Mac and Cheese, Pirates, Salem Spices, Night Hikes, Doggie Events, Craft Beer, Cider Fests, and more: New England Fall Events Top Picks for Sept 7-13

You know we're into the fall when you start seeing the calendar jam-packed with so many events!

New England Fall Events delivers the most trusted fall event coverage in area--here's why:
We know that it's never enough to just tell you what's going on in the area every weekend. We make it a priority to visit events first-hand in order to answer all the questions you may have--What's the parking situation? Should you plan for an hour or a whole day? Will you find food options for kids with allergies? Is it stroller-friendly? What about bathrooms and where to grab lunch?
We take the stress out of trying something new by helping you make informed decisions about what kinds of events fit your style and interests.

In case you missed it...Fairy Houses are kinda popular

One of our most popular articles we've every written was about the upcoming Portsmouth NH Fairy House Tour. It's clear our readers LOVE events like these! With an event as special as Portsmouth's our article will help you discover all the reasons why it's a worthwhile road trip and how much time to spend (hint--a full day).
Click to read: Portsmouth NH Fairy House Tour is a Magical and Imaginative Weekend

If you are looking for more events like these then you'll want to bookmark the following: Fall Guide to Fun Fairy and Princess Events in New England

Contest to WIN a FAMILY PASS to the Portsmouth NH Fairy House Tour

We have a special contest running right now to enter to win a win a FAMILY PASS (4 people) to the Portsmouth Fairy House Festival on Sept 25th and 26th! This is one of our most exciting contests of the season and this gem of a festival shouldn't be missed! Contest ends Saturday Sept 10th and we'll pick TWO winners. No limit entry!

Fall Fun for You and your Pooch!

One of our most beloved guides we publish is our pet-friendly event guide so if you haven't bookmarked it yet, here's a quick link: Pet-Friendly Fall Events for You and Your Pooch.

There are FOUR wonderful dog-friendly events this weekend:
Pet Rock Festival in Leicester MA
The Walk for Greyhounds and Chili Cookoff in Walpole, NH
Doggy Daze Corn Maze at Marini Farm in Ipswich, MA
and the Somerville Dog Festival in Somerville, MA!

Looking to share your apple-picking adventures with your dog? Check out our Guide to Pet-Friendly Apple Orchards and Corn Mazes across New England! Remember to share with your fellow pet lovers!

It's a Food Lovers Weekend in New England!

If gourmet mac and cheese is right up your alley then buy tickets soon for the Vermont Farmstead Cheese Mac and Cheese Challenge! 

New England Fall Events had a gut-bustingly tasty experience there and we know you'll love it too! We have insider tips on attending this festival (with kids or without) so do yourself a favor and read "Our Tasty Carb-venture at the VT Mac and Cheese Challenge".
Insider tip: If your family favors bland, from-the-box mac and cheese, be prepared that this festival features high-flavor, inventive, unusual recipes, and culinary creativity.

Another super family-friendly event with a historic twist is the weekend-long Salem Spice Festival coming up this Saturday and Sunday, September 10th and 11th.

Nestled among the tall trees which enclose the living history museum Salem Pioneer Village, this festival focuses is on sweet and savory spices and their uses throughout history--and the setting couldn't be lovelier in the fall! They will have local food vendors, herbal demos, children's crafts and more.
Read about our first-hand visit in our article "Salem's Spice Festival Celebrates New England Trade History"

The Big E turns 100 years old! 
In honor of one of the largest and oldest New England fair's 100th birthday, we've been rolling out a series of featured articles about different aspects of The Big E experience. If you've ever attended The Big E, you know that it is too varied an adventure to write one short blurb about so we aren't even going to try. Instead, New England Fall Events has written a mega-article covering the full Big E experience and we're highlighting different parts of the fair in the days leading up to their opening.

In case you've missed it, here's our Preview of The Big E and our Stroll through the Avenue of the States which published this week. If you can;t get enough and want to jump to the full article, by all means, grab a cup of coffee and sit down to enjoy!

