For the first time in two years, the annual Loudoun Fall Farm Tour in Virginia will be offered in-person, with more than two dozen locations on this year’s tour.
The tour will be held Oct. 16 and 17, and most farms will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
It will include everything from pumpkin patches and alpacas to vineyards and farmer’s markets. That includes eighth-generation family farmers and former financial professionals who started farming in 2020, according to Loudoun County Economic Development.
All stops will feature educational elements, and visitors can participate in a scavenger hunt with prizes at several of the stops.
The Loudoun Fall Farm Tour began in 1993 as the Loudoun Fall Colors Tour, and has since shifted to encouraging visitors to shop local farms for their harvest season.
“Loudoun has deep roots in agriculture, and our 1,200 commercial farms provide a cornucopia of quality products and experiences that represent an important aspect of our economy and culture,” said Loudoun County Economic Development Executive Director Buddy Rizer.
Visitors can download an app on the farm tour’s website that includes a map of farm locations and links for navigation. The app is also designed to operate in low cell-signal areas, since much of the tour is in rural Loudoun County.
Loudoun County Economic Development is also introducing a new community support program this year called Loudoun Hunger Relief, which will be featured on the tour.
Tour-goers can visit Northern Virginia Wholesale Growers, a produce farm in Paeonian Springs, to purchase donation vouchers. The proceeds will be used to purchase produce at the farm that will be donated to Loudoun Hunger Relief and distributed to food-insecure families in the county.
More information about the Loudoun Fall Farm Tour is online.