Homestead Farms is the kind of place that reminds you why a little fresh air and wide-open acreage…read morecan work wonders. The property goes on and on--plenty of room for kids to run, adults to exhale, and everyone to claim their perfect apple-picking spot without bumping elbows. The apple selection is top-tier: crisp, plentiful, and varied enough to make you rethink your recipes. Whether you're team Honeycrisp, Stayman, Fuji, or "I just want the prettiest one," they've got you covered. It's an excellent family outing--easy parking, nice country store organized staff, scenic views, and cute working farm charm. A Maryland must worth returning to every fall.

My boyfriend and I went on a blackberry picking date here, and we had a blast! We loved that there…read morewas NO line. It was $4 for admission, $1 for a picking bucket, and you pay per pound for your produce. Unfortunately in July, they didn't have any more peaches, but still had plenty of blackberries. To be honest, the blackberries were very sour, but I made them into a pie so it was delicious in pie form! We walked around and saw the animals on the farm, and wandered around the market where they had a ton of seasonal produce available for sale.

A great pumpkin patch for the family. The price is less expensive than other pumpkin patches in the…read morearea and you get bang for buck. I don't know what they do to their pumpkins but they are the most vibrant and long lasting pumpkins you will find in the area. They are always bright orange with healthy green stems and last well through the year. The staff at the park and farm store are very friendly and always helpful. Check out Jumbo's this Halloween season!

The good: adorable piglets and true to its name, the pumpkin patch is indeed "jumbo."…read more The bad: You have to pay extra to do things like the corn cob shooter game and ride the horses. It is not an all inclusive ticket. But the worst thing (and the main reason for the two star rating) is that the jumbo pumpkin patch was absolutely INFESTED with Jimsonweed, a toxic and very spiky plant! It is not somewhere to take kids, especially toddlers, because they could easily grab the spiked pods and injure themselves. We will not be coming back here and do not recommend this spot at all, especially if you have small children. Hopefully, for their sake, they are able to get rid of the weeds next year.

We went strawberry picking here and it was soo fun!! Make sure to monitor their FB page for real…read moretime updates on the strawberry fields and reservations. They usually open up the reservations a day in advance. When you get there, they give you a row to pick from and you can fill up the bucket as long as it fits!! They also have a bakery where they sell strawberry goods like muffins, donuts with strawberry glaze, pie, pound cake, cheese croissant, fudge and cookies

OK, the Oatlands is next to the major road, the Hamilton is via long stretch of dirt road, and the…read morestrawberry hill is a bit further on that road from Hamilton. Picking usually decent. The 40/bucket and reservation red tape is fairly annoying but maybe Nova just has too many rich people into expensive strawberry picking that y'all need to line them up. Strawberry hill was the best picking for me. 10 minutes to fill two buckets with big ripe berries that you need to eat within a few days or they are gone. Sweet, no funny taste. About an hour drive for me, but going back this weekend. It's worth the drive to me.

Stopped by on a Sunday afternoon to find the farm was closed, but we were still able to purchase…read moreeggs and ground beef. The eggs were about $8.50 per dozen, and the ground beef cost a little over $12 per pound. While the eggs were great, the ground beef had a very strong, gamey flavor and smell that we didn't enjoy--disappointing, especially given the price.

My family visited Hidden Gems Farm during the Fall to get pumpkins. This is a cute small pumpkin…read morepatch, with very friendly staff, who even wheeled our pumpkins down the hill to put them in our trunk. It was only $1 per person to enter, which you can't beat. We will definitely be back next year.

I'm going to say it.......I think my kiddos had more fun here than at Cox Farms, which is…read moreconsistently held to as the premiere Fall event in NOVA. Rather than focus on slides (of which there are two) Pumpkin Village has moon bounces. We first went to the giant pumpkin inflatable, followed by the corn bin and the zip line. My son loved the castle inflatable and the train inflatable. Several also were more obstacle course with corn and animal themes. We had lots of fun on the pedal cars and the giant pumpkin pillow too.We spent time indoors as well doing arts and crafts and playing in the indoor playground. That was nice to have given how windy it was. While you don't get a pumpkin like Cox Farms, it's still fun and worth the trip.

