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Virginia
Taylor Swift corn maze, pumpkins, hay rides and more fall fun in Maryland and Virginia
Is that… the smell of pumpkins, crisp apples and corn?
Fall season is here so it’s time to pull out boots and jackets to really set the cozy mood.
As the leaves turn orange and prepare to fall from the trees, now is the perfect time to pick some apples, get lost in a corn maze or pick out the perfect pumpkin for decorating or baking!
Here are some fall festivals to check out in Virginia and Maryland.
Maryland corn mazes, pumpkin patches and apple picking
Maryland Corn Maze: Taylor’s Version
📅 Sept. 14 through Nov. 3
📍 389 Gambrills Road, Gambrills, Maryland
💲 $17.95
🔗 Details
Maryland Corn Maze (Taylor’s Version) is open for all Swifties and non-Swifties alike!
Can’t get enough of Taylor? Visit the maze on Oct. 2 to listen to singer Kanin Wren’s Taylor Swift Experience live concert.
Answer Swift-themed quiz questions to find your way out of the maze. Don’t miss out on the Flashlight Nights if you want a challenge.
Pick your own pumpkins and explore the farm yard complete with a bounceyard, rodeo roping area and slingshots.
Gaver Farm Fall Fun Fest
📅 Through Nov. 5 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily)
📍 5501 Detrick Rd Mt. Airy, Maryland
💲 $14.50-$23 (Kids under 24 months are free)
🔗 Details
Gaver Farm has all of your fall fun needs. From sunflowers to pumpkins to apples — there’s just about everything for everyone.
This family-friendly affair offers over 65 attractions including the “Fun to the Core” Corn Maze, animal meet-and-greets, a zipline and pedal karts.
Guests can pick their own pumpkins, apples and sunflowers after riding a free hayride out to the fields. Don’t miss out on the sunflowers — the farm expects blooms through Sept. 22! The farm provides all the tools needed to make picking seamless.
Butler’s Orchard Pumpkin Festival
📅 Sept. 21 through Nov. 3
📍 22222 Davis Mill Road Germantown, Maryland
💲 $11-$22 (Make a reservation ahead of time to avoid higher prices)
🔗 Details
The Butler’s Orchard Pumpkin Festival is bigger and better than ever!
Hunting for the perfect pumpkin? This year, guests have three options. You can drive to the pumpkin patch for the classic picking experience, get a pumpkin at the festival’s market or visit the Pumpkin Yard to get pre-picked pumpkins.
You aren’t just limited to picking your own pumpkin. Once you purchase a ticket, you can take hayrides, visit some backyard buddies, turn through the Twisted Corn Maze and jump in the Corn Pool.
Magnolia Meadow Farms
📅 Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 27
📍13001 Creagerstown Road, Thurmont, Maryland
💲 $15 (online)/$20 (walk-in)
🔗 Details
Magnolia Meadow Farms says it is home to Maryland’s largest corn maze along with family-friendly activities like mini ziplines and a barrel train.
Don’t miss out on Moonlit Maze Nights on Oct. 5 and Oct. 26 where you can try out the corn maze under the stars for a good cause.
If you don’t want to stick to just pumpkins, you’re in luck! You can wander into three different fields to have your pick at sunflowers, pumpkins, gourds or cut flowers.
If you tire out from the fun, private campfires are available on-site. Reserve a campfire in case you want to get your own views of the farm away from the crowds.
Montpelier Farms Fall Festival
📅 Sept. 13-Nov. 3
📍 1720 North Crain Hwy, Upper Marlboro, Maryland
💲 $19.95 in advance/$24.95 at the gate
🔗 Details
Spend all day at the Montpelier Farms Fall Festival with its 7-acre corn maze, Barnyard Basketball and other fall activities. Try your hand at pumpkin bowling or tug of war. When it gets chilly at night, cuddle up by the public bonfire with loved ones.
If you want to pick your own pumpkins, you can visit the patch without purchasing a ticket to the festival — just pick your favorite (or favorites) and buy it there!
Virginia corn mazes, pumpkin patches and apple picking
Cox Farms Fall Festival
📅 Sept. 14 through Nov. 5
📍 15621 Braddock Rd., Centreville, Virginia
💲 $10-$25
🔗 Details
Cox Farms has just about everything you can think of when it comes to fall fun. The Fall Festival is a family-fun affair and there are many activities that you can choose from. You can ride the hayride, visit several attractions like themed slides, taste different apples and feed goats.
If you’re looking for a corn maze filled with surprises, the Cornundrum is just for you. Wind through the maze and you’ll come across pirates, caves and the Vortex!
The fun doesn’t stop there. Go back for spooky scares at their Fields of Fear starting on Sept. 20.
Great County Farms
📅 Aug. 31 through Sept. 30
📍 34345 Snickersville Turnpike, Bluemont, Virginia
💲 $12-$16 (advance tickets are highly recommended for weekends)
🔗 Details
If you’re looking for fresh pressed cider, apple picking and a fun corn maze, Great County Farms is for you!
You can visit the apple orchard, get lost in their 15-acre corn maze and the 15-acre play area that features the Farm Ninja Obstacle Course.
