With fall starting, the Washington, D.C area has multiple events to welcome shorter days and cooler nights. One of them is the 42nd Orchards Butler Pumpkin Festival, which holds its 42nd-annual celebration this year.
The event takes place on a 300-acre family farm located in Germantown, Maryland, about 30 minutes from the nation’s capital. The Butler family has lived there since the Korean War — growing crops and hosting different events.
Co-owner Angela Butler said, “At the start of the season, people come to get strawberries and peas. Then we move on to black raspberries and from there we move to tomatoes, flowers, and then the culmination is the harvest festival. We have lots of fun.”
Kids have the opportunity to go into a corn maze, play in the haystack barn and pick their favorite pumpkin. Adults can also go raspberry picking or head to the market where they can find a variety of vegetables, fruits and souvenirs related to the season and Halloween, one of the farm’s biggest events of the year.
This festival continues until October 30. The farm hosts Halloween hayrides and storytelling around bonfires, among other fun activities.