Best fall place for kids. with an animal farm tied to it and indoor space for kids, what else could…read moreyou want? The slides (tons of independent playground equipment structures and 3 slides built into the hill), inflatables (6 or 7, i think) , mazes, tractor ride, zip line, sandbox, feeding pond, snack truck (free with cider and apples), indoor area - giant play area with trampoline and slides and climbing/netting, play floor area, there is just so much to do, it is crazy. the open/interactive area with the goats, pigs, alpacas, and donkeys was great, too. The animals are gentle and my son didn't get his fingers chomped from feeding them incorrectly. It was a great, great place. definitely a late sept-oct staple for us now.

Gorgeous plant nursery with very friendly and helpful staff!! They had some of the most beautiful…read morebegonias I've ever seen! The staff can also help answer questions about growing conditions / optimal shade etc. They have a beautiful variety -- everything from indoor houseplants to herbs to vegetables to trees! Definitely worth stopping by

We were on our way to a youth baseball game and passed by this adorable Urban Farm and couldn't…read moreresist stopping in. This place is filled with beautiful photo opportunities, amazing varieties of pumpkins and squash, bins of fresh apples of at least a dozen varieties, super friendly staff, and even a fun craft goods and clothing store tucked in the middle. There's fresh cider, apple butter, delicious fresh apple donuts, and lots of traditional fall goodies displayed in postcard-perfect scenes. We saw lots of families with adorable wagons with kids, holding their treasured pumpkins or produce of choice...just a perfect easy stop for fall fun and stunning colors, worth a trip for sure!

I've been here a few times now and my toddler loves it every time. He especially loves the tractor…read moreyou can sit on (if you have a tractor loving kiddo)! This year, they had a great deal on Groupon, which comes with a tractor ride around the farm. There's plenty of animals to look at, from baby pigs, horses, donkeys, turkeys, goats, a camel, dogs, etc. Friendly staff, clean bathrooms (yup, you heard that right), and plenty of places to sit to snack. I've also seen a few families host birthday parties here!

My partner and I had an amazing time at this petting zoo…read more There were horses, goats (like 30!), baby piglets, mama cow and calf that was born just that week, rabbits, llamas, emus, peacocks, turtles, and more! The farmers were knowledgeable and friendly teens/young adults. They were very sweet to the children and ensured that all the kids could pet the baby goat born that week. The best part of our visit was being followed around by Dolly, a goat that roamed the premises, scavenging for leftover corn and dropped treats.

I love the haunted forest. It's fun every year. Recently, they've added a couple lights on nights…read more These are great for families. My 12 year old isn't quite ready for the real fun, but lights on gives her a chance to get used it. My favorite Markoff's event, though, is their new Christmas trail and village. If you have the chance to go, you must! It's a wonderful representation of various Christmas traditions. I can't recommend it enough!

Markoff's was a big disappointment. It had been about 20 years since I last went to a haunted…read morehouse/forest and I had heard good things about Markoff's, so I was excited to visit. I found the Midway boring, the Town small, the Trail extensive but not very scary/surprising, and the prices outrageous. Markoff's charged $70 for a Town + Trail combo ticket. Ok, fine, for a unique experience I paid it. I don't think it's terrible compared to concerts, Renn Fest, and other experiences. But I thought the overall quality would be higher. At the Midway, I expected more entertainment and activities. Compared to a Renn Fest, which has tons of shows and activities going on, there is almost nothing at the Markoff's Midway. There were a few food stands (tacos, nachos, and pupusas; cotton candy; donuts; waffles; cotton candy; smores), one bar, a merch store, a small art store, face painting, a zip line, and a log rolling activity. The only entertainment I saw was a pretty tame fire dancer at one point. They played DJ music but song choices were often odd, like Elton John (doesn't say "Haunted Forest" to me). Everything cost more money to do. Beer was an outrageous $15. Tacos $8 for one (but did get good reviews from my friends). Lines were long because they only had one person checking IDs and one cashier, and no one had any hustle. Overall, it was boring. I did the Town first. You wait in a line to be driven in a group to the town. The ride there didn't have any decorations or scares which was a missed opportunity. The Town itself was a fairly basic path in and out of some rooms. Some of the decorations were neat. There were some attempted scares and surprises, but this heavily depends on where you are in your group and if you are close to the group ahead of you -- either people in your own group or the next group can spoil the scare/surprise. There were some actors and some dummies and animatronics. Actors were okay but some were overacting high schoolers. It was pretty short. My immediate reaction was, "That's it?" The Trail was much longer and more substantial than the Town. It is clear this is the main event. It was very long and winding, had lots of different themed areas, and lots of props, decor, animatronics, and actors. But everything felt a little low quality. Many of the themes were old timey, like a crypt; I would have liked a few more modern horror settings like a morgue or hospital. Some of my favorite decor was some old cars near the end because they felt more real than other area. I also would have liked some longer, more involved themed areas; instead, the themes felt short and shallow. Like, give me a whole haunted church to explore instead of just one room. They could also have more creative scares/surprises, like with people above you or below you. Scares/surprises could have been good if not often ruined by people ahead. I'm glad I gave it a shot but I don't recommend it. I would read reviews carefully before doing another haunted house/forest.

Our family loves Mayne's! This has been our tradition since we moved to Frederick County and we…read morewouldn't go anywhere else because the quality in the people are great . so many options some big some small, some pre-cut no matter which option you select your tree will become yours centerpiece. thanks to Mayne's for the years of hard work and dedication your trees are top notch ! oh and don't forget your apple cider on the way out it's tasty !

What a popular place! Park in an available spot and then the adventure begins, Grab some snacks at…read morethe concessions stand, grab a seat at the picnic table and enjoy a warm apple cider donut. Then, grab a tree saw and hop aboard the hayride and enjoy the ride before you hop off and find the perfect tree. Lots of options and they will load it on the hayride for you on the way back. Then, wait for them to shake and wrap your tree before loading it in the car. You pay for the tree on the way out so follow the signs and at attention to the two lines based on forms of payment. A great place for a fun-filled adventure! You can also opt for a pre-cut tree. If you're looking for a tree, I have no doubt you'll find the perfect one at Mayne's!

Family fun farm in the Shenandoah! This farm features a huge pumpkin patch where you can pick your…read moreown pumpkin - and an enormous Corn Maze. The maze is well cut and fun. Other activities included: hay ride , pumpkin bowling, pillow bounce, truck sand pit, basketball toss, football toss, baseball toss, lots of different slides, duck races, pig races and more . They also have animals to see : chickens, goats (and a goat walk), donkeys, ducks, pigs, sheep, and alpacas. They also have tractors you can climb all over. Prices were reasonable for the amount of stuff available. They also have classes for children to learn about how pumpkins are grown and a fun story time session. What could be better ? - some of the games need new balls- as some are worn out and old. They also have a pizza barn, beverages (soda,water), and kettle korn.it would have been nice if they had burgers , hot dogs or sandwiches- but some of that was closed on Friday. Views of the mountains and valley are amazing! Great fun for the family- check them out ! ( Seasonal )

Be very careful folks! Loaded shotgun shell found at this farm, in the dirt by the mini train ride…read moreentrance, while my 4 kids were running around and playing among a couple hundred more kids. I showed it to the manager and she pulled it out of my hands rudely while refusing to acknowledge the gravity of the situation and claiming the shell could've come from outside the farm... I was perplexed hearing only stupid excuses and refusal of acknowledging the danger! I'm gonna take this further with the sherif department!