Travel
Virginia: Guide
to going places
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Virginia’s
Fall Festivals Add Fun to the Foliage
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Spirited
tours
Courtesy
of the Virginia Tourism Corporation
September, 2004
With 15.8
million acres of forestland (an amount larger than the total acreage of
some states), Virginia adds color to the color of fall. In addition to
magnificent autumn foliage that stretches from the Western Highlands
to the Eastern Shore, Virginia’s fall festivals as well as apple,
pumpkin, and grape harvests present a Virginia as fun as it is beautiful.
When is fall
foliage season in Virginia? It differs slightly depending on the section
of the state, but one thing that doesn’t vary is Virginia’s own Shenandoah
National Park, rated by AAA as one of the top 10 national parks in which
to view fall foliage. Typically, fall colors reach their peak in Virginia’s
far western regions from October 10th through 20th. The mountains see
peak colors from October 15th through 25th. Piedmont area colors are at
their best from October 20th through 31st. The dates are approximate and
are affected by the year’s rainfall and temperature. Virginia’s Fall
Foliage Leaf Line, 1-800-424-LOVE, will help you plan your trip. It
carries free up-to-date information on peak dates throughout the state.
The Virginia Tourism Corporation also has a special
fall travel web site with information on foliage projected dates
and includes “Forester Tim’s Leaf Report.” You can also
view weekly foliage pictures from “Leaf Cams” located at selected
Virginia State Parks. The website lists fall events throughout Virginia
and has links to fall foliage travel package information.
Whenever
and wherever you choose to view Virginia’s autumn splendor, you’ll find
a nearby festival or event to add to your enjoyment. Virginia fall festivals
are family-friendly, and many of them are pet-friendly. They are also
perfect for couples looking for a weekend getaway that is both romantic
and fun.
The Mountain
Foliage Festival in Independence (Oct. 9) brings the traditional
as well as the unusual to Southwest Virginia. Mountain music, foods, crafts
and children’s activities are familiar delights, but the festival’s signature
event is sure to raise an eyebrow and a smile: the annual “Grand
Privy Race.” Contestants race outhouses on wheels down Main Street,
and the winner advances to a national competition. Information:
www.graysoncountyva.com, 540-273-3711.
The Garth
Newel Music Center boasts
“Music to Match the Mountains,” and never is this
more appropriate than during the fall. The Garth Newel Fall Foliage Music
Holiday brings beautiful chamber music to Warm Springs in Western Virginia
and offers foliage and foods to please the visitor’s eye and palate. Concerts
are held the last four weekends in October, and optional gourmet dinners
with the musicians are available following all Friday and Saturday evening
concerts. The historic, mineral-rich resort town is also near The Homestead,
a premier golf and ski resort. The area offers some of the most spectacular
fall colors in the Alleghany Mountains. Information: 1-877-558-1689.
Autumn brings
mild temperatures to Virginia and makes it one of the best seasons for
outdoor recreation. For those wishing to burn calories while viewing nature’s
beauty, Staunton’s Fall Foliage
Bike Festival (Oct.
15-17) offers bicycle trips through the Southern Shenandoah Valley. The
fee-to-ride includes a T-shirt, some meals, snacks, maps and evening entertainment.
Information: [email protected], 540-885-2668.
October is
also Virginia Wine Month, and many of Virginia’s 87 wineries celebrate
with open houses, special tours, tastings, foods, discounted wine selections
and live entertainment. Some of the events have a special twist, like
the Apple Days Wine Festival at Tarara Vineyards (Oct. 2), Oktoberfest
Fall Wine Festival at AmRhein Wine Cellars (Oct. 9), Rebec Vineyards’
Virginia Wine and Garlic Festival (Oct. 9) and the Town Point Virginia
Wine Festival in Norfolk (Oct. 16 -17). The latter features wines
from more than 30 Virginia vineyards. Whatever the occasion, you don’t
have to be a wine expert or connoisseur to enjoy a visit to a Virginia
winery. All you need is curiosity – and a tasting glass provided by the
wineries.
Topping the
list of wine events is the Shenandoah Valley Wells Fargo Hot Air Balloon
& Wine Festival (Oct. 15-17) at Historic Long Branch near Berryville.
More than 35 balloons of all colors and shapes will be on hand to inspire
and even transport. Rides can be arranged for a fee through the Long
Branch website or by calling 1-888-558-5567. The festival also
includes live entertainment, food, children’s activities, historic mansion
tours and wine tastings by more than 15 participating wineries.
If you find
balloon flight a bit too daring for your tastes but are still enticed
by the thought of airborne foliage viewing, you can enjoy mountaintop
fall colors from the comfort of a ski-lift at the annual Fall
Foliage Festival (Oct. 23-24) at Wintergreen Resort. Wintergreen’s
popular ski slopes, unencumbered by snow in October, are great places
to take in the fall colors of the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can also go
on guided nature hikes, view exhibits and participate in a variety of
activities. The ski-lift ride takes you to the top of Crawford’s Knob
for an unforgettable view of 6,000 acres of mountain beauty. Information:
1-877-386-1102.
You may feel
that flight of any kind is simply for the birds, and so it is at the Eastern
Shore Birding Festival (Oct. 8-10) at Kiptopeake State Park near
the northern terminus of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. October is
a peak migration month for thousands of birds winging their way to points
south, and the park offers prime viewing opportunities. Festival activities
include canoe trips, natural history walks, bird banding demonstrations,
gallery visits, vendors and representatives of conservation and nature
groups. Other winged creatures get the spotlight as well: butterfly walks
and moth viewings are popular with adults as well as children. Information:
757-787-2460.
More options
are available for those wishing to stay rooted to terra firma. You can
put your feet on the ground again and again on a walk with naturalist
and Monticello garden guide, Fran Boninti, during the Autumn
Changes Parkway Walk (Oct. 23) near Charlottesville. You’ll learn
about the flora and fauna of the historic hardwood forests surrounding
Monticello while walking the Thomas Jefferson Parkway. Reservations are
required and can be made at 434-984-9822. Don’t forget your binoculars!
Also recognized
for its bountiful seafood harvest from the Chesapeake Bay region, Virginia
offers blue crabs, oysters and many varieties of fresh fish that find
their way into a variety of tantalizing dishes such as crab cakes and
oyster stew. For a taste of these delicious Old Dominion traditions, try
the Northern Neck Seafood Extravaganza
(Oct. 23) held at Ingleside Vineyards near Oak Grove. The best of Chesapeake
seafood is complimented by live music, lively patrons and a glass of Virginia
wine. Information: 804-224-8687.
Fall in Virginia
is also a time for traditional steeplechase horse racing. The pounding
hooves of thousands of pounds of pedigreed horseflesh mark the annual
International Gold Cup races (Oct. 16) at Great
Meadow Events Center
near Warrenton. Tens of thousands of spectators arrive with picnic lunches,
lawn chairs and blankets to relax on a pastoral slope surrounded by rolling
hills. “Tailgating” is an art form here, with many folks showing
up with linen tablecloths, candelabras, catered meals and creative haberdashery.
The racing is outstanding, featuring horses and riders from around the
world, and the “people-watching” is unparalleled. Information:
1-800-69-RACES.
Come to Virginia
this fall and enjoy breathtaking displays of fall foliage. Mix in a fall
festival or two and you will find reason to come back year after year.
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