MAKE TIME FOR
= $1 - $5
= $6 - $20
FALL FAMILY FUN!
Festivals, Oktoberfests, Hayrides, Pumpkin Patches…
we’ve got you covered for all the fall family
activities in and around D.C. this month!
1. Oktoberfest Reston:
Free admission, $ (for food and carnival tickets), Oct. 10, Noon-11 p.m.

(Race begins at 8:30 a.m.); Oct. 11, Noon-8 p.m.

Reston Town Center, 11900 Market St., Reston, VA
Looking for all-day fall fun? Then celebrate the season at
Northern Virginia’s largest outdoor fall festival. Oktoberfest
Reston features seasonal beers, live entertainment, German
fare from local restaurants, a chili cook off (organized by the
Northern Virginia Police and Fire and Rescue Departments), a
5K race and much more. Kids are sure to get a kick out of the
Kids Pumpkin Dash and carnival rides, while parents enjoy
a variety of tasty, fall refreshments and traditional German
music performances.

2. Taste of Bethesda:
/ $ -$$ (price varies by amount of tickets), Oct. 3, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Along Norfolk, Fairmont, St. Elmo, Cordell, and Del Ray Avenues in
Bethesda’s Woodmont Triangle
Sample foods from more than 50 restaurants, dance along to
live music at five different stages, and let the kids run off to
enjoy crafts, face painting and balloon making. At Taste of
Bethesda, no one will leave hungry. Local restaurants will
be on hand with massive amounts of food and baked goods,
including 20 gallons of chili from Hard Times Café, 800 slices
of pizza from Mamma Lucia and over 1,000 slices of apple pie
and other treats from Spring Mill Bread Company (to name a
few). This event is a must for foodies!
3. Northern Virginia Brewfest:
$$$, Oct. 17-18, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Special Events Center at Bull Run Regional Park, 7700 Bull Run Dr.,
Centreville, VA
Beer lovers, seek no further. At the Northern Virginia
BrewFest, over 60 breweries promote their greatest American
style beers (more than 85). The festival highlights the
intricacies of each particular beer, how beer is made and
how to brew your own. To compliment each beer selection,
an array of foods will be available for purchase, including
chicken wings, chili, barbeque and more. Although it’s a
beer festival, you don’t need to leave the kids at home with a
sitter. Bring them along for the kid-friendly activities like face
painting, airbrush tattooing, moon bounces and rock climbing.

4. Maryland Renaissance Festival:
/ $$ - $$$ (prices vary by age), Weekends through Oct. 25,
10 a.m.-7 p.m.

The intersection of Route 450 and Crownsville Rd. in Crownsville, MD
24 October 2015 washingtonFAMILY.com
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(about 8 miles northwest of Annapolis)
Families can get a festive feel of 16th century England at the
Maryland Renaissance Festival in Anne Arundel County. The
festival includes crafts, food, live performances, a jousting
arena, free pony rides, a maze and lots of games. With 130
craft shops (full of stained glass, sculptures, pottery, leather-
work, and more), there are a ton of unique items to browse
through and purchase throughout the day!
5. Harvest Festival at Agricultural History
Farm Park:
$$, Oct. 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

18400 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD
Spend a day out on the farm at Agricultural History Farm
Park! Harvest Festival is the largest one-day fall festival in
the county and gives visitors a taste of farm life from the 19th
century. Horse lovers will enjoy this year’s festival theme,
“Horse Power,” showcasing roles of horses in everyday farm
life. Come check out the farm demonstrations, archaeology
digs, crafts, hayrides, music and more!
6. Fall Wine Festival & Sunset Tour:
$$$, Oct. 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial
Hwy, Mt Vernon, VA
Soak in the spectacular views of the Potomac River while
sampling wine from 16 Virginia wineries. Guests of Mount
Vernon’s Fall Wine Festival will also be entertained with
live blues music and are welcome to take a tour of the
Washington’s home, with special appearances by “George and
Martha Washington.”
7. Fall for Fairfax KidsFest:
Free admission, $ (for rides and concessions), Oct. 3-4
Fairfax County Government Center, Fairfax, VA
For parents of younger children, Fall for Fairfax KidsFest
is the perfect event. The festival is especially designed for
families with elementary and preschool aged children and
includes interactive educational programs, entertainment and
activities, including scarecrow making, pumpkin painting,
public safety and recycling-themed exhibits, pony rides,
a petting zoo, hayrides, model trains, rides, bounces and
attractions. Adults will also be entertained with more than 75
exhibits, live entertainment and delicious food. A win-win for
the whole family!
8. Apple Harvest Festival:
Free for kids under 12, $$ (adults and seniors), Oct. 10, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.;
Oct. 11, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

3035 Cedar Creek Grade, Winchester, VA



Everything apples! Explore and choose from 20 varieties, with
pick-your-own apples available. Relax on the main porch
while tasting apple cobbler and apple cider slushees, and let
the kids roam and have fun on the cow train and playground.

