Witness local farms and Main Street communities transform into family playgrounds for fall festivals.
Shenandoah Valley
Monterey - Oct. 5-7 - Hands & Harvest Festival - The event features an arts and crafts show & farmers' market. The Little Switzerland Cloggers perform Saturday afternoon. Southernmost Maple Products & Fair Lawn Farm invites visitors to their sugar camp for apple butter and cider making. Word of Faith Outreach Ministry hosts a BBQ Chicken Dinner to benefit those in need. Ginseng Mountain Store holds an "Open House" with door prize & discounts throughtout the store & lamb, beef & marinade tasting on the front porch.
Buchanan - Oct. 6 - Mountain Magic In Fall Bluegrass, Antiques and Crafts Festival - Mountain Magic In Fall celebrates heritage through music, crafts, history and architecture. As Botetourt County’s oldest and consecutively longest running Bluegrass Festival, Mountain Magic In Fall features a full day of live Bluegrass performances held at Center Stage from 10 AM through 5PM. The days activities also include the areas largest Antique and Craft Show, antique Auto Show, interpretive history displays and food!
Winchester - Oct. 6 - International Children's Festival - Experience the world through educational exhibits, live cultural entertainment and international foods!
Syria - Oct. 6-7, 13-14, 20-21 - Graves' Mountain Apple Harvest Festival - Enjoy fun-filled days complete with Graves famous Food, live Bluegrass Music, Hay Maze and Hay Moutain, Apple Picking and more!
Buena Vista - Oct. 13 - Mountain Day Street Festival - Celebrate the culture, traditions, history and natural beauty of the Shenandoah Valley in downtown Buena Vista.
Front Royal - Oct. 13 - Festival of Leaves - Outdoor rain or shine festival in downtown featuring historical displays, arts and craft vendors, 10 a.m. parade, live entertainment, children's corner, living history interpretations, food concessions, and a lot more.
McGaheysville - Oct. 13 - Massanutten Fall Festival - Over 60 arts vendors, live music, chairlift rides to the top of the Peak, kids activities, wine sampling, beer garden, food, petting farm, and more!
New Castle - Oct. 13 - Craig County Fall Festival - Don't miss the 30th Annual Craig County Fall Festival, to include street fair, antique car show, live entertainment and horse rides.
Roanoke - Oct. 13 - Craftsmen's Fall Classic Art & Craft Festival - 25th Anniversary - Features original designs & work from hundreds of artists and craftspeople from across the nation. Visit with the actual artisans as you discover what goes into the making of these one-of-a-kind treasures.
Vinton - Oct. 13 - Vinton Fall Festival & 5K Run/ Walk - Fun for the entire family includes the 5K, vendors, concessions, two stages of entertainment, and more.
Waynesboro - Oct. 13-14 - Annual Fall Foliage Art Show - Each year, the streets of downtown Waynesboro are turned into an outdoor art gallery- 200+ booths of fine arts and fine crafts line the streets. Featuring artists from all over the country, the Fall Foliage Festival Art Show has been named one of the top shows in the East. Paintings of all kinds, pottery, jewelry, sculpture, and more are featured in this two day outdoor festival.
Harrisonburg - Oct. 20 - Children's Harvest Festival at the Arboretum - Children's Harvest Festival at the Arboretum with educational tours, dancing, crafts, live music, horse drawn wagon rides and more.
Elkton - Oct. 20-21 - Elkton Autumn Days Arts and Crafts Festival - The festival offers an abundance of quality crafts, local artist, great entertainment and delicious home cooked food.
Middletown - Nov. 4 - Virginia Gourd Festival - This is a unique marketplace for anyone enjoying folk art and learning from the artisans themselves how to create gourd art!
Blue Ridge Highlands
Independence - Oct. 13 - Mountain Foliage Festival and Grand Privy Race - Watch teams race outhouses down main street in Independence, Virginia. Musicians, crafts and food round out the fun at this family event.
Radford - Oct. 13 - Highlanders Festival - Celebrate our Scots-Irish past with bagpipes, authentic heavy weight sports, a parade and more. Vendors, food, and fun galore!
Newbern - Oct.13-14 - 2012 Newbern Fall Festival - Arts and Crafts; Baked Goods; Fire Truck Veiwing; Food and Beverage Vendors; Pony Rides; Music; Trolley Rides and much more.