New England Fall Events' Top Recommendations for this Weekend's Fall Fun

This weekend is abundant with fall fun options--there are many worthwhile events vying for your attention. Our weekly Top Picks are below but remember to visit your state’s Fall and Activities guide or Food and Harvest Festival Guide for many more events and food festivals.

New England Fall Events' Top Recommendations for September 7th- 13th, 2016

As always, we have our Top Picks for the weekend below but you can also find even more fall events, harvest and food festivals and must-see events listed for each state at our website!

Local Harvest Dinner at the Phelps-Hathaway House

Suffield, CT    Click for details
Friday, September 9th, 2016

Annual Colonial Cider Festival
Sudbury, MA    Click for details
Friday, September 9, 2016

Night Hike at Fields Pond
Holden, ME     Click for details
Friday, September 9th, 2016
Click for more Moonlight and Sunset Fall Events.

Twilight Hike at Sholan Farms
Leominster, MA     Click for details

Friday, September 9th, 2016
Read about New England Fall Events' visit to Sholan Farms in our article "Family-Friendly Twilight Hiking at Leominster's Sholan Farms"
Click for more Moonlight and Sunset Fall Events.

Fall Newport Secret Garden Tour
Newport, RI     Click for details
Friday through Sunday, September 9th - 11th, 2016

Eastport Pirate Festival
Eastport, ME    Click for details
Friday through Sunday, September 9th-11th, 2016

Great Maine BBQ Festival
Southwest Harbor, ME     Click for details
Friday through Sunday, September 9th - 11th, 2016

Doggy Maze Daze at Marini Farm Corn Maze
Ipswich, MA     Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, September 10th & 11th, 2016
Click for more Dog-friendly Fall Events.
Click for Dog-friendly Apple Orchards.

King Richard's Renaissance Faire
Carver, MA    Click for details
Saturdays and Sundays, September 3rd-October 23rd, 2016
Find everything you want to know about the KRF experience in our  article "King Richard's Renaissance Faire Offers Costumed Charm and Good Cheer"

Spice Festival at Pioneer Village Salem
Salem, MA    Click for details
Saturday, September 10th and Sunday, Sept. 11th , 2016
Read about our visit: "Salem's Spice Festival Celebrates New England Trade History"

Golden Honey Festival
Proctorsville , VT     Click for details
Saturday, September 10th, 2016

Treasure Hunt
Walpole, MA     Click for details
Saturday September 10th, 2016

Boylston Schul-Verein OktoberFest
Walpole, MA     Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, September 10th & 11th, 2016

Annual Lobster Feast at Onion River Campground
Plainfield, VT    Click for details
Saturday, September 10th, 2016

Craft: Artisan Beers and Trades at Old Sturbridge Village

Sturbridge, MA   Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, September 10th & 11th, 2016

Early Guilford Days Family Festival
Guilford, CT     Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, September 10th & 11th, 2016

Wild Edibles Walk at Gilsland Farm
Falmouth, ME    Click for details
Saturday, September 10th, 2016

Annual Rhode Island Heritage Day Festival
Providence, RI     Click for details

Saturday, September 10th, 2016

Norwalk Oyster Festival
East Norwalk, CT    Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, September 10th & 11th, 2016

Annual Vermont Mac & Cheese Challenge
Windsor, VT     Click for details
Sunday, September 11th, 2016
Read about our visit to this festival: "Our Tasty Carb-venture at the VT Mac and Cheese Challenge". 

Salem Polish Festival

Salem, MA     Click for details
Sunday, September 11th, 2016

Somerville Dog Festival
Somerville, MA    Click for details
Sunday, September 11th, 2016
Click for more Dog-friendly Fall Events.
Click for Dog-friendly Apple Orchards.

Walk for the Greyhounds & Chili Cook-off at Alyson's Orchard 
Walpole, NH     Click for details
Sunday, September 11th, 2016
Click for more Dog-friendly Fall Events.
Click for Dog-friendly Apple Orchards.

Apple picking this weekend?  New England Fall Events has you covered with our Activity Guides complete with farm features, maps, and contact info for orchards in your local or road-trip destination in New England. Here are quick links to the Apple Picking Guides:

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

Use our attraction maps to scroll and filter to farms and attractions you! Visit our Orchard and Fall Attraction state maps for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

It's a smart habit to always call ahead before heading out to PYO as some farms will adjust their hours for weather or they close to allow more time for fruit to ripen.