A variety of food will be available, and the whole family can
enjoy wagon rides around the farm scheduled throughout the
day. Be sure not to miss out on the live music from 1-3 p.m.!
9. Oktoberfest at the Kentlands:
Free admission, $$ (for food and drinks), Oct. 11, Noon-5 p.m.

Kentlands Village Green, Gaithersburg, MD
This annual, family-friendly Oktoberfest includes Bavarian
music, horse-drawn wagon rides, dancing, food, crafts, pony
rides, moonbounces, pumpkin decorating, face painting and
more! Adults can spend some time at the traditional Beer
Garden and Wine Terrace. And with this year’s new layout,
there will be additional main stages for a variety of musical
performances as well as a new Business Expo area.

10. Cox Farms:
$$, Sept. 26- Nov. 3, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (10 a.m.-5 p.m. in November)
Last admission is one hour before closing.

15621 Braddock Road, Centreville, VA
Come on out to one of the largest fall festivals in Virginia!
This year, Cox Farms is entertaining visitors with five giant
slides, hayrides, rope swings, farm animals and their babies,
CORNundrum® cornfield adventure, straw tunnels, farm
chores, a kiddie zone, a goat village, apples and cider, food,
entertainment and over 90 acres of fun! With tons of activities
to choose from, you can easily stay all day. And as an added
bonus, with paid admission, you get to take home a small
patch pumpkin!
11. PetOberfest
Free, Oct. 17, Noon-4 p.m.

Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center, Woodbridge, VA
Celebrate the fall season with your pet at PetOberfest! All
are welcome to attend and enjoy free family and pet-friendly
activities, including a pet parade, pet contests, pet-friendly
exhibitors, a fashion show, children’s entertainment, store
discounts, prizes, and much more! To benefit the Prince
William SPCA, the Pet Photo Booth will be taking donations
— so you can enjoy adorable, Instagram-worthy snaps of your
pet while also helping out a local animal shelter.

12. Temple Hall Farm Maize & Fall Festival:
$$, Now Through October, Daytime Hours: Friday, 4-6 p.m., Saturday,
10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Nighttime Hours: Friday and
Saturday, 6-10 p.m.

Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, 15855 Limestone School Rd.,
Leesburg,VA
Adventure out to Leesburg, VA, for one of Loudoun County’s
favorite fall festivals! Want to launch a pumpkin 100 yards
through the air? Then they’ve got the perfect toy for you:
Pumpkin Blasters. Meanwhile, see how high you can jump
on the massive jumping pillows. These huge air-filled
bubbles will send you and your family bouncing into the
air, producing unlimited fun for everyone. Try your hand
at their Paintball Shooting Gallery, watch some pig races,
and of course, challenge yourself to their infamous maize!
The festival also includes a pick-your-own pumpkin patch,
hayrides and plenty of food.

13. Germantown Pumpkin Festival:
$$, Oct. 3-4
22200 Davis Mill Rd., Germantown, MD
Pumpkins galore! At the Germantown Pumpkin Festival, you
can take a hayride to the pumpkin patch, jump in the hayloft,
swoosh down the giant slides, visit barnyard buddies, create
wonderful crafts, play the rubber ducky derby, and explore
their straw maze. While you take in the beautiful fall foliage,
you and the kids can munch on delicious hand-dipped
caramel apples and listen to live music!
14. Taste of D.C.:
$$, Oct. 10-11, Noon-7 p.m.

Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Between 9th St. and 14th St.,
Washington, D.C.

Taste of D.C. is a premier food festival featuring tastings
from more than 70 of D.C.’s best restaurants, food trucks,
caterers and purveyors, a beer garden with more than 50
local, national and international brews, and a wine walk
with more than 100 wines. In addition, the event hosts a
Farm-to-Fork Zone, a Family Zone with interactive games
and entertainment, and demonstrations from local chefs
cooking up their favorite recipes. Live entertainment will
be performed on the main stage with local and national
headlining acts, as well as the Annual Ben’s Chili Bowl’s
World Chili Eating Championship.

15. Pumpkin Trolleyfest:
$, Oct. 19, 12:30-3:50 p.m.

National Capital Trolley Museum, 1313 Bonifant Rd.,
Silver Spring, MD
Forget driving, take a trolley! At Pumpkin Trolleyfest, the
National Capital Trolley Museum is featuring trolley trips
to Pinson’s Pumpkin Market from 12:30 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.

Children can collect pumpkin tokens to “purchase” and
decorate a small pumpkin at the Pumpkin Market in the
Museums Car Barn.

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