Fall fests have officially started, and I was eager to make our first trip of the season to a festival we haven’t been to before (plus, my wife said we had to try something new). So Sunday morning, we packed up the car, picked up my son’s friend, and headed to southern Anne Arundel County for Greenstreet Gardens Fall Festival.
My son had been on field trips to this Lothian garden center when he was in preschool, but I had never been. The drive was easy; somehow, I hit every greenlight in Edgewater, which never happens. When we arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a large indoor store filled with seasonal décor, indoor and outdoor plants, pet goods, and a gift shop. Greenstreet has a ton of cute little photo stations set up inside—perfect for getting great pics of your children sitting in a little pumpkin patch.
As soon as you make it outside, they have food for sale and tables to sit at. I recommend getting something to eat first before heading out to play. The food was good and cheap. They even had a local brewery selling beer, which I can’t recall seeing at a fall fest before. {Editor’s note: Greenstreet has a special adults-only event called Dazed in the Maze that hides local breweries and distilleries with drink samples in their awesome corn maze. Get tickets now as this event sells out!}
We rode the little cow train first and then walked up the hill to see the rest. They had the largest swinging bench I’ve ever seen, and the staff were ready to snap pictures. Most of the rest of the activities are grouped together down the hill from there. The festival includes large jumping pillows, a tire playground, an underground slide, a corn sandbox, a mini hay maze, the 5-acre corn maze (cut in a Hocus Pocus design), pumpkin bowling, a hayride, and more. I highly recommend the hayride through the property, which is decorated for Halloween. We skipped the corn maze because I have an irrational phobia of them, but you can cut through the edge to a whole other play area with more to see. They had a little shed selling sweet treats, including donuts and apple cider slushies, which I had also never seen before.
Definitely wear comfortable shoes because the fun is well spread out, and you can get some steps in if you want to see it all. We spent a few hours here, and then it was naptime for my 18-month-old.
I can’t recommend this fall festival enough. My wife said it’s now her favorite. It was definitely the best manicured one we have ever been to, with large, beautiful garden beds around everything. The staff was friendly, they are plenty of good photo spots, the fun was spaced out, so I can’t imagine it feeling overly crowded, and you can enjoy a beer or apple cider slushie while the kids run, climb, bounce and play. Check the website and Facebook for deals on special weekend events.
Distance from Annapolis: 35 minutes
Cost: General admission is $16, seniors and military are $14.50, and 2 and under are free
Address: 391 W Bayfront Rd, Lothian, MD
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