Fall on the Farm

HOMESTEAD FARM 15600 Sugarland Rd., Poolesville. 301-977-3761. http://www.homestead-farm.net/ . Open daily 8 to 6 through Oct. 31; weekends 9 to 5 in November and Friday-Sunday 9 to 5 in December, then closes until mid-May. The pick-your-own apple orchard and pumpkin farm's six-acre corn maze, geared toward kids ages 4-13, includes accents such as plywood gravestones, a bridge, a tepee and other surprises. Hayrides are Saturdays and Sundays from 9 to 5 during October. Both activities require admission.

PHILLIPS FARM 13710 Schaeffer Rd., Germantown. 301-540-2364. http://www.phillipsfarmproduce.com/ (includes directions). Open weekends 10 to dark, weekdays 3 to dark through October; reopens after Thanksgiving for Christmas trees, then closes before Christmas and reopens in July. Hayrides, $1, go around the farm and to the five- to six-acre pick-your-own pumpkin patch. Other highlights include a three-level jungle gym for the resident goats, haystacks to climb, farm animals to pet and feed, a giant hay bale spider and harvest themes. Pony rides, Saturdays and Sundays 11 to 3, are $4.

ROCK HILL ORCHARD 28600 Ridge Rd. (Route 27), Mount Airy. 301-831-7427. http://www.rockhillorchard.com/ (with directions). Open daily 9 to 5 until the apple supply is gone, probably in mid- to late October. Weather permitting, visitors can take free hayrides to the 3- to 3 1/2 -acre pick-your-own pumpkin patch or 600-tree apple orchard Saturdays and Sundays noon to 4 in October.

ROCKVILLE FLOWER & GARDEN SPOT Mid-Pike Plaza Shopping Center, 11800B Rockville Pike, Rockville. 301-984-3565 or 301-294-6800. Through Oct. 20, open Monday-Saturday 9 to 7, Sundays 10 to 6; Oct. 21-31, open Monday-Saturday 9 to 9, Sundays 10 to 7. The garden center's 10th annual free Pumpkinville Festival takes place daily through Oct. 31. Kids can play on a straw mountain and walk through a free, 300-foot straw maze decorated with stuffed cartoon characters. New highlights include a daily petting zoo and, for additional fees Oct. 21, 22 and 29, pony rides, moon bounces and other children's activities. The Haunted Trail of Terror, an electronic walk-through attraction for ages 10 and older, additional fee required, is open Saturdays and Sundays in October.

Prince George's County

BILLINGSLEY HOUSE MUSEUM 6900 Green Landing Rd., Upper Marlboro. 301-627-0730. http://www.pgparks.com/places/eleganthistoric/billingsley_intro.html . Maze open Saturdays and Sundays noon to 5 through Oct. 29. $5, free ages 5 and younger. A six-acre corn maze on the grounds of this circa 1740 house features a mile of paths in a design cut to resemble two smiling Maryland blue crabs. Visitors also can take free hayrides and visit a pumpkin patch with $2 pumpkins.

C & E FARM LLC 11415 Old Pond Dr., Glenn Dale. Take Route 704 (Martin Luther King Jr. Highway) east, which becomes Route 450 (Annapolis Road) east. Turn left onto Glenn Dale Road, then right onto Old Pond Drive and go to the first driveway on the right. 301-352-2958. This produce farm's harvest fest, Saturdays 10 to 4 during October, includes a hayride to the pumpkin field, face painting, farm animals and a take-home plant growing activity. $7.50 per person.

QUEEN ANNE FARM 18102 Central Ave. (Route 214 East), Mitchellville. 301-249-2427. http://www.queenannefarm.com/ . Open weekdays 10 to 5 and Saturdays and Sundays 10 to dusk through Oct. 31. This farm with a produce market offers 12 acres of pick-your-own pumpkins. The aftermath of Tropical Storm Ernesto ruined a small corn maze; taking its place will be a free obstacle course for young children. Check the Web site for a schedule and fee for hayrides.

St. Mary's County

BOWLES FARMS 22880 Budd's Creek Rd., Clements. 301-475-2139. http://www.bowlesfarms.com/ . Open Fridays 4 to 9, Saturdays 10 to 9 and Sundays 11 to 6 through Oct. 29. $8, free for children 5 and younger accompanied by an adult. Now in its sixth year, the St. Mary's County Corn Maze & Pumpkin Harvest features a 15-acre corn maze with more than 3 1/2 miles of trails. Other highlights include pick-your-own pumpkins, hayrides and a free petting zoo and mini straw maze. The Web site lists details about special activities such as tractor pulls.

FORREST HALL FARM & ORCHARD 39136 Avie Lane, off Route 5, 1 1/2 miles from Route 235 (Three Notch Road), Mechanicsville. 301-884-3086. http://www.forresthallfarm.com/ . Open Saturdays and Sundays 11 to dusk through Nov. 5. Also open 6 to 9 for evening maze walks Oct. 29-31. $7, free for ages 3 and younger. Haunted hayrides, offered during the maze's evening hours, are $3. The sixth annual, five-acre Crazy Corn Maze, designed and cut by the farm's owners, the Wood family, features an "Ernesto's Path" design depicting the turmoil of the storm that ruined the maze originally planned. Designed to be difficult, the maze includes more than two miles of trails and offers rest areas and water stations. Check the Web site for special events.

T & A FARM 18281 St. Jerome's Neck Rd., Dameron. Take Route 301 south to Route 235 south. About 45 minutes from Waldorf, turn left on St. Jerome's Neck Road and go one mile to the farm on the right. 301-872-5003. Open weekdays 3 to 6 and Saturdays and Sundays 9 to 7 during October. This small farm offers a mini corn maze for young children, a straw bale maze, farm animals and a barn with pumpkins. Visitors can create prints on paper using corn cobs Saturday and Sunday. Admission is by donation.

Virginia

Fairfax County

BURKE NURSERY & GARDEN CENTRE 9401 Burke Rd., Burke. 703-323-1188. http://www.pumpkinplayground.com/ . Nursery open daily 9 to 9 year-round. The nursery holds its 12th annual Fall Festival and Pumpkin Playground daily 9 to 9, with additional weekend activities Saturdays and Sundays 10 to 5, through Oct. 31. Admission -- $11 on weekends and Columbus Day, $8 on weekdays, free for ages younger than 2 -- includes a softball-size pumpkin and a surprise-filled hayride on a wheelchair-accessible wagon. Other daily highlights include a fort reached by tunnels, pirate- and western-themed activities, mechanical rides, a tepee, several slides, tumbling tubes and a rope swing.

COX FARMS 15621 Braddock Rd., at Pleasant Valley and Braddock roads, midway between Routes 29 and 50, about five miles west of Centreville. 703-830-4121. http://www.coxfarms.com/ . Open daily 10 to 6 or dark (last entry at 5) through Oct. 28; Oct. 29 through Nov. 5 closing time is 5 (last entry at 4).The weekend and Columbus Day entry fee is $13, free for ages younger than 2. Weekday admission, which includes fewer activities, is $8, free for ages younger than 2. Fall Festival weekend highlights include the new Slide-o-Saurus Mountain and activities such as hayrides, mountain slides, a smoking "Volcano Rumble Slide," rope swings over foam pits and farm animals (including piglets born Sept. 24). The Web site's calendar lists daily entertainment. Cox Farms' roadside produce market (2599 Chain Bridge Rd., Vienna; 703-281-0165) has a play area for children and features a master pumpkin carver on Oct. 22 from 11 to 3.