Chesapeake Bay
Urbanna - Nov 2-3 - Urbanna Oyster Festival - Join in The Official Oyster Festival of the Commonwealth! Food - Arts & Crafts - Fireman's Parade - Oyster Festival Parade - Waterfront educational activities - Entertainment - Oyster Festival Queen & Little Miss Spat - Oyster Shucking Contest.
Central Virginia
Gordonsville - Oct. 6 - Annual Gordonsville Street Festival - Many booths of food, raffles, crafts and more; several groups of entertainment will be performing all day. Come and see what Downtown Gordonsville has to offer.
Orange - Oct. 6-7 - Fall Fiber Festival & Montpelier Sheep Dog Trails - This Festival is so loaded with fun things to learn and see the day will be over before your ready. Workshops, childrens programing, craft vendors, skein & garment contest, animal exhibits, and sheep dog trails, hands-on demonstrations, and specialty food booths.
Richmond - Oct. 12-14 - Richmond Folk Festival - The Richmond Folk Festival continues celebrating the roots, richness and variety of American culture through music, dance, traditional craft and food.
Mineral - Oct. 20 - Town of Mineral 5th Annual Harvest Festival - There will be music, good food, carnival-style games, face painting, balloons, and fun for the whole family.
Moneta - Nov. 3 - Smith Mountain Lake Fall Chili & Craft Festival - The best of everything with plenty of activity, great chili for tasting, musical entertainment, craft vendors, awards and a beautiful lakeside setting. Cooking begins at 10 a.m., tasting at noon, judging at 3 p.m., awards at 3:30 p.m.
Coastal Virginia - Eastern Shore
Chincoteague Island - Oct 6 - Chincoteague Island Oyster Festival - This is an all-you-can-eat affair of oysters prepared many different ways, crabs, hush puppies, clam chowder, hot dogs and much more. There will be live entertainment, souvenirs, raffles, and contests.
Coastal Virginia - Hampton Roads
Norfolk - Oct. 6 - 24th Annual AT&T Virginia Children's Festival - Hampton Roads' most beloved family festival is filled with more than 100 creative and interactive activities, storytelling, hands-on workshops and educational displays, cultural experiences, arts and crafts, costumed characters and more!
Newport News - Oct. 6-7 - Fall Festival of Folklife - Over 200 craftspeople display their wares. The expanded Heritage Area includes demonstrations and displays in woodworking, spinning, sheep shearing, chair caning and quilting. Traditional foods available for purchase include apple butter and apple cider. There is a children’s area with make-and-take crafts, as well as plenty of food and beverage vendors. Continuous entertainment on four different stages.
Norfolk - Oct. 12 - Town Point BrewFest TGIF, 4th Annual - Sample a wide variety of fall flavors & Oktoberfest beers from a selection of local, regional, national international breweries.
Newport News - Oct. 13-14 - Port Warwick Art & Sculpture Festival 2012 - Enjoy world-class art, gourmet food, and fine wines. Live music and exciting activities for kids too, including the ever-popular Young Collectors Tent!
Chesapeake - Oct. 13-14 - Waterways Heritage Festival - The Waterways Heritage Festival is a celebration of the cultural heritage of Virginia.
Yorktown - Oct. 13 - Yorktown Market Days and Fall Festival - Throughout the day there will be hayrides, a pumpkin patch and Children's Hay Maze, Face Painting, and Children's Activities.
Newport News - Oct. 19 - City Center Oyster Roast - Festival of seafood and oyster tasting, featuring Chesapeake Bay seafood. Beer tasting for the adults, with crafts and an “Oyster Shell” scavenger hunt for the children. Live musical entertainment for all.
Virginia Beach - Oct. 20 - Fall Festival at First Landing State Park - Enjoy natural surroundings, hay rides, pumpkin decorating, kids' crafts, roasting s'mores and special exhibits.
Northern Virginia
Centreville - Through Oct. 31 - Cox Farms Fall Festival - Northern Virginia's largest & most famous Fall Festival! Washington Post Editor's Choice: Cox Farms is "the Big Kahuna of farms with fall festivities in northern Virginia."