Garlic Fest, Jousting, Salmon Festival, BBQ and Brew Fest, Dragon Boats, Contests and more: New England Fall Events Top Picks for Aug 31st-Sept 6

The moment you've been waiting for: Fall has arrived in New England!

Okay, okay, we know that September 23rd is the "official" first day but New Englanders can all agree Labor Day is when we turn the corner on summer and embrace our favorite season--fall!  

NEW CONTESTS: Win Tickets to the Portsmouth Fairy House Tour and Boston Indie Game Festival
In case you missed it, we've posted TWO new contests for this week!
The Boston Festival of Indie Games on Sept 10th is a day-long indoor event showcasing local tabletop and digital game designers from the New England area. Test out prototypes, offer your feedback about gameplay, get a sneak peak on soon-to-be-released games, meet game designers, graphic artists, and learn about the thriving local game industry! New England Fall Events visited this event last year (avid tabletop game players ourselves) and came away inspired by the inventiveness and creativity our fellow New Englanders are contributing to the game world. It's a family-friendly event but we think it's suitable for teens and older. Enter to WIN to tickets to the event in Cambridge, MA. (Contest ends 9/6).

Who doesn't love the magic of fairy houses? We've learned through the years that our New England Fall Events fans are as into these miniature, nature-inspired, fantastic little homes as much as we are!

The Portsmouth NH Fairy House Tour (Sept 24th & 25th) sets the bar very high with their 200+ fairy houses on display on the picture-perfect Starwberry Banke woods and gardens--and it's all right in our backyard! We're giving away a FAMILY Pass (4 people) to the this year's Fairy House Tour and we'll pick two winners! No limit entry! Click here to enter.


It's Garlic Weekend in Southern Vermont!

If you are a garlic-lover and an adventurous eater, the Southern Vermont Garlic and Herb Festival is a super place to visit this Saturday and Sunday! This family-friendly annual festival is packed with interesting garlic treats - garlic ice cream and garlic margaritas!--and also plenty of non-garlic food, bouncy houses, local foods, entertainment, pizza, jams, pepper jellies, hot sauces, maple syrup, jugglers, and more.
New England Fall Events' Deb Wojcicki ventured to this delicious event last year and shared her experience with us all at "Celebrating the 'Stinky Rose' at Vermont's Garlic and Herb Festival."

Pawtucket Dragon Boat Race and Taiwan Day Festival coming up this Saturday, Sept. 3rd
One of our favorite fall events in New England is coming up this Saturday--The RI Dragon Boat Race and Taiwan Day Festival. It's a free festival full of family-friendly activities and performances. 

The Boston Chinese Folk Art Workshop showcases traditional dances, demonstrations, and other folks arts (video left) which are a feast for the eyes and ears. Anyone can sign up to participate in the hilarious dumpling eating contest (our video here) 

If you'd like to see even more wonderful performance clips from the festival, visit the New England Fall Events You Tube Channel. We have videos of the Dragon Boat Race, the Joyful Celebrations Dance, the Peacock Dance, Spears and Sleeves, and The Beating of the Drums. 

The dragon boat races take place at scheduled intervals during the morning and afternoon alongside other festivities taking place on the stage under the tent. If you're headed out to this joyful event, read about our visit to this memorable festival complete with insider tips for you to help you get the most from the experience.
"Pawtucket Comes Alive with Dragon Boats and Chinese Folk Art at Rhode Island's Taiwan Day Festival."

King Richards' Faire Opening Weekend! New England Fall Events has you covered

If you've never been to King Richard's Faire in Carver, MA then you're missing out on a a rite of passage for this annual New England fall festivals. Even if you're not exactly sure what you are getting into, we insist give it a try at least once and we're certain you'll have a great time. This festival is large (80 acres) in scale yet manages to maintain it's charm through the heartfelt community of performers and longtime Faire devotees that bring so much energy, enthusiasm, and joy to the day.

