Big Dig Potato Harvest

Dinner, Dug By Your Own Kids

Hand a kid a shovel, point at a row of dirt, and tell them there's treasure in it. That's the Big Dig, and it works every single time. Each August, Great Country Farms out in Bluemont rips open its potato rows with tractor demonstrations that loosen the soil, and then families wade in and dig their own spuds by the bagful. Kids who refuse potatoes at dinner will proudly eat a potato they personally pulled out of the ground. We don't make the rules; that's just how it works.

The digging is the headline, but the farm makes it a full day. Your ticket includes the five-acre play area: mini golf, an obstacle course, mazes, giant slides, swings, and farm animals to visit and feed. On Saturday only, the Big Rigs Touch-a-Truck rolls in, with massive equipment kids can climb aboard and real operators to pepper with questions. Tickets run $12 per child and $14 per adult in advance ($16 at the gate), and Bluemont is about an hour from DC with a mountain view for the second half of the drive. Bring or buy a bag, and yes, you take the potatoes home.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Buy tickets in advance. Saves $2-4 a head, and the Saturday Touch-a-Truck crowd is real.
• ✓Bring your own shovel. A beach shovel or hand trowel per kid keeps the digging peace.
• ✓Dress for dirt. This is gloriously messy. Pack a towel and a change of clothes for the car.
• ✓Dig first, play after. Morning rows are freshly ripped and the dirt is cooler. Save the slides for after.
• ✓Plan the potato dinner. Let the kids pick the recipe on the drive home. Ownership works on vegetables too.