21,125 posts
298 helpful votes Going somewhere that offers hayrides and a pumpkin patch will mean that you will need to have a car as these attractions are located in rural areas not serviced by public transportation.
There are websites which describe the “10 Best Pumpkin Patches” or the “5 Top Corn Mazes”. I would check those beginning in September to see which appeal to you and/or re-post for recommendations at that time.
Note that many of these farm sites are super-crowded on weekends and on weekday mornings (when school groups are there). I have found that weekday afternoons are a quieter time to visit.
You're going to have to leave DC for that sort of experience. I've enjoyed the corn maze at Liberty Mills in Somerset, VA (about two hours drive south), which is the largest one around here; if you want a shorter trip, Montpelier Farms in Upper Marlboro, MD (about a 40 minute drive east) is supposed to be nice if much smaller.
There's a list of haunted houses in the area at https://www.dchauntedhouses.com/.
Most of the "in DC" Halloween experiences are alcohol-focused and age 21+.
Georgetown has a big event every year called the Nightmare on M street. Note that it's an adult event since it's a bar crawl. If you have kids you'll want to find something else.
Last year there was a community event at Eastern Market that we went to. My wife found it googling "halloween events" around DC. A lot of community centers will eventually have something like that sometime.
Two places in the Virginia suburbs I've been to recently are Cox Farms and the Leesburg Animal Park.
Do you have any kids with you? That will help us with recommendations. For little kids, I'd recommend Halloween on Lanier St NW - it's in Lanier Heights neighborhood in DC, and they close down two blocks for traffic and it's hundreds of cutest kids around.
Also Halloween tends to lean more scary abroad - here it has long turned into funny political/sexy nurse costumes for adults, and superheroes/princess costumes for the kids.
No it’s just me and my aunt and uncle although I won’t be 18 yet during my visit
I agree that a short trip into the countryside, will be what you are looking for - a nice bit of Americana, in lovely surroundings. Rappahannock County had several “pumpkin patches,” (still up, but closing down), when we were there in early Dec, a year, or so ago. Easy drive from DC, with several quaint towns too.
Now, that does not mean that DC cannot be a “scary place,” but that is just when Congress is in session, and they have gotten scary for at least the last 40 years!!
Most Halloween activities, in DC, will be more adult-oriented, with the exception for neighborhood trick-or-treating.
Might be some “haunted house” attractions, but more in the suburbs.
Enjoy!
Hunt
81,943 posts
112 helpful votes “Easy drive from DC, with several quaint towns too.”
It’s over 60 miles from DC, with some of the worst traffic in the country during rush hours, and even during some peak weekend times.
Nice once you get there. Not an easy trek from DC.
21,125 posts
298 helpful votes Cox Farms in Centreville, Virginia has been a favorite of mine for hayrides, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, etc. for many years. Their website has some info about their fall festival from 2017 which should be very similar to what there will be in 2018. Cox Farms is 40 miles from DC (a drive of 45 minutes to an hour or more, depending on traffic). You will need a car to get there and I recommend going on a weekday afternoon if you want to avoid crowds and lots of children.
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