18 can’t-miss fall festivals in DC area

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Get in the spirit of the season with a fall festival — or two (WTOP's Rachel Nania)

WASHINGTON — Cooler temperatures and changing leaves are just a few signs that fall is here. Festivals celebrating apples and pumpkins are another.

If you’re looking to get in the sweater-weather spirit this season, look no further. Here are 18 of the area’s best fall festivals.

This photo from the 2016 Maryland Renaissance Festival depicts a jousting tournament. (Courtesy Maryland Renaissance Festival) — **Maryland Renaissance Festival**
*Through Oct. 22* The annual Maryland Renaissance Festival has it all — from jousting tournaments to fire-eaters, to pirates and puppetry. And this year, the fun lasts nearly two whole months. Read about some of the festival’s 2017 highlights on wtop.com. (Courtesy Maryland Renaissance Festival)

H Street Festival attendees dressed to the nines on Saturday afternoon. (WTOP/Dana Gooley) — **H Street Festival**
*Saturday, Sept. 16* H Street is one of the city’s most thriving neighborhoods, and so is its annual festival. The free event includes food, face painting, live performances and more. “It’s such a hip neighborhood now, and the festival has just exploded. Every year it gets more and more popular,” says D.C.-area travel and parenting writer Guiomar Ochoa. But be forewarned: “Don’t take your car, take Metro. It’s impossible to find parking,” Ochoa adds. (WTOP/Dana Gooley)

This Oct. 5, 2015 photo shows Strongbow's hard cider in Concord, N.H. Cider typically is lower in alcohol than wine, averaging 5 to 7 percent, but has enough acid and tannins to cleanse and refresh the palate for the next bite. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead) — **Virginia Hard Cider Festival**
*Saturday, Sept. 16* Taste the fruits of the cider industry’s labor at the 2017 Virginia Hard Cider Festival in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Sample ciders from more than 25 local producers. Live music and food round out the event. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

Maryland Wine Festival
Sept. 16 and 17 Sample more than 150 wines from across the state, peruse merchandise from local arts and crafts vendors, taste cheese from Maryland’s creameries and kick back to live music at this year’s Maryland Wine Festival. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

AP Photo/Eric Risberg

**Queen City Mischief and Magic**
*Sept. 22, 23, 24* Potterheads, pay attention: This event is for you. Sept. 22 through 24, wizards, witches and muggles from around the area will flock to Staunton, Virginia, for a weekend celebrating all things “Harry Potter.” There will be butterbeer, Horcrux hunting and magical activities for fans of all ages. Read more about the Harry Potter-themed festival on wtop.com. (Courtesy Kate Simon Lifestyle Photography)

This photo taken May 14, 2014 shows people walking along southeast Washingtons Barracks Row. While small, older buildings might not make for an impressive skyline, they may be better for cities than massive, gleaming office towers, according to a study released Thursday. Neighborhoods and commercial areas with a mix of older, smaller buildings make for more vibrant, walkable communities with more businesses, nightlife and cultural outlets than massive newer buildings, according the National Trust for Historic Preservation's study. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) — **Barracks Row Fall Festival**
*Saturday, Sept. 23* Travel and parenting writer Guiomar Ochoa says the annual Barracks Row Fall Festival is a great option for those looking to learn a little more about the city’s historic Marine barracks. There are tours of the post, as well as live entertainment, a petting zoo and a beer garden for adults. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2013, file photo, brewer Stefano Daneri holding up a beer at Good People Brewing in Birmingham, Ala. Alabama's alcohol regulators want the name, address, age and phone number of everyone who buys beer in one of the state's craft breweries and takes it home to drink, a move that is raising concerns about privacy. he Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board is considering a new rule that would require brewers to collect the personal information of anyone who purchases beer at a brewery for off-premise consumption. (AP Photo/Dave Martin, File) — **Snallygaster**
*Saturday, Sept. 23* Back now for its sixth year is D.C.’s largest craft beer festival, Snallygaster. Sample from more than 350 craft beers on draft, all while supporting the sustainable food nonprofit, Arcadia. (AP/Dave Martin)

Kittner_20140913_6597 — **Taste of Georgetown**
*Sunday, Sept. 24* Thirty of the Georgetown neighborhood’s top restaurants and chefs set up tents and tables for a day on K Street along the Georgetown waterfront to showcase their best dishes. Go hungry. (Courtesy Taste of Georgetown, Sam Kittner)

