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.

We stopped by here after visiting the Glenstone Museum and it's the perfect place to end your day…read more We got to watch the sunset and the ambiance is beautiful and the servers were very helpful with picking a wine.

If I could give any place of business 10 stars Windridge would win hands down! Bob and Lori were…read moreour tour guides and were phenomenal. Bob was very informative and NOT boring! He had great stories to tell, he was fun and lively and kept our attention as well as entertained all of our questions. Lori was very kind and we enjoyed hearing her favorite parts of working at the winery. We only had a charcuterie so I did not have any food from the menu, but I loved that they had a chili on the menu and I need to make it back for another visit while the weather still warrants a warm bowl! The tasting room is spacious but cozy and we love a 21+ for a nice day getaway. Excited for my next visit!

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.

The ambiance is bar none. At every turn I kept imagining a reason to book the space or bring…read moresomeone. Cozy, simple and sumptuous. We tried many wines, including: -the Crossvines Cabernet Franc-raisin and almost Nebbiolo overtones; -the Crossvines Barn Door red blend-balanced and warm with a hint of spice yet low tannin; -the Fairway rosé, which was light with great flavor and perfect with spring foods; -and the Riesling and then house ciders, with cherry and peach popular with different people. We settled on a bottle of the White Blend, the "Front Porch". It was not groundbreaking yet likable worked as a clean canvas that went with a lot of foods, not oaky, tangy, sweet, or dry. I enjoyed the butternut squash soup. I watched my friend enjoying the Farmer's Market salad and wondered if I should have gotten that instead! My friend enjoyed her burger and fries. The burger was pretty big and looked satisfying. My friend said the crab dip was really good, too. The best part for me was trying their wines while engaging with our server and the general manager. We talked about some of the events like wine tasting and menu changes and line dancing. We saw more of the gorgeous venue and bookable space for 300 indoors. It was relaxing and enjoyable and while I couldn't eat many items due to a wheat allergy, I definitely wanted to return soon and enjoy the backdrop and support a local winery.

Came here with our baby and dog post partum and it was the perfect place to wine down and take in…read morethe fresh air. It was quiet because we came on a weekday at around 3. The service was great, everyone was very welcoming. The food was surprisingly good as well. Really enjoyed the crab dip and the pita bread was deliciously buttery, it came out hot! We relaxed and watched/judged people playing golf, it was perfect.

Vick performed as Professor Snape at our twin boys' 8th birthday party. He was amazing to work…read morewith, especially in light of the commute required. We were so lucky he agreed to drive well outside of his usual area to perform. His illusions were mesmerizing, and he expertly handled a room full of inquisitive and skeptical kids by getting most of them involved in his performance. He gave a great message in the end of the performance also, drawing on the themes of inclusion and acceptance from the Harry Potter stories, which the adults present also mentioned as being a highlight. We cannot say enough great things about his professionalism and performance and we would highly recommend him for any event!

We hired Vick for our wedding reception! I was thinking of a simple way to entertain older folks,…read moreyoung children, and everyone in-between -- he was the answer! Vick had a wonderful story line and great tricks that kept everyone's attention! We had some guests that are very skeptical of magic tricks, and he still blew them away! I'm so happy we had him! We ended up starting his show a little late, unfortunately, but he was incredibly patient, set-up, and mingled with a few guests while he waited! He then put on a 45-50 minute show for all of us, and included some guests, my father, and us in the show! I highly recommend him for ANY event -- weddings, birthdays (children AND adult), social events, etc. Thanks, Vick!

My sister and I celebrated our birthday at Rocklands Farm Winery with a group of 20+ people, and it…read morecould not have been a better experience. We reserved a private space with a private tasting, which made the day feel extra special and perfect for a large group. For many of our guests, it was their first time visiting this location, and everyone had such a great time. One of the co-founders, Greg, personally led our tasting and was fantastic. He was knowledgeable, welcoming, and checked on us throughout the afternoon to make sure everything was going smoothly. Every staff member we interacted with was friendly, attentive, and clearly passionate about what they do. I also appreciated that some friends who don't drink were still able to enjoy themselves thanks to the non-alcoholic options. The property itself is beautiful with scenic views, plenty of space to relax, and such a peaceful atmosphere. We had amazing weather the day we visited, which made it even more memorable. If you are looking for a great place for a birthday, celebration, group outing, or just a relaxing day with friends, I highly recommend! We will definitely be back.