On weekends, guests can enjoy perfect fall activities like live music and visiting a snack bar complete with kettle corn and roasting marshmallows. You can even learn how to learn to press a bushel of apples!
Want to beat the weekend crowds? No worries! Guests can visit the farm during the week along with the weekend.
Wayside Farm
📅 Sept. 21 through Oct. 27
📍 5273 Harry Byrd Highway, Berryville, Virginia
💲 $17-$25 (Depending on ticket type)
🔗 Details
With great power comes great responsibility, and if you have great navigation skills, you can use that power to guide your group out of Wayside Farm’s Spiderman-themed corn maze! Make sure not to get lost in the mazeverse.
There are plenty of fun activities to choose from, including pig races and pumpkin smashing. If you’re interested in the pumpkin patch, reserve a spot in advance. The ticket will cover the first $20 worth of pumpkins.
Leesburg Animal Park’s Pumpkin Village
📅 Sept. 21 through Nov. 5 (closed on Tuesdays)
📍 19246 James Monroe Hwy, Leesburg, Virginia
💲 $18.95-$22.25 (weekend tickets must be purchased in advance)
🔗 Details
If you love the zoo and autumn equally, Leesburg Animal Park’s Pumpkin Village might be the place for you. There’s a whole bunch of family-friendly activities to enjoy such as a kiddie hay maze, animal petting and feeding and pony rides (for an extra fee).
Up the fun factor on the weekends and Columbus Day with live entertainment, face painting, free cider, apple and pumpkin cookie tasting.
Want to know what’s up for your weekend? Sign up for The Weekend Scene, our newsletter about events, experiences and adventures for you and for your family around the DMV.
Virginia
Motorcoach failed to slow for traffic in Virginia work zone before crash that killed 5 from Western Mass., NTSB says – The Boston Globe
A charter bus failed to slow down when it came upon a line of vehicles stopped in an overnight work zone on Interstate 95 in Virginia last month, rear-ending and killing a Worcester woman in her SUV and a family of four from Greenfield in their SUV, national transportation officials said Thursday.
The driver of the 57-passenger motorcoach, Jing Sheng Dong, was swiftly charged with involuntary manslaughter after the multi-vehicle crash on May 29.
The Massachusetts residents did not know each other yet their vehicles were stopped together in the work zone on southbound I-95 in Stafford, Va. at 2:32 a.m. that Friday.
Priscilla R. Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, was a passenger in a 2021 Chevrolet Suburban that was in the direct path of the 2013 Van Hool C2045L motorcoach. She was traveling with her husband to South Florida.
Also in the path of the charter bus was the Doncev family, a mother and father from Greenfield traveling with their 14-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son to a family wedding in South Carolina. Their 2020 Acura MDX was consumed by fire, the report from the National Transportation Security Board said.
In all, eight vehicles were involved, with dozens of people injured and hospitalized.
The bus, occupied by Dong, 48, who worked for E&P Travel, Inc., and two dozen passengers, was en route from New York City to Charlotte, NC.
The conditions were clear and dry on the six-lane roadway where three southbound and three northbound lanes were divided by two reversible express toll lanes, the NTSB report said.
An overnight repaving project had prompted the closure of the southbound center and right lanes, as well as the right shoulder, according to the report.
When the charter bus approached from the south in the center lane, it failed to slow done for stopped traffic, the report said. It did not say how fast the bus was estimated to be traveling.
The motorcoach continued to travel south for nearly a half mile, causing a chain-reaction crash into eight vehicles, the report said.
The overnight work zone was scheduled to conclude at 5 a.m., less than three hours from the time of the fatal crash, the NTSB said.
The investigation is ongoing while the NTSB determines probable cause.
The Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Transportation, and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are aiding the investigation.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.
BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) – First responders never stop training, and this week almost 500 from across Virginia are honing their skills in Blacksburg.
The Virginia Association of First Responders now includes EMTs, firefighters, police officers and many others who answer the call in an emergency.
Thursday, a farm accident and a collision involving a car and school bus were just two of the scenarios they encountered.
“It’s a week-long opportunity, not only for technical stuff like this, but for medical classes,” said Covington Volunteer Rescue Squad member Greg Burton. “People call 911 every day for something. And we’re just here to help ease the problem a little bit.”
The annual conference also includes a Rescue Camp for young people with an interest in emergency services.
43 campers are taking part in a variety of activities, including a session on scuba diving Thursday afternoon.
Copyright 2026 WDBJ. All rights reserved.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A brush fire in a wooded area on Criollo Drive Wednesday afternoon was set by children playing with fire, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.
Units with Virginia Beach Fire and Virginia Beach Police were dispatched to the 3700 block of Criollo Drive in reference to a report of a possible fire in a wooded area at approximately 5 p.m.
Upon arrival, crews saw light smoke coming from a wooded area. They quickly had the brush fire under control at 6:05 p.m. and marked out at 6:37 p.m.
There were no injuries reported to civilians, firefighters or pets.
A VBFD Fire Investigator determined that the fire was set by kids playing with fire.
There are no charges being filed currently.
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