Fredericksburg- Oct. 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27, 28, Nov. 2-4 - Belvedere Plantation Harvest Festival -Ride the hayride to The Great Pumpkin Patch with acres of bright orange Pick-Your-Own pumpkins. Experience the Maize Maze, Fun Barn, Zip Lines, Pumpkin Mountain Slide, Jumping Pillow, Pig Races, and Little Farmer’s Coral, hayrides roaring campfires and animals at the Olde Barnyard.
Waterford - Oct. 5-7 - 69th Annual Waterford Homes Tour & Crafts Exhibit - Virginia's oldest juried crafts fair offers historic homes tours, 160 heritage craftspeople, Colonial-era militia encampments, marching fife and drum corps, and Civil War skirmishes.
Sterling - Oct. 6 - 25th Annual SterlingFest - Join the residents of Sterling for their annual community celebration that offers fun for the whole family, including arts and crafts, a special kids' marketplace, a fire station open house, children's rides and games, two stages of entertainment, food vendors, and much more!
Brandy Station - Oct. 13 - 13th Annual Culpeper Airport Air Fest - This FREE event has something for the entire family - restored antiques, classics, military trainers, fighters, helicopters, jets and model airplanes.
Fairfax - Oct. 13 - Fall Festival in Old Town Historic Fairfax - More than 400 juried crafters, childrens rides, music and foods will provide something to entertain everyone. Come and enjoy a traditional day out with all the family.
Waterford - Oct. 13 - Fall Festival by Joshua's Hands - Food – Fun – Kids’ Crafts – Games – Petting Farm – Lunch - Live Entertainment FREE!
Fredericksburg - Oct. 13-14 - Fredericksburg Arts & Craft Festival - he annual Fredericksburg Arts & Crafts Festival will feature the hand-crafted work of artists and crafters that will showcase a wide variety of hand crafted products including: baskets, ceramics, fine art, gourmet food, jewelry, music, candles, paintings, photography, pottery, woodworking and much more.
Fredericksburg - Oct. 20 - 8th Annual Wings & Wheels Festival & Air Show - Enjoy the 8th Annual Wings & Wheels Festival and Air Show at the Stafford Regional Airport. Includes a Fly-in, Car Show and Air Show with professional aerobatic performers.
Bowling Green - Oct. 20 - Bowling Green Harvest Festival - 175 vendors line Main Street while bands and community groups perform on the stage across from the courthouse. Kids can join in the fun with pumpkin painting, face painting, magicians, rides, and games.
Annandale - Oct. 27 - Annandale Fall Festival - The Annandale Fall Festival provides a full day of family fun with games & rides, food, live entertainment, arts-crafts, and gift vendors.
Mount Vernon - Oct. 27-28 - Fall Harvest Family Days at Mount Vernon - Enjoy wagon rides, wheat treading, a straw bale maze, and early-American games and music. Kids can make a cornhusk doll and cook over an open fire.
Heart of Appalachia
Nickelsville - Oct. 6 - 2012 Bush Mill Days - Experience an operational, historic mill grinding meal that's available for purchase on-site while trying your hand at stirring apple butter and more at Bush Mill Days!
Richlands - Oct. 6 - Richlands Fall Festival - Richlands Fall Festival will include crafts, food, music & games for the whole family.
Ewing - Oct. 13 - Wilderness Road Heritage Festival - Appalachian craft-makers fill the lawn of the Karlan mansion with their wares as bluegrass music dances on the air. The always popular Children's Festival offers young ones the chance to enjoy games, crafts, activities, Karen the Clown and a puppet show. The sweet smell of home cooking by vendors will make your visit pleasurable.
Wise - Oct.13-14 - Wise County Famous Fall Fling - The Wise County Famous Fall Fling features bluegrass, country, gospel music, arts and crafts, antiques, food, contests, Kids' Korner, and much more!
Pennington Gap - Oct. 27 - Lee County Tobacco & Fall Festival - The day starts with a 5-K race and then continues with arts and crafts, live music, dancing, live entertainment - The Mayberry Deputy, home cooking, a parade, and much more. Come meet your friends and celebrate Lee County's heritage!
Southern Virginia
Clarksville - Oct. 6 - Harvest Days Festival - Clarksville On The Lake celebrates autumn with great food, live entertainment, Fall decorations, arts & crafts, and a live auction. Combined with the Lake Country Cruiser's Cruise-in car show.