Burke Nursery Fall Farm Market & Pumpkin Patch

Burke Nursery Fall Farm Market & Pumpkin Patch

This is the easy one if you do not want a whole-day production. Burke Nursery opens its gate onto a lot full of pumpkins and gourds, Shenandoah apples, corn stalks, straw bales, jams and mulling spices, and you can walk in and look around without buying a ticket first. It runs every day from September 18 through October 31, 9am to 7pm Monday through Saturday and 9am to 6pm Sunday. That daily schedule is the useful part: it works for a Tuesday after school just as well as a Saturday, and a weekday trip means you are not fighting a crowd for the good pumpkins.

Pony rides run Saturdays and Sundays starting in October, weather permitting, and the apple cider donuts are worth the stop on their own. New this year there is an antique shop section in the market. Burke has also run a separate ticketed ride and play area alongside the free market in past seasons. Ask at the gate what is open the day you go, rather than promising your kid a hayride in the car on the way over.

Parent Tips 💡

• ✓Weekday mornings are the sweet spot. The gate opens at 9am and the lot stays quiet until the weekend rush arrives.
• ✓Pony rides are weekends only and weather dependent. Call 703-323-1188 the morning of if that is the reason you are making the trip.
• ✓Free entry does not mean free everything. Pumpkins are priced by size and the ride area is ticketed separately, so set expectations before you get out of the car.
• ✓Bring more carrying capacity than you think you need. Two kids each choosing a pumpkin plus a bag of apples is heavier than it sounds across a gravel lot.
• ✓Address: 9401 Burke Road, Burke, VA 22015. Open daily, and the market is just inside the gate, so a 20-minute stop is a real option.