Billings Farm & Museum this October

Woodstock, Vermont… The fall harvest is a special time at Billings Farm & Museum! Enjoy themed weeks featuring fall foods from the garden, learn how foods are preserved, take part in an old-fashioned barn dance, tour a special photography exhibit highlighting barns throughout Vermont and celebrate A Family Halloween. Treat yourself to hot or cold cider, local cider donuts and Billings Farm cheese, available daily at the Dairy Bar.

October events and experiences include: 

Harvest Weeks at the Farm. As the end of the gardening season approaches, learn about harvest activities and preserving foods through interactive demonstrations and food tastings each week:

Apples – Sept. 27-Oct. 3 and Oct. 11-17.There are 2,500 varieties of apples grown in the United States. Find out which ones are grown locally here in Vermont. Sample several varieties and taste the differences. See how we make Mini Apple Pies – enjoy a sample and take home the recipe!
Pumpkins & Squash – Oct. 4-10 and Oct. 18-24. Did you know pumpkins and squash are actually considered a fruit?Learn about the different varieties of these two fruits and how they are stored for the winter. See a demonstration of our Squash Gnocchi recipe and enjoy samples.
Putting Food By – Oct. 25-31. Help harvest food from our gardens. Learn methods to preserve food to last through the winter, including canning, drying, and pickling. See a quick pickling demonstration and enjoy a sample.

Voices from the Land, photography exhibition by Jim Westphalen – Sept. 18-Oct. 20 Traveling through Vermont, we might assume rural beauty to be commonplace. But what do we “see” when we pass an old barn or outbuilding? In this exhibition of 22 large-format photographs by celebrated Vermont photographer Jim Westphalen, hosted by Billings Farm & Museum, each picture tells a story, through indelible images of rural structures and landscapes of Vermont.

Harvest Celebration – October 9 & 10. See demonstrations of 19th century harvest activities including pressing cider and shelling beans. Swing your partner in a rousing barn dance with live traditional music. Learn about pumpkins and squash, try your hand at pumpkin bowling and make a leaf rubbing craft. Sample harvest recipes including apple butter and cider cake as well as Billings Farm cheese with local apples. Warm up with hot cider and local apple cider doughnuts. Squash soup made by the chefs at the Woodstock Inn & Resort will also be available for purchase.

A Family Halloween – October 24. Trick or treat at Billings Farm! Children are invited to show off their Halloween costumes in a costume parade and enter to win the costume contest. Get in the Halloween spirit: listen to spooky Halloween stories, visit the spooky Sunflower House and make a spooky spider web necklace. Families can also enjoy a wagon ride around the farm and try pumpkin bowling. Warm up with hot cider and local apple cider doughnuts. Hot grilled cheese sandwiches made fresh by the Woodstock Inn & Resort will also be available for purchase.

Visiting safely. For the continued safety of our staff and guests, all guests over the age of 2 are required to wear a face covering in all indoor spaces. For outdoor spaces, mask wearing is optional for fully-vaccinated persons; unvaccinated persons must wear masks when around people and unable to maintain 6’ physical distances. No entry is permitted without a face covering. Visit billingsfarm.org/safety for details.

Billings Farm & Museum, now in its 39^th season, is open daily, 10AM-5PM, through October 31 and weekends 10AM-4PM, November-February. Find the Special Events Calendar, daily schedules, admission pricing and membership information at billingsfarm.org. Celebrate Billings Farm’s 150^th Anniversary with a visit this season and support its education mission at billingsfarm.org/donate.

Billings Farm & Museum is owned and operated by The Woodstock Foundation Inc., a charitable non-profit institution. Billings Farm & Museum is committed to providing educational opportunities and experiences to our visitors, whether here in Woodstock, Vermont or at home wherever you are through our online resources at Billings Farm at Home. Visit us on billingsfarm.org, and find us on Facebook at facebook.com/BillingsFarmMuseum/ and Instagram at instagram.com/billingsfarm/.