Fall events at grand Northern Virginia historic homes

Entrance to Gunston Hall last year

As Halloween approaches and fall continues to be in full swing, many festivals are happening in Northern Virginia. 

Today I wanted to skip my usual "photos on Friday" theme and focus on events happening at some historic (and grand!) homes since these are coming up quickly.

Oatlands

This weekend is Oatlands' annual Harvest Festival on Sunday (Oct. 18) from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Family fun activities include live music, theatre, hayrides, crafts and games, to name a few. Music will be provided by the Shenandoah Travelers and theatre by Palooza. Food and drink also available for purchase. 

Admission price is $10 per person or $20 per family. This admission includes tours of the mansion and grounds.

Mount Vernon

Every year Mount Vernon [see my post on visiting this historic site] hosts its Fall Harvest Family Days. For 2015 this event takes place from Oct. 24-25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This event is included in regular admission prices to see the house and grounds. Visitors are welcomed to enjoy the 18th century dancing, a straw bale maze, apple roasting and corn husk doll making, to name a few events. Usually, boat rides are also available. If memory serves, river tours were discounted last year when we went. It was a great time out, we met some friends over there and had a blast. 

Gunston Hall

I've toured Gunston Hall many times and in 2014, I picked up a calendar while I was there and noticed there was a Halloween event and made a point to go check it out. We had a great time. There were story tellers, pumpkin and face painting, treats and some other fun and spooky surprises. There were also burying ground tours by lantern. 

This year's event takes place on Sat., Oct. 31 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Priced at $25 per family which also includes tours of the home and grounds. [Here are some photos from last year.]

As I find more information, I'll be posting. Hope you've been enjoying the beautiful weather we've been having here in Northern Virginia. It's supposed to take a bit of a dip this weekend. 

[ Related reading: Fall festivals in Northern Virginia for 2015 ]