I had an awesome first experience at Rocklands…read more I joined a group of 15-20 on the first really nice Saturday of the spring season; it was fairly crowded but we got there right at opening to secure a large section of shaded picnic tables. There was PLENTY of seating still - lots of large and small tables scattered throughout the property. They also have seating inside the winery at a small bar. The wine itself was really nice; we had several bottles of the rose at the table. It was light, crisp, and easy to sip in the nice weather. I was impressed that they also had 2 non alcoholic wines; the non drinkers in our group were happy to have some options made just for them (which were delicious also). There is a third party pizza business that had food offerings; we had many different types of their pizza which were all good. Very smart to have a food option for folks to enjoy while we sip our wine. Overall, the property is wonderfully maintained and the wines meet all expectations. I'd recommend giving this spot a try if you're looking for a nice winery north of the beltway!

We came for wine tasting, which was fairly priced for the amount given, and had a pleasant…read moreexperience! There are a few tastings to choose from. We chose the Variety Tasting which included more reds and two fruity non-alcohol options. Leslie who was behind the bar helping us was excellent! Her experience shows through her knowledge as she walked us through the various wines & answered our questions. I felt like she really listened and catered the whole experience towards our preferences! The wine tasting bar area is standing only with no stools so that was the only downside in my opinion. We ended up signing up for their Wine Club (2 bottles/ month option), as the price of the wine tasting almost equated to that price. We decided it was a good deal, as our wine tasting ended up being free and we received 2 bottles and 2 wine glasses. My boyfriend has been here for their food and shared it was good. Will return to dine in next time!

BLUF: With the exception of the hostesses, service was good. Slow but good. Food was ok & pricey…read morefor small portions & meh quality. Nice, roomy restaurant which never came close to filling up on a Saturday lunch. Booze was tasty but lotsa ice. Kids meals were likely the best deal. Seemed like they were really short staffed which made table service rather slow. Hostesses weren't very welcoming nor that helpful. Kinda just stood around chatting until they were required to act when customers walked up to them to get help. Kitchen staff was hopping! But. The food. Um. Not yum. But not entirely horrible either. Seemed like a lot of stuff was from the night before. Warmed over yet not hot nor warm by the time it got to the table. Stuff under the heat lamp too long got over cooked while the stuff underneath the overcooked stuff was lukewarm to cold. Would think one couldn't mess up donuts, but these were fried in old oil (probably from the night before since we arrived at opening). Blobs of bland dough that were really dark on the outside but gooey, mushy, and not thoroughly cooked on the inside. That bitter taste from old oil really ruined any hope of enjoying what sounded delish on the menu. The donuts were rather disgusting. In general, the food just didn't taste really fresh or mouthwatering. Salty, maybe. From the bread to the entrees, most everything fell flat. An expensive flat. Worth the drive? Overall, while we had good service minus the hostesses, the food & value just doesn't warrant giving it another shot, which is disappointing. It's a place you'd want to really like, but it's missing something significant that makes you want to return to give it one more try. Just wish the food had been a lot better.

Bulgarian Festival is happening in May every single year. In 2017 it will be Saturday, May 6 at 1…read morePM - 8 PM at Calleva Farm. This is super friendly festival with good food and super friendly for the children. It is being held on a big farm so there is a plenty space for the parking, playing soccer and for little hike should you want to take a nice walk in the forest. There is music, food, costumes, and they just leave many bags of marshmallow for kids to roast them on a stick. Prices good, taste excellent, kids nicely tired after running around. Everything is moving nicely, no long waits. Fresh farm air may be very conducive to good mood of people. Bulgarian kebab is a bit spicier then Bosnian or Iranian (red paprika added) which is not bad. Cakes maybe do not pack the power of layers but they certainly pack the power of sweet taste. The fruity cake made me think of Frank Sinatra's song "Strangers in the Night" : Up to the moment when we said our first hello Little did we know Love was just a glance away, a warm embracing dance away

Best kabob in dc it's so tasty and fresh every single order I love the fresh pita so special for…read morecatering

A great C.S.A. program for all who like good local produce and supporting a small family-owned…read morefarm. A typical week includes two types of fruit, some sort of leafy green (salad greens in spring, kale and such later on), some sort of potatoes, an additional veggie (like peppers, onions, and/or eggplant), a loaf of bread and a dozen eggs. My girlfriend and I take one share, designed for a family of four, and we eat well all summer and fall and are able to save a significant amount for winter. They're usually open every Saturday with extra foods and meats for sale. Lastly, even though this is a family operation, they are always quick to credit their "workshares" - members who work picking and/or packing produce in exchange for reduced rates on their CSA. A local business worth supporting.