Category Archives: Pick-your-own farms
Wayside Farm Fun 2017 + 20% off Admission
It’s officially Fall in just a few days, yay! If you’ve been following here for a while then you know how much my girls and I love to visit farms this time of year! I am super excited that Wayside Farm is opening this weekend – September 23rd! We first visited Wayside last year and although it’s about an hours drive away from us, it was well worth it and definitely one of our favorites! The trip out to Berryville, Virginia is so pretty with the Blue Ridge Mountains in the background. And Wayside has the BEST pumpkin patch where you can pick all different colors and shapes of pumpkins! (See the big white one we picked last year in the photo above!)
Also, this year Wayside has kindly offered all my readers 20% off the admission fee. Just mention “Capitol Momma” at the register to receive the discount off the prices below.
General Admission……..$10/person
2 and under………………..FREE
Military with ID…………….FREE
Group (10-20)……………..$9/person
Group (20 or more)……..$8/person
September 23-October 29
Saturdays…………………………10 am – 6 pm
Sundays……………………………10 am – 6 pm
Columbus Day……………………10 am – 6 pm
Here is some more info from Wayside:
Located directly off Route 7 in the heart of Northern Virginia wine country, Wayside Farm Fun is a beautiful working farm set against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Known for growing the prettiest pumpkin varieties in the area, visitors are invited to pick pumpkins of all different shapes, colors and sizes in their 8-acre u-pick pumpkin patch. After pumpkin picking, enjoy a variety of fall activities such as the jumping pillow, pumpkin cannons, slides, animals, and more. End your day of fun by getting lost in one of the area’s largest corn mazes – this year our theme is Pokemon Go.
This year we are also hosting Scouting Day on Sunday, October 1. Scouts receive a discounted rate and are invited to participate in a Pass-a-Pumpkin community service project. A flag ceremony will be held at 1 PM before the pig races, and all scouts receive a patch.
On October 20 and 21st, Wayside Farm Fun is once again partnering with Loudoun Valley High School Performing Arts Department to create a Scary Corn Maze. The maze will be open past dark and include a guided tour through a spooky maze inhabited by costumed actors.
A couple more photos from our fun time at Wayside last year:
POSTED IN: Berryville, Corn Maze, Pumpkin Patch VA, VA, Wayside Farm Discount, Wayside Farm Fun
A Strawberry Pickin’ Success
I was so happy the rain finally stopped so we could pick strawberries at Wegmeyer Farms this weekend. We went out to their field at the Oatlands Plantation and it was really muddy……boots are a necessity. But there were so many big, ripe berries that it made for a great picking experience. The girls each filled up their own buckets within about 25 minutes. The berries are so plentiful that we didn’t even have to walk down the entire row before we filled the buckets. The berries are delicious….so sweet and juicy. Please let me know if you have any good strawberry recipes!
Don’t forget that you can get 25% off your berries when you pick on weekdays by mentioning Capitol Momma at the register! See previous blog post for details on locations. Happy picking!
Strawberry Picking at Wegmeyer Farms + Discount!
One of my favorite things to do with my girls is to go berry picking. So I’m very excited that strawberry season starts in just one week, yay! Our absolute favorite farm to pick strawberries at is Wegmeyer’s. They take strawberry growing to the next level! Their berries are the sweetest and juiciest berries you can find in the D.C. area. Their fields are beautiful and so well cared for – they grow the strawberries on on raised plastic beds, which keeps the berries clean, dirt-free and makes for easy picking. And new this year, they are offering a Sparkling Strawberry wine in partnership with Fabiolli Vineyards.
Wegmeyer Farms has generously offered all Capitol Momma readers a 25% discount during weekdays (M-F) at any of the three locations. Just mention Capitol Momma at the register to receive the discount on your berries. Happy Picking!
Wegmeyer Farms has three u-pick locations:
Hamilton, VA boutique farm setting – Tucked away on back roads of Lincoln (between Purcellville and Leesburg) at a historic homestead, our farm provides the most scenic views of rolling farmlands. We offer picnic tables for you to bring your own lunch and refreshments available for sale. After you pick berries, we invite you to stick around with the kids and let them play on the John Deere tractor slide and playground. 38299 Hughesville Road, Hamilton, VA
Historic Oatlands – our strawberry patch and era-themed attire at this historic mansion will whisk
Gilbert’s Corner – strawberry picking in its most natural state. This no-fuss location is perfect for a simple outing. Parking is available right at the site. Intersection of Route 15 and Route 50 in Aldie, VA.
Customers are encouraged to call the strawberry field hotline at (540) 751-1782 or visit www.
POSTED IN: Gilbert's Corner, Hamilton, Historic Oatlands, Pick-your-own strawberries, VA, Wegmeyer Farms
Strawberry Picking at Wegmeyer Farms 2016
Spring is here in Northern Virginia, and there is no better way to celebrate than picking red, juicy strawberries straight off the vine at Wegmeyer Farms. Berry picking is a fun, healthy outside activity for the kids. It is definitely one of my favorite things to do with my girls during the spring and summer months.
Wegmeyer’s fields are set to open on May 7! They have graciously offered all of you a 25% discount on the strawberries you pick during weekdays (Monday-Friday). There is no charge to visit, you only pay for what you pick – $3.99 per pound. Just mention Capitol Momma at the register to get the discount.
Wegmery Farms has three u-pick locations. We visited the Oatlands location last year. You can read more about that location in this blog post.
Hamilton, VA boutique farm setting – Tucked away on back roads of Lincoln (between Purcellville and Leesburg) at a historic homestead, this farm provides the most scenic views of rolling farmlands. They offer picnic tables for you to bring your own lunch and refreshments available for sale. After you pick berries, you can stick around with the kids and let them play on the John Deere tractor slide and playground.
38299 Hughesville Road, Hamilton, VA
Historic Oatlands – The strawberry patch and era-themed attire at this historic mansion will whisk
20850 Oatlands Plantation Ln, Leesburg, VA
Gilbert’s Corner – strawberry picking in its most natural state. This no-fuss location is perfect for a simple outing. Parking is available right at the site.
Intersection of Route 15 and Route 50 in Aldie, VA.
Packed with nutrients and antioxidants, strawberries are known as one of the most popular you-pick fruits in the area. Customers are encouraged to call the strawberry field hotline at (540) 751-1782 or visit www.wegmeyerfarms.com to check field conditions. Happy berry picking, friends!
POSTED IN: Historic Oatlands, Pick-your-own, strawberries, Strawberry Picking, Virginia, Wegmeyer Farms
August – Monthly Roundup
August – summer’s grand finale, was such a good month. I genuinely had so much fun with my girls this summer and am sad that preschool is starting this week. Thinking about how much these little people change in a year and how each summer with them is going to be so different, just makes me want to savor it more. Even though I will miss all the free time for adventures, I will love having a little bit more time for my own projects.
Here is a recap of what we were up to this past month. The BEACH at the National Building Museum was quite a unique experience and is still open through September 7. We also had a fun day trip to Baltimore where we visited the National Aquarium and Pierce’s Park. And another summer tradition of ours in August is the Montgomery County Fair.
Places we visited:
• The “Beach” at the National Building Museum
• Georgetown Waterfront Park
• National Aquarium in Baltimore
• Theodore Roosevelt Island
• Larriland Farm
• Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens
• Carousel at Glen Echo Park
• Rehoboth Beach, DE
Events we attended:
• Garfield the Musical at Adventure Theater - no longer showing but next up is Caps for Sale The Musical Sep 11-27 – Blog post here about attending a previous show at Adventure Theatre
• Fairfax County 4H Fair and Carnival at Frying Pan Park
• Montgomery County Fair
Classes and camps we attended:
• Geneva Day School Summer Camp
• My Gym Potomac
• Ballet Petite
Parks we played at:
• Pierce’s Park - Baltimore, MD
• Palisade’s Playground – Blog post here about the hidden glass forest at this park
• Hadley’s Playground – Potomac, MD - #41 in a list of the top 50 playgrounds in the US
• North Farm Park – Rockville, MD
• Cabin John Park – Bethesda, MD
• Potomac Woods Park – Rockville, MD
Hope you found some good ideas for your family in this month’s list. We are looking forward the fall! Cooler temps means spending time at the farms picking apples and pumpkins and going for hikes through the fall colors. Happy September!
Also, I use instagram as my everyday blog and share a lot of photos from our adventures in my gallery. I’d love to have you follow along!
Instagram: capitol.momma
And I share more information and photos from our field trips and outings on facebook.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/capitolmommablog
POSTED IN: Adventure Theater, DE, Georgetown Waterfront Park, Glen Echo Carousel, Glen Echo Park, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, Larriland Farm, MD, National Aquarium, National Building Museum, Pierce's Park, Pierce's Park Baltimore, Rehoboth Beach, The BEACH, The BEACH DC, Theodore Roosevelt Island
May – Monthly Roundup
May was a busy month full of fun adventures with my girls. We spent a lot of time outdoors at different farms and parks. It was filled with lots of flowers and happy moments. I’ve always thought fall was my favorite time in the DC area but I’m not sure anymore because this spring has been pretty amazing. We visited some really pretty places and made a lot of great memories!
Places we visited:
• United States National Arboretum
• Wegmeyers Farm – Oatlands Historic House and Gardens – blog post here
• Homestead Farm – blog post from last fall here
• Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens
• Washington National Cathedral and Bishop’s Garden
• Beauvoir Outdoors
• Scott’s Run Nature Preserve
• Croydon Creek Nature Center
• Fountains at Rockville Town Square
Events we attended:
• Day Out with Thomas – B&O Railroad Museum – blog post here
• Royal Tea Party – Thomas Farm Community Center
• Spring Market Fair – Claude Moore Colonial Farm
• Fairytale Ballet Tea Party – Metropolitan Ballet Theatre
• Hometown Holidays – Rockville Town Square
Classes/Camps we attended:
• My Gym
• Funfit Tots
• FS Soccer
Parks we played at:
• Meridian Hill Park – Washington, DC
• Chevy Chase Playground and Splash Park – Washington, DC – blog post here
• Clemyjontri Park – McLean, VA – blog post here – #4 in a list of the top 50 playgrounds in the US
• Hadley’s Playground – Potomac, MD - #41 in a list of the top 50 playgrounds in the US
• North Farm Park – Rockville, MD
• Cabin John Park – Bethesda, MD
• Potomac Woods Park – Rockville, MD
I hope this roundup has given you some new ideas and inspired you to go out and explore with your kids! Have a fabulous June!
Also, I use instagram as my everyday blog and share a lot of photos from our adventures on my feed.
Instagram: capitol.momma
And I share more information and photos from our field trips and outings on facebook.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/capitolmommablog
POSTED IN: B&O Railroad Museum, Beauvoir Outdoors, Cabin John Park, chevy chase playground, Claude Moore Park, Clemyjontri Park, Croydon Creek Nature Center, FS Soccer, Funfit Tots, Hadley's Playground, Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens, Homestead Farm, Meridian Hill Park, Metropolitan Ballet Theatre, My Gym, North Farm Park, Oatlands Historic House and Gardens, Potomac Woods Park, Rockville Town Square, Scott's Run Nature Preserve, Thomas Farm Community Center, United States National Arboretum, Washington National Cathedral, Wegmeyers Farm
Strawberry Picking at Wegmeyer Farms – Oatlands Historic Mansion and Gardens
My girls absolutely love picking berries in the spring and summer months. They were extremely excited for our first picking adventure. I really enjoy taking them to farms so they can learn where our food comes from and also have some good ol’ fashioned fun! Oatlands seemed like the perfect place to go pick, since we would also get to explore the beautiful mansion grounds I had heard so much about.
After arriving, we went into the Carriage House to purchase tickets for the hayride out to the strawberry fields. It’s about a 5 minute scenic ride out to the fields. My girls especially loved this part.
Once we arrived at the strawberry fields, we were greeted by friendly staff in 1800s era-themed costumes and they directed us to our row in the patch.
My girls had so much fun picking the berries and would squeal when they found an especially large one. The strawberries were so plentiful, we didn’t have to move very far down our row. Clara and Mae were just a little disappointed when we had completely filled our baskets and had no more room to pick any more!
Wegmeyers berries are so sweet, juicy, and perfect. I can’t even really describe how good they are!
We headed to the strawberry hut to pay for our berries and the girls were excited to get stickers and official strawberry picker coloring books. The wagon took us back to the Carriage House and from there we walked over to the historic mansion to explore the four acres of gardens.
The peonies and irises were in full bloom!
I highly recommend berry picking at Wegmeyers Farms Oatlands location. It was such a unique experience with the history and beauty of the property. There are about 3 weeks left in the season, so hurry and go visit them! For more information on the other two picking locations, check my blog post here. And don’t forget that if you pick on a Thursday (Family Picking Day) this season, mention Capitol Momma and receive 25% off!
Good to Know:
•Open 9am-5:30 daily
•Hayride tickets: adults $5, children 16 and under are free
•Strawberries are $3.99 per pound.
•Thursdays throughout the season are Family Days. Receive a 25% discount by simply mentioning Capitol Momma.
•Don’t dress your children in their nicest clothes. There’s a good chance they are going home with strawberry stains. Totally worth it though!
•Containers are provided or you can bring your own. Just ask them to weigh your container first if you bring your own.
•The Carriage House has a restroom.
•No food is sold here but you are welcome to bring a picnic.
POSTED IN: Leesburg, Oatlands Historic House and Gardens, Pick-your-own, Strawberry Picking, u-pick, VA, Wegmeyer Farms, you-pick
Summer Bucket List – 2015
We are ready for summer! There are so many fun things to do in the DC area and every summer seems to go by faster and faster. This year I decided to make a list of our top activities that we want to do. This is also Clara’s last summer before starting a full day pre-kindergarten program in the fall. So, we want to make this one count! In between trips to Nebraska and Rehoboth Beach, camps, pool time, bbqs, and tennis and swim lessons, we hope to fit these other fun things into our days. Some of these activities are our tried-and-true favorites and some are new things that we will be doing for the first time. I hope this gives you some good ideas of fun things to do with your family. Hooray for summer, it’s going to be a good one!
1. Go berry picking – Wegmeyer Farms, Homestead Farms, and Butler’s Orchard are a few of our favorite places to pick strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries
2. Play at splash parks – Chevy Chase Playground, Palisades Recreation Center, South Germantown Splash Park are some of our favorites
3. Go hiking – Croydon Creek Nature Center, Black Hills Regional Park, Lake Frank, Lake Needwood, Sugarloaf Mountain are some on our list
4. Attend the Hometown Holidays street festival at Rockville Town Square
5. Visit the United States National Arboretum (again)
5. Go see Encore Stage & Studio’s production of Alice in Wonderland
6. Attend at least one of the Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods programs at Wolf Trap
7. Visit a new park – Temple Hall Farm Park, Meridian Hill Park, Yards Park, Burke Lake Park, and Fort Washington Park are on our list
8. Check out a few farmer’s markets – Potomac Farm Market, Rockville Farmer’s Market, Potomac Village Farmer’s Market, Garrett Park Farmer’s Market, and Dupont Circle are on our list
9. Attend one of the Backyard Theater for Children shows at Strathmore
10. Play at BusyBees, a new indoor playground opening in Falls Church
11. Go to a Nationals baseball game
12. Ride the Cabin John train
13. Play in the Fountain at Rockville Town Square
14. Attend the Summer Market Fair at Claude Moore Colonial Farm
15. Take a Boomerang Pirate Ship Cruise on the Potomac
16. Tour the National Cathedral and Bishop’s Garden and play at nearby Beauvoir Playground
17. Explore a new farm during the Montgomery County Farm Tour
18. Visit South Mountain Creamery
19. Ride the carousel at Glen Echo Park
20. Go on rides and visit the animals at the Montgomery County Fair
POSTED IN: Boomerang Pirate Ship Cruise, Butler's Orchard, Cabin John Train, Glen Echo Carousel, Green Meadows Petting Farm, Homestead Farm, Summer Bucket List, Wegmeyer Farms
Burnside Farms
I was online searching for spring festivals in the DC area a couple months ago when I came upon Burnside Farms. After seeing just one photo of the tulip fields, I decided this was a place that we needed to get to this year one way or another. I have a love for flowers and nature and so do my girls. They are happier and behave better when we spend time outside around pretty things!
We arrived at the farm shortly after opening last Sunday morning. We paid the entrance fee and picked up baskets for our tulips. We walked over to the fields and first stopped to try on the wooden clogs. My girls got a kick out of trying these on!
Of course when they saw the giant pair of clogs they had to take turns standing in them!
Then we headed out to find a good picking spot in the fields. There were only a handful of people there early in the morning, so we had plenty of picking space to ourselves. There are advantages to having early rising toddlers!
The view is a feast for the eyes! Absolutely gorgeous!
