Fun, fall-themed activities to do for a great day getaway

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - The temperatures are (finally) dropping in Richmond, and the leaves changing their colors. Here’s what you can do in RVA to celebrate the autumn season.

Visit local cideries! Richmond is home to many crafter cideries, many of which hold fun events like tastings and live music.

Buskey Cider’s tasting room and production facility are located in Scott’s Addition. They feature 12+ ciders on tap right next to the production tanks and a hard cider soft serve ice cream. Buskey’s is open Monday-Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 12-10 p.m. and Sunday 12-9 p.m.

Blue Bee Cider, also in Scott’s Addition, is considered Virginia’s first urban cidery. It holds daily, one-hour public tours of their facilities, which once were a stables complex in the 1940s. Tickets range from $5-$15 depending on your age and whether you would like to taste their locally grown and crafted ciders during your visit.

Courthouse Creek Cider is a cider bar in Maidens, Va. A 40-minute drive from Richmond. This cidery holds a weekly food and music event every weekend on their farm through the end of October. They also include seasonally rotated gluten-free beer, wine and craft cider cocktails to meet anyone’s alcohol preferences.

Get some fresh, hot apple cider donuts from the First Stop Donuts bus! First Stop Donuts is Richmond’s very own apple cider donut bus. Donuts are made in the converted school bus named Flubert by owner Evan Taylor. Taylor travels all over RVA, bringing Flubert anywhere from farmers’ markets to neighborhoods. If you want to see where you can get your own hot apple cider donuts, click here.

Visit the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens for the Harvestfest!

Harvestfest is a two-day festival celebrating everything the fall season has to offer and is hosted by the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Henrico. This event will be held on Oct. 23, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Oct. 24 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will include live music, food, adult beverages and family-friendly activities. The festivities will be included with regular garden admission. Tickets are $14 adults, $11 seniors, $8 children ages 3 to12 and free for children under 3 as well as Garden members.

Take a drive to the mountains for some apple picking at Carter’s Mountain Apple Orchard in Charlottesville.

Located a little over an hour from Richmond, this apple orchard features a variety of pick you own apples, hot or cold apple ciders, as well as hard ciders by Virginia’s own Bold Rock cidery. In an effort to keep numbers low due to COVID, the orchard has ticketed entry and drive-thru options for the weekends.

To find more fun, local upcoming events visit our community calendar.

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