A Fall Saturday at the Rappahannock Farm Tour

On Saturday, September 26, 2026, Rappahannock County stages two events on the same day: the free, self-guided Rappahannock County Farm Tour & Festival, open across multiple farms countywide, and the John Jackson Piedmont Blues Festival at Eldon Farm at Clover Hill in Woodville, honoring the Rappahannock-born blues musician with live Piedmont blues performances. Together they make a full day of orchards, hayrides, and music without leaving the county.

• Rappahannock County Farm Tour & Festival: Saturday, September 26, 2026 — self-guided, free, multiple farms throughout Rappahannock County
• John Jackson Piedmont Blues Festival: Saturday, September 26, 2026 — Eldon Farm at Clover Hill, Woodville, VA
• Organizers: Rappahannock County Farm Tour (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) and a Community Coalition with Virginia Tech Extension

Morning: Farms, Orchards, and Hayrides

The Farm Tour & Festival is a two-day, self-guided event that gives visitors a rare look at working farms producing local food, award-winning wines, and artisanal products. Expect hayrides, farm animals, orchard visits, and hands-on agricultural education spread across participating properties countywide — the kind of unhurried, boots-in-the-dirt morning that defines Rappahannock in September. Because stops are scattered across the county, it rewards an early start and a loosely mapped route rather than a fixed itinerary.

If apples are on your mind, the county's orchard tradition runs deep. Lee's Orchard in Washington, VA has been growing 18 apple varieties — including several heritage strains — since well before Labor Day, with pick-your-own and pre-picked fruit available through Thanksgiving season. It's a natural stop to fold into a Farm Tour morning even outside the tour's official roster.

Afternoon into Evening: Blues at Eldon Farm

By afternoon, the day shifts a few miles to Eldon Farm at Clover Hill in Woodville for the John Jackson Piedmont Blues Festival, an annual celebration honoring Jackson, the Rappahannock native and celebrated Piedmont blues guitarist. The festival mixes live performances with cultural programming tied to the region's blues heritage — a fitting, unhurried close to a day spent among farms and orchards.

Making a Weekend of It

Because both events fall on the same September Saturday, visitors coming from DC or Charlottesville can treat it as a single-day trip or extend into a weekend with a Sperryville or Washington, VA overnight. Either way, come with cash for farm stands, comfortable shoes for hayrides and orchard rows, and no fixed schedule — the appeal here is discovery, not a checklist.

Planning Your Visit

• Rappahannock County Farm Tour & Festival: Saturday, September 26, 2026; self-guided across multiple farms throughout Rappahannock County; organized by the Rappahannock County Farm Tour, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
• John Jackson Piedmont Blues Festival: Saturday, September 26, 2026; Eldon Farm at Clover Hill, Woodville, VA; organized by a Community Coalition with Virginia Tech Extension
• Lee's Orchard: 65 Orchard Lane, Washington, VA 22747; open Labor Day to Thanksgiving; phone (540) 675-3201; website maps.google.com