: moon bounces, rope swing, a zip line, big slides, themed wooden jungle gyms (castle, pirate ship, airplane), tee pee, a ball crawl inflatable, 40-foot Batman inflatable, and a 40-foot inflatable obstacle course. There are concessions and a farm market. Admission is $12 per child Mondays through Thursdays and $15 on weekends and holidays. Learn more abut the fall activities.

Temple Hall Corn Maze and Fall Festival
15855 Limestone School Road, Leesburg, VA, 20176 (phone 703-779-9372)
Temple Hall boasts the only 20-acre corn maize on the East Coast, this year with a Wild West theme. You also can bounce on the big jumping pillows (including one just for small kids) and bounce houses, watch pig races, take a train or wagon ride ride, visit farm animals, explore the hay tunnels, and more. For something truly different, head to the Pumpkin Blasters, where you can (safely and easily) launch a pumpkin 100 yards through the air, or see what targets you can hit in the Paintball Shooting Gallery. This is one of the few festivals that also has evening hours (only some activities are offered). Admission fees for the daytime festival (Fridays 4-6 pm, Saturdays 10 am-6 pm, or Sundays 10 am-5 pm) are $11 for children ages 3-11 and seniors, $14 for ages 12 and up, and free for kids age 2 and under; evening admission (Fridays and Saturdays 6-10 pm) is $8 for kids 3-11 and seniors and $10 for ages 12 and up. Admission fees include nearly all activities; extras include the pumpkin blaster ($2 per shot or $15 for 10), paintball ($2 for 40 shots beyond the first 20, which are free), and camel rides, $5. See the full list of activities.

Hartland Farm Fall Festival
3205 Hartland Lane, Markham, VA 22643 (phone 540-364-2316)
Just 30 minutes or so from the Fairfax County limits, Hartland Farm offers its own Fall Festival on weekends, with activities including a corn maze, a 60-foot slide mountain, hayrides, a jumping pillow for kids, pig races, duck races, pumpkin bowling, lawn games, and more. Kids can also see farm animals, participate in a “stick horse rodeo,” and launch apples from the apple cannon (extra charge). The farm sells freshly baked pies, kettle corn, caramel apples, local honey, and more. Festival admission is $10 per person. See all the farm features.

The Corn Maze in the Plains
4501 Old Tavern Rd. The Plains, Va 20198 (phone 540-456-7339)
For 15 years, this five-acre corn maze and play area has led to family adventures. Here kids also can play in roll tubes, sling shot a pumpkin across the hillside, and play corn hole, enjoy tire swings, or challenge themselves on the on the obstacle course. There are also hay rides, a petting zoo, and many more attractions (hayrides and sling shots are only until 6 pm). Admission is $10 for adults, $9 for children 12 and under, and free for kids age 3 and under. In October and November evenings, it also features the Moonlight Maze.