With plenty of shade beneath the tall pines, a variety of food options (beyond the requisite turkey leg), dozens of theatrical performances and jousting displays all day long, it's a relaxing way to spend a fall day. Wherever we went we heard music, singing, dancing, and laughter - what could be better than that? It's a big event and we recommend a little planning ahead to know what kind of a day to plan for. Check out our article "King Richard's Renaissance Faire Offers Costumed Charm and Good Cheer" for festival tips, planning for a family-friendly outing, and more.

What has New England Fall Events been up to lately?

Last week New England Fall Events headed out to lovely Verrill Farm in Concord, MA to feast our eyes and bellies at their late-summer Field to Fork Harvest Dinner - oh what a treat it was!
Here are just some of the highlights: Lobster and Corn Cakes with Remoulade Sauce, Grilled Flank Steak with Thai Vegetable Slaw, Corn and Tomato Risotto, Gazpacho, Corn Spoonbread, and Grilled Rosemary Pound Cake with Stone Fruite Compote--and yes, there was even more than was listed here if you can imagine!
If you missed out on this sold-out event this time around, you can still buy tickets for their October 21st "Field to Fork: Candlelight Harvest Dinner". Reservations are an absolute must!

Where is New England Fall Events headed this weekend?
Circled on our calendar for this weekend is Monday's 31st Annual Bread and Roses Festival in Lowell, MA and we might be able to swing through to enjoy Powisset Farm's Pig Roast as well!

New England Fall Events' Top Recommendations for this Weekend's Fall Fun
We’ll always list our Top Picks for the weekend but you find even MORE listed under your state’s Fall and Activities Guide or Food and Harvest Festival Guides on our website.

Here are our recommended activities for August 31 - September 6, 2016

Sunset Kayak at Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary
Edgartown, MA     Click for details
Wednesday, August 31st, 2016
Click for more Moonlight and Sunset Fall Events

Explore the Night Sky
Martha's Vineyard, MA    Click for details
Thursday, September 1st, 2016
Click for more Moonlight and Stargazing Fall Events

Rhythm & Roots Festival
Charlestown, RI      Click for details
Friday through Sunday, September 2nd-4th, 2016

Stargazing Night At Frosty Drew Observatory
Charlestown, RI       Click for details
Friday, September 2nd 2016
Click for more Moonlight, Stargazing, and Sunset Fall Events

King Richard's Renaissance Faire
Carver, MA    Click for details

Saturdays and Sundays, September 3rd-October 23rd, 2016
Find everything you want to know about the KRF experience in our  article "King Richard's Renaissance Faire Offers Costumed Charm and Good Cheer"

RI Chinese Dragon Boat Races & Taiwan Day Festival
Pawtucket, RI       Click for details
Saturday, September 3rd, 2016
Read about New England Fall Events' memorable visit to the Dragon Boat Festival

Bow Wow Bark in the Park
Bristol, CT     Click for details

Saturday, September 3rd, 2016
Click for more dog-friendly Fall Events.

Apple Days at the Onion River Campground
Plainfield, VT     Click for details
Saturday, September 3rd, 2016

Eastport Salmon and Seafood Festival
Eastport, ME     Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, September 3rd & 4th, 2016

Blues, Views, and BBQ Festival
Westport, CT      Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, September 3rd & 4th, 2016

Mount Snow Brewers Festival
Dover, VT     Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, September 3rd & 4th, 2016

Vermont Garlic and Herb Festival
Bennington, VT    Click for details
Saturday and Sunday, September 3rd & 4th, 2016

Powisset Pig Roast
Dover, MA   Click for details
Monday, September 5th, 2016

Annual Bread and Roses Heritage Festival 
Lawrence, MA     Click for details
Monday, September 5th, 2016

Heading out apple picking this weekend? New England Fall Events has researched and confirmed features, maps, and contact info for your local or vacation-area New England PYO apple orchards. Here are your quick links to the apple picking guides:

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island.

Looking for PYO farms in your neck of the woods? New England Fall Events' state maps allow you to scroll to find farm locations on the interactive maps-so easy! Find orchard, farm and attraction maps for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Remember, always call ahead before heading out to PYO as some farms will adjust their hours for weather or they close to allow more time for fruit to ripen.