LIFE

There are so many things to love about Fall! Crisp, cool, clean air.  The mountains dancing with gorgeous reds and oranges.  There are many a beautiful drives to take through the valley in the fall!  Even with all the perks of fall my most favorite thing to enjoy is all of the festivals!  

Swisher's farm in Fairfield has an all out Pumpkin day with Pumpkins for days!  Every shape, size, and color of pumpkin or gourd you could want!  The kids have a great time shuffling through mounds of Orange looking for their perfect carving pumpkin.

McCormick Mill Day is definitely worth the visit.  Hosted at McCormick's Farm in Raphine the Mill Day offers great food, fun music, multiple vendors, and a dose of History.

Checking out the Mill itself is totally worth the visit, the museum like display is educational and pretty neat to take in.  If your not much of a History buff, you can still enjoy grabbing a snack and having a picnic overlooking the pond while you listen to the music.  

I really enjoy checking out the vendors, snatching up a couple of early christmas gifts.  I barely get a minute to hit the vendors because I can't drag the kids from the interactive display.  Grinding corn, making a rope, using a water pump, milking a cow for heavens sake!  That doesn't even touch on taking a hay ride through Virginia Tech's research farm!

https://www.arec.vaes.vt.edu/arec/shenandoah-valley.html

Another fun event is Wade's Mill Apple Butter Festival.  Similar to McCormick's mill, Wade's Mill is well worth the visit on any day!  Check out the water wheel in action.  Under fairly new ownership, many parts of the Mill that were formerly  closed are now open to the public.  A tour is a must!

This a photo of the Mill just at dusk.  

Get to see apple butter being made in action, multiple vendors, and music!  Not to mention the neat shop inside the mill; with kitchen gadgets, and yummy grains milled right on sight!  

I picked up some grits and a waffle mix.  The waffle mix was perfect  to make supper waffles for chicken and waffles! Wade's Mill grits are hands down the best!  As grit eaters, we will try them from different places, but we always come back to wade's mill grits. They stand out!  Think breakfast grits, think cheesy grits, think shrimp and grits!!!

On a side note, the Mill can be rented for events.  I recently went to a beautiful twilight rehearsal supper that had to be one of the most beautiful parties I have ever been to.  Imagine rustic chic at its finest!  Good food, lovely flowers and table settings, fire pits with benches and cozy blankets.  If you are on the hunt for a unique and classy place for a party; it is totally worth checking out.  I wish I had taken pictures...unfortunately I didn't take my phone along!  

Check out there website below...it will make you want to go for a visit...right now!

https://www.wadesmill.com

One of the neatest things about living in the Valley are all of the amazing small towns and the festivals and celebrations they host each year!  Put some of these on your list to check out next year!