Cox Farms Fall Festival 2018
Two weekends ago, I was thinking of all the things I “should” do during the fall season: Drive through Skyline Drive to see the colorful leaves, find real pumpkins to carve, and take at least one hike. It (excitedly) led to me remembering all of the times I sent to Cox Farms as a kid.
If you are from the Northern Virginia area, chances are, you’ve been to this magical place with your family when you were younger. Or, perhaps, you’ve taken your own family there. If not, GO before it closes for the season!
Growing up, Cox Farms had a relatively small selection of things you could do. There was always the hay ride, a few food stands, a bluegrass band, and a pumpkin patch. Now, it’s a full-day experience with so many things to see and do.
PRO-TIPS
Below are my suggestions of things to see and do while you are there.
Pay attention to the little things - They’ve put so much creativity and detail into every part of the experience. From the over-sized donut by the Apple Cider donut station, to the dinosaur peeking out of the roof of the BBQ station, to the larger-than-life Adirondack chairs, there are surprises in every direction.
You are NEVER TOO OLD to go down a slide - I’m positive adults were dragging their kids into the line to go, because there way more adults going down the slides than children.
Eat at the BBQ station - There are so many food stands that satisfy a wide variety of palettes, but the pulled pork, roasted chicken, and the variety of traditional BBQ sides were delicious.
Take the walk through the forest - It’s a super fun experience with a lot of photo opportunities (as you can see). If anyone from Cox reads this, a mini golf experience during that walk would have been amazing!
Do not leave without going on the hayride - They have done a fantastic job with the experience they bring to it (watch the video montage above to get a glimpse of the fun). It’s not at all scary but rather, amusing for anyone of any age.
Pick your pumpkins last, and bring a reusable bag, or grab a cart/wagon for the Marketplace - We definitely failed in this department. Our ticket allowed each of us to grab a smaller pumpkin or gourd, so already our hands were filling up with just that item (plus our apple cider we were sipping on). We knew we wanted to grab a larger pumpkin, some apple butter, pumpkin butter, and some poppable popcorn on the cob (yes, it’s a real thing). This was about all we could carry (after sadly having to ditch our cider), and there was so much more we could have purchased.
Bring home apple cider donuts, but don’t wait in line - The line to purchase the warm ones was about 20 minutes long. Most don’t know you can get pre-made ones (though not warm), at the Marketplace.
Cox Farms fall festival is open until November 6th. Tickets prices vary by day and age.