Explore Fall Activities Near Ocean Lakes, Virginia Beach

The farms and wildlife refuge south of Ocean Lakes don't wind down slowly through the fall. Most of what changes there changes on a single weekend, Saturday, Oct. 31 and Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge closes its dike trails and stops charging entrance fees. The Blue Goose tram moves from mornings to afternoons. Hunt Club Farm's Harvest Fair has its last day. As of today, Oct. 8, three full weekends are left before the switch, plus Halloween Saturday.

Neither season is better than the other, but they work differently. October is when the refuge's interior trails are open and the farms run their full programs. November is quieter, free to enter, and reaches False Cape only by the beach. If you know where the line falls, you can pick which season you're planning for.

What Changes Between Oct. 31 and Nov. 1

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service sets the trail and fee dates on the Back Bay visit page. The refuge charges entrance fees from April 1 to Oct. 31. From April through October, either the East or the West Dike Trail is open. From Nov. 1 to March 31, both are closed "to minimize disturbance for wintering ducks, geese and swans." These dates repeat every year, so this is how every fall works out here, not a one-time 2026 change.

The Dikes Are What You Lose Until April

The dike trails are the refuge's interior routes. They run between marsh and bay, away from the surf. After Nov. 1 they close for five months. The beach stays open year-round except for the protected North Mile, and it becomes the only way to hike or bike to False Cape. False Cape State Park states the same rule from its side. The park allows no public vehicles, and from November through March you can get in only on foot or bike along the beach, or by boat.

Dog owners should know a separate rule that applies year-round. Pets aren't allowed anywhere on the refuge except service dogs. To bring a dog to False Cape, you have to arrive by boat, including canoe or kayak, or come in from the North Carolina border. For a typical Ocean Lakes household, the dike trails are a day without the dog.

The refuge grounds are open dawn to dusk all year. In fall and winter, the visitor center is open Thursdays and Fridays plus select weekends, not every day.

The Tram Keeps Running After the Trails Close

The Blue Goose Wildlife & History Tram Tour gets you through the refuge and into False Cape without walking or biking the whole way. Virginia State Parks lists it as a four-hour guided ride. It includes a moderate, one-mile round-trip hike through maritime forest to the historic Wash Woods church and cemetery site, with some sandy stretches and elevation. Tickets are $8 per person, plus Back Bay's $5-per-car entrance fee, and you have to reserve ahead.

The DCR event listing shows the same Nov. 1 switch. The October 2026 tours run Oct. 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30 and 31, all from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. In November, the tram runs only on Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29, from noon to 4 p.m. That leaves eleven morning tours this month, starting tomorrow, and five afternoon tours next month. All five November dates are Sundays.

There's also a night option this Saturday. False Cape After Dark is a two-mile night hike on Oct. 10, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m. It costs $10 per person, and reservations are required.

Princess Anne Road's Farms Run on the Same Calendar

The farm side of the drive south follows nearly the same dates. Hunt Club Farm at 2388 London Bridge Road runs its 2026 Harvest Fair from Sept. 26 to Nov. 1. Admission is $18 per person, and children 2 and under get in free. That covers the petting farm, the TreeWalk and unlimited farm-tour hayrides. On weekdays, $15 gets you the petting farm and TreeWalk without hayrides. Pony rides cost $10 each or four for $30, before entertainment tax. The petting farm is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and pony rides run 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you just want a pumpkin for the porch, Hunt Club's Farm Market and Pumpkin Patch don't charge admission.

Farther down Princess Anne Road, three more farms are running fall programs:

• Cullipher Farm, 772 Princess Anne Road. The 2026 corn maze is called "Happy Birthday America." Its theme is the country's 250th anniversary, along with voyages, ships and discovery. The farm's own