Loudoun County is considered the wine country of the greater Washington, D.C., region. Its 45-plus wineries offer a variety of opportunities for touring and tasting. October is peak harvesting time for vineyards and coincides with Virginia Wine Month, and there’s no better place to enjoy it than in D.C.’s wine country. The 46th Virginia Wine Festival is set for Oct. 1–2, featuring unlimited Virginia wine tastings, delicious food options, including the Virginia Oyster Pavilion, and live music from top bands. Beer drinkers can also get their fill in Loudoun County. On Oct. 15 is Harvest Party, Virginia’s home-grown holiday, where people in the city, in the country and on the shore gather in restaurants, vineyards and open fields for a feast of Virginia-grown food and wine.
For film buffs, The Middleburg Film Festival, happening from Oct. 13–16 at Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Resort & Spa, offers a carefully curated selection of festival favorites, world and regional premieres, first-class foreign films and Oscar contenders in intimate theatre environments, followed by fascinating “fireside chats” with world-renowned filmmakers, actors and other special guests. Other special events are concerts featuring the work of renowned composers and songwriters, wine tastings at local vineyards and breweries, farm-to-table dinners and great parties. In August, attend the second-annual Family Reunion, a first-of-its-kind food event inspired by the time-honored family reunions of Chef Kwame Onwuachi’s ancestors and the culinary and cultural heritage of his Afro-Caribbean roots. The LoCo Ale Trail’s range of locations include underground taprooms and clifftop breweries. The 50-acre Bluemont Farm is reinventing itself in 2022 as a brewery and winery. Rebranded as Bluemont Station Brewery & Winery, the stunning property already has its own Cabernet Franc vineyard and plans to add a hops and grain garden alongside the tap and tasting room.
The art scene in Leesburg is booming. Its Leesburg Arts & Cultural District now includes more than a dozen art galleries and a newly launched 75-minute tour with Amy Bobcheck of Loudoun Art Tours. The walk includes Raflo Park sculpture garden, sculptures on the scenic W&OD cycle trail and the King Street Bridge mural, as well as a caffeine stop at hyper-trendy coffee bar Goosecup.