With the leaves changing color, it’s the perfect time to head to the countryside for some leaf peeping and pumpkin picking. But you’ll get more than photo opps and a jack-o-lantern. These farms offer challenging corn mazes and tons of family fun, too. (Of course, if you prefer fall fun closer to home, there are also plenty of events in and around Arlington this month.)
Butler’s Orchard
Drive time: 40 minutes
This orchard’s annual Pumpkin Festival is a popular fall event that runs through Nov. 3 and includes admission to pick your own pumpkin (there are three kinds), take hayrides, bop on the Hilltop Hop Jump Pads, visit barnyard buddies, zoom down giant slides, get lost in the Twisted Corn Maze and play on the new playground. On weekends, find pony rides and face painting for an extra fee. Tickets start at $11 for everyone age 2 and older. // 22222 Davis Mill Road, Germantown, Maryland
Great Country Farms
Drive time: 1 hour
The Fall Pumpkin Harvest Festival is happening throughout October at this 400-acre farm, where kids can also play on jumping pillows, ride a cow train, take a swing at the Cow Pie Putt Putt course, navigate mazes and the farm ninja course, and swish down the new mega slide. On weekends, enjoy live music and roast marshmallows over an open fire. Tickets start at $12 for anyone older than 2, and pumpkins are sold separately for 59 cents per pound. Check out the Family Flashlight Corn Maze Night on Oct. 28 for fun after dark. // 34345 Snickersville Turnpike, Bluemont, Virginia
Jumbo’s Pumpkin Patch
Drive time: 1 hour
Open through Oct. 31 for fall festivities, the family-owned 131-acre farm offers weekend hayrides, you-pick pumpkins, a 15-acre corn maze, a corn cannon, jumping pillow and petting zoo for $12 per person. On Oct. 5, 6:30-8 p.m., Jessy Huffer from Succulents by Jess will teach a workshop on creating pumpkin succulent arrangements ($45). Stop by Oct. 7 and 21 from 1-2:30 p.m., when Frederick County Public Libraries will be onsite for free story times with an animal encounter (free). // 6521 Holter Road, Middletown, Maryland
Larriland Farm
Drive time: 1 hour
Family-owned and -operated, this farm has been offering pick-your-own fields since 1973. On weekends in October, enjoy Halloween decorations, freshly squeezed apple cider and apple fritters, plus a 20-minute, tractor-drawn wagon ride through the farm and spooky woods. There’s also a pumpkin hayride that includes a stop in the field where riders can pick a pumpkin before going on foot through a corn maze. The Boo Barn is designed for kiddos ages 4-6. It’s got a dark passageway and animated ghosts and goblins. Access to the farm is free, and each event carries its own fee. // 2415 Woodbine Road, Woodbine, Maryland
View this post on Instagram
Liberty Mills Farm
Drive time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Yes, there’s pumpkin picking at this farm, but its corn maze is what’s nationally renowned: USA Today ranks it among the top 10 in the country. Open through Nov. 14 and divided into four trails, the 34-acre maze—with an ocean theme this year—has something for all ages and abilities. The Story Maze takes about 30 minutes to complete, while the slightly trickier Trivia Maze takes closer to an hour to solve. The two most difficult are the Hole Punch Maze, which typically takes two to three hours, and the Mystery Maze, which has no maps to guide you. On Saturday nights through Nov. 4, see how you do in the dark (with a flashlight or headlamp) during the Flashlight Maze. // 9166 Liberty Mills Road, Somerset
Marker-Miller Orchards Farm Market
Drive time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
The Pumpkin Festival will take place Oct. 26 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Select from pumpkins that have already been picked or pick your own. The market will be selling pumpkin pie, pumpkin rolls, pumpkin bars and pumpkin doughnuts, while food trucks Blue Ridge BBQ, 3FiresOven pizza and Stir Krazy Kettle Korn will offer their eats. Note that Oct. 12 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. is the farm’s Apple Harvest Festival, with multiple varieties to pick. // 3035 Cedar Creek Grade, Winchester
Miller Farms
Drive time: 40 minutes
This 267-acre farm in PG County that has been family owned and operated since 1879 offers fall family fun on weekends through Nov. 3. It includes a hayride tour of the farm, a corn maze, giant slides, jump pillows, outdoor play areas and visits with barnyard animals. You can also buy apple cider doughnuts, homemade pumpkin or apple pie ice cream, apples and mums. Admission is $14.95 online for everyone 2 and older or $16.95 at the gate. // 10140 Piscataway Road, Clinton, Maryland
Shlagel Farms
Drive time: 45 minutes
Running weekends through Oct. 27, the fall festival at this century-plus-old farm has all the stuff you’d expect—a hayride to the pumpkin patch, straw maze, corn boxes, slides and a petting zoo—plus you can get seasonal fruit and veggies and farm-raised meat and eggs at the market. Admission is $11 per person older than 2. Pumpkins are an additional charge. // 12850 Shlagel Road, Waldorf, Maryland
Temple Hall Farm Regional Park
Drive time: 1 hour
Through Oct. 31, get your fill of fall by picking your own pumpkins and sunflowers at this Loudoun County farm, where visitors can also meet and greet cows, goats, alpacas, sheep, pigs and chickens, and learn about the daily workings of a farm. An interpretive hiking trail teaches guests about the area’s native plants and animals, and there are equestrian trails if your horse needs to stretch its legs. For restless kiddos, the farm has a jumping pillow, hill slides and more. Tickets are $15 per person for everyone older than 2, and each paid admission includes one pumpkin and sunflowers. // 15855 Limestone School Road, Leesburg
Wayside Farm
Drive time: 1 hour
This Berryville farm has an 8-acre you-pick field for pumpkins of various shape, color and size. Available through Oct. 27 by reservation, selecting a pumpkin is separate from other farm fun. Reservations cost $21.68 for an hour of pumpkin picking and $20 worth of pumpkins. Make a day of it by also reserving a time to enjoy (for another $14-$28.89) the 10-acre corn maze, pig races, play yard and hayrides. // 5273 Harry Byrd Highway, Berryville
Wegmeyer Farms
Drive time: 1 hour
Find more than 50 varieties of pumpkins at this 19th-century farm in Loudoun County that has been offering you-pick experiences since 2008. To check in and out, you’ll pass through the Hamilton farm home, an old stone barn built in the 1700s. A $30 reservation gets your family access to the pick-your-own patch and $30 worth of pumpkins. You can also buy other gourds, cornstalks and mums. // 38299 Hughesville Road, Hamilton
Yankey Farms
Drive time: 1 hour
Situated in Prince William County, the farm has a pick-your-own pumpkin patch that’s open through Oct. 31, where you can choose your gourd right from the spot where it grew. There’s also a corn maze, hayride, farm animal face-to-face time, a cow train and a play area for kiddos. The farm charges no admission fee if you only want to pick a pumpkin, which cost 79 cents per pound. It’s $8 per person older than 2 to partake in the activities. // 11812 Bristow Road, Bristow