April Davis only has to step outside her Montpelier home to remember her sweetest fall memories growing up in the Washington area.
After talking with her husband about the fall festivals in Northern Virginia that she attended and volunteered at during her childhood, the couple recently set out for Cox Farms Fall Festival.
“When you leave, each person gets to take a pumpkin home,” said Davis of the festival in Centreville. “We probably spent 10 minutes selecting just the right pumpkins for us. When we got home my husband [Ben Davis] drew a face on his and our pumpkins are now sitting on our front steps.”
The sojourn could be named after the movie “Back to the Future,” because not only did it rekindle memories but also gave the Davises a glimpse at what their child, due in December, might experience when he grows and attends Cox Farms Fall Festival.
Cox Farms’ Bob Richard, part of the family that began the farms in 1972, said such family memories are what set the festival apart from others.
“We started as a family business and continued as a family business,” he said. “Lots of our employees have been with us 15 or 20 years. Some of our customers have grown up and worked with us. … There is so little to anchor people in [the Washington area] that people are attracted to us.”
Indeed, that type of family flavor is what keeps the festival’s attendance climbing.
Phyllis Jask of Stafford fondly remembers the festivals she attended at the Burke Nursery, Cox Farms and other area farms. Now she takes her toddler son Vinny to similar festivities.
“He loves them,” she said. “You can imagine the wonderment of a little kid just looking at a huge field of cut pumpkins.”
Details on some of the area fall festivities:
– Cox Family Farms Fall Festival. Highlights: Many activities and exhibits include five giant slides, farm animals, rope swings, straw tunnels, hayrides and a new CORNundrum maze, which has a wobbly bridge, giant doors and Vortex. The Great Pumpkin, the 1,007-pound pumpkin awarded first prize at the Virginia State Championship, is also on display. Details: $9 per person (ages 2 and over) weekdays, $15 per person (ages 2 and over) weekends; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through Nov. 4; Cox Farms Centreville, 15621 Braddock Road; 703-830-4121; www.coxfarms.com
– Burke Nursery Fall Festival & Pumpkin Playground. Highlights: A pirate ship, pirate camp, pumpkin fort, ghost tunnel slide, Western Town, farm animals and more. Details: $8 weekday, $11 weekend through Oct. 31; Burke Nursery & Garden Centre, 9401 Burke Road; 703-323-1188; www.pumpkinplayground.com
– Hollin Farms Pumpkin Patch. Highlights: A corn maze, animals and five acres of pumpkins. Details: Free 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through October; Hollin Farms, 1524 Snowden Road, Delaplane; 540-592-3574
– Homestead Farm. Highlights: Guided farm tours, pumpkins, hayrides and more. Details: Free; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through October; 15600 Sugarland Road, Poolesville, Md.; call 301-977-3761 to ensure the farm is open.
