Belvedere Plantation's Fall Festival 2009: Family Fun for Everyone in Fredericksburg, Virginia

Halloween fun for everyone can be had at the Belvedere Plantation's Fall Festival, just short drive from Fredericksburg, Virginia. The 645 acre plantation, which dates back to the 1760s, is a fully working farm, growing grains, soybeans, and of course pumpkins. Belvedere Plantation has many family friendly fall activities to enjoy, but most of all, Belvedere Plantation's Fall Festival is Halloween fun at its finest offering a corn maze, pumpkin chunking and many other down on the farm type of activities that make visiting the plantation such a delight.

What are the dates for Belvedere Plantation's Fall Festival for 2009

According to Belvedere Plantation's website, this year's Fall Festival begins on September 27, 2009 and runs weekends through October 31. On Friday nights, the Plantation and corn maze is open from 5 P.M. until 10 P.M. Saturdays the hours are from 10 A.M. until 10 P.M. and on Sundays the plantation is open from 10 A.M. until 6 P.M.

Admission fees and discounts for Belvedere Plantation's Fall Festival

Spending the day at Belvedere Plantation will cost $15 per person, with children aged 2 and under gaining admission for free. However, don't let the price tag scare you off. The admission fee is quite reasonable when you consider the fun your family will have. At the plantation, children will enjoy the corn maze, pedaling a tractor around a course, pig races, zip lines, and of course, don't forget the 100' slide. For those wanting to save a little extra money, the local paper generally features coupons and generous Fall Festival visitors who bring canned goods can receive $1.50 discount. The canned goods collected go to the Fredericksburg Area Food Bank, so grabbing a can of corn before heading out the door means a discount for you and food for a hungry neighbor.

The owners of Belvedere Plantation also value our nation's first responders and military by offering police, fire and rescue and military personnel special admission pricing of $13. Since the Fredericksburg area has several military bases within driving distance, this discount is a welcome sight. Those wishing to claim this discount will need to present ID. Seniors 65 and older also receive the special $13 admission pricing.

Be sure to sign up at the site as they do offer printable coupons as well. I signed up for coupons last year which I printed and used that same day.

My past experience at Belvedere Plantation's Fall Festival

Last Halloween, my family and I spent a Sunday afternoon at Belvedere Plantation engaged in a myriad of family friendly activities that encompassed a wide variety of ranges. My children particularly enjoyed swinging from the ropes in the old barn, only to land softly on the hay (I recommend pants), but most of all, they enjoyed the pig races. The zip lines were a big hit as well and we were also able to get in line to have a small pumpkin chunked at a Scarecrow off in the distance. The plantation itself was charming, though there was a lot of walking.

Our family enjoyed the hayride to the pumpkin patch, where our children got to choose their own carving pumpkins. Pumpkins are also available in their retail store on site, but choosing your own is a fun family activity. Pumpkin Mountain was also a huge hit with our children and they climbed the steep incline many times to ride the slide to the bottom.

3 Tips for enjoying the Fall Fun and Halloween activities at Belvedere Plantation

Tip 1: Go early in the season. If the corn maze is the main reason for your visit to Belvedere, I highly recommend going to the plantation early on. As time passes, the corn stalks get bent and ruined by lost maze walkers who attempt to find a short cut to get where they want to go. Also, to get the best pumpkin choices, don't wait until Halloween is almost here before you venture out to the pumpkin patch.

Tip 2: Remember your discount. As mentioned previously, there are many ways to obtain a discount for your day at Belvedere Plantation's Fall Festival. Don't forget to take your coupons or your canned goods to get a discount.

Tip 3: Wear your walking shoes and wear pants if weather allows. This is a working farm, so there is hay. If you swing on the rope in the barn, you won't want to be poked by the hay when you land. Also bear in mind that the plantation is in near proximity to the Rappahannock River. This means mosquitoes. Wear bug repellent if you opt to come in shorts. Since the farm is quite large and the activities somewhat spaced out, there is walking involved. Hiking up the hill to Pumpkin Mountain in heels is not recommended.

Sources:
Personal experience
http://belvedereplantation.com/planVisit.php