Shared by Christa Kermode, Volunteer & Special Events Coordinator, as Guest Blogger.

Are you looking for something almost FREE (only a $5 per car parking fee) to do with your family in October on the weekends? Come celebrate the Fall Farm Festival at Sky Meadows State Park each full weekend of October 2014.

The pick-your-own pumpkin patch will be open daily!

This is the 10th Annual Fall Farm Festival; come back to the family farm at Sky Meadows State Park.

Starting Oct. 4th, 2014 and running Saturday’s and Sundays until October 26, 2014 the park will features live music, concessions, interpretive programs, living history demonstrations, Mount Bleak House Tours, vendors and exhibitors, and a children's play area including a corn maze.  

Each weekend offers a different theme of Sky Meadows State Park: Oct. 4 and 5 Relaxation & Rejuvenation, Oct. 11 and 12 Agriculture, Oct. 18 and 19 Wildlife & Habitat, and Oct. 25 and 26 History. For a full schedule call 540-592-3556 or visit the Virginia State Park’s website.

The first weekend Oct. 4 and 5, 2014 starts with Relaxation & Rejuvenation

Stop by and fish for a while

We offer a variety of programs to help you reconnect with nature, unplug and unwind, and re-create yourself through recreation. 

Stop by the log cabin to try some homemade calming tonics, take a walk by the light of the full moon, find a source of inspiration and paint a picture, spend a peaceful afternoon fishing, or visit with local artist/author Alexia Scott, and the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.  One visit to our serene park and you’ll feel revitalized! 

Agriculture weekend is Oct. 11 and 12 at Sky Meadows State Park

Visit life on the farm

Visit the Mount Bleak family farm and experience a historic piedmont farm on the slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Beekeepers of Northern Shenandoah will be at the park; see the park hives. Chat with the Soil and Water Conservation District and climb the soil tunnel. Find out about the Department of Corrections Agribusiness and see a cow or two. Stroll over to the Blacksmith Shop and watch the skilled artisans from the Blacksmith Guild of the Potomac work the steel. Learn about Colonial and Civil War farm life at one of our Ranger-led programs.

Wildlife and Habitat is the theme for the weekend of Oct. 18 and 19, 2014 at Sky Meadows State Park  

Come and touch nature

Visit with Virginia Master Naturalists, Virginia Department of Forestry , Audubon Society birders, and Wildlife Ambassadors.  Learn about the Virginia Working Landscapes project from researchers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Attend one of our Ranger-led programs and discover hidden natural treasures along one of the many miles of park trails. 

Finally on Oct. 25 and 26, 2014 you can connect with History at Sky Meadows State Park  

Visit a Civil War Encampment

Immerse yourself in the history of the Crooked Run Valley from the 1700s to the present by exploring the landscapes, structures, and programs of Sky Meadows State Park. Stroll through our Colonial and Civil War encampments and interact with our living historians, visit with the Fauquier County Quilters, get a taste of Colonial Cooking and visit with our blacksmiths at the forge. Step back in time and see history come to life during the final weekend of Sky Meadows State Parks Tenth Annual Fall Farm Festival!  

LOCATION:

The park is less than two miles south of Paris, Va., via U.S. Route 50 to Route 17 South; or seven miles north of I-66, Exit 23 on Route 17 North. The park's main entrance is on State Route 710.

Sky Meadows State Park is located at 11012 Edmonds Lane, Delaplane, VA 20144 

Drive Time: Northern Virginia, 45 minutes to one hour; D.C., over one hour; Richmond, two hours; Tidewater/ Norfolk/ Virginia Beach, three hours; Roanoke, two and a half hours.