In this Sept, 28, 2010 photo, rows of more commonly grown pumpkin varieties such as Magic Lanterns wait for customers at Curtis Orchards & Pumpkin Patch on the outskirts of Champaign, Ill. The number of pumpkin varieties grown by farms such as Curtis Orchard has exploded over the past 10 to 15 years as Halloween has become big business. (AP Photo/David Mercer). — **Jumbo’s Pumpkin Patch Fall Festival**
*Sept. 23 through Oct. 31* Parenting writer Guiomar Ochoa says families will find pony rides, mazes, a petting zoo, wagon rides and more on this 130-acre farm in Middletown, Maryland. However, one of her favorite things to do while in the area is to hop over to neighboring South Mountain Creamery for ice cream, tours and unique farm activities. Ochoa says the creamery feeds its calves every day at 4 p.m., and if you get there early enough, the staff lets its visitors grab a bottle and feed the baby cows. (AP Photo/David Mercer)

CARDIGAN, UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 15: Campers gather around the camp fire at the Fforestcamp on August 15, 2008 near Cardigan in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Despite the dismal summer weather, camping is becoming an increasingly popular UK holiday option for a variety of reasons, including environmental concerns and the higher cost of living. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images) — **The Fall Festival at Summers Farm**
*Sept. 23 through Oct. 31* Visitors at this Frederick, Maryland, farm will find a corn maze, rides, slides and themed games, but parenting writer Guiomar Ochoa says one of the coolest things about this fall festival is the option to “rent” a campfire. For $75, groups of 30 to 50 people get a picnic table, benches and all the wood needed for a campfire. There’s even an additional package for s’mores. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

Frederick’s Oktoberfest
Sept. 29 through Oct. 1 Find bratwurst, beer and bands in Frederick, Maryland, at one of the biggest and best Oktoberfest celebrations in the D.C. area. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

AP Photo/Matthias Schrader

Cooler temperatures and changing leaves are just a few signs that fall is here. Festivals celebrating apples and pumpkins are another. (Maria Bryk for George Washington's Mount Vernon) — **Mount Vernon’s Fall Wine Festival and Sunset Tour**
*Oct. 6, 7 and 8* This wine festival takes place on the historic grounds of George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Alexandria, Virginia. The event includes live blues music, tours of the Washingtons’ home and educational seminars. (Maria Bryk for George Washington’s Mount Vernon)

External view of Thread at DC's Iconic Union Market at Union Market on April 5, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for EDENS) — **All Things Go Fall Classic**
*Oct. 6, 7 and 8* D.C.’s Union Market heats up as the weather gets cool with the annual All Things Go Fall Classic. The three-day event includes a robust lineup of live music, as well as food from a number of local vendors. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for EDENS)

McIntosh apples hang on a tree, Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015 at Carlson Orchards, in Harvard, Mass. As summer winds down in New England, apple-picking season is gearing up with growers forecasting a bumper crop. According to the U.S. Apple Association, the six-state harvest is expected to be about 14 percent higher than last year. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) — **Graves Mountain Apple Harvest Festival**
*Oct. 7-8; Oct. 14-15; Oct. 21-22* Now in its 48th year, this fall festival includes bluegrass music, hayrides, a hay maze, apple butter cooking demonstrations and apple picking. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Alexandria's City Manager Mark B. Jinks has recommended that the city council no longer consider a proposed Business Improvement District in Old Town. (Courtesy Visit Alexandria) — **Virginia Wine Festival**
*Oct. 14 and 15* This year’s 42nd annual Virginia Wine Festival is in the heart of Old Town Alexandria at Oronoco Bay Park. Taste more than 200 Virginia wines and sample some of the state’s best oysters. There’s also live entertainment and activities for the kids. (Matt Chenet for Visit Alexandria)

**Fall Harvest Family Days**
*Oct. 21 and 22* Celebrate the 2017 fall season the 18th century way at Mount Vernon’s Fall Harvest Family Days with craft demonstrations, music and more. (Kevin Ambrose for George Washington’s Mount Vernon)

The Colonial Market Fair at Claude Moore Farm
Oct. 21 and 22 The Claude Moore Colonial Farm in McLean, Virginia, is another place where you can step back in time. “It’s literally maybe a mile or two before you get to Tysons Corner if you’re coming from D.C. You’d never know it was there if you didn’t look for it,” says travel and parenting writer Guiomar Ochoa. On Oct. 21 and 22, join the working farm for food (apples, savory meat pies and homemade breads), entertainment and crafts, all made in true colonial fashion. “You can see turkeys, pigs, chickens; they have period food that they’re selling and they’re cooking it in front of you,” Ochoa said. “It’s fun for the kids to disconnect from 2017 and really go back in time.” (Kevin Ambrose for George Washington’s Mount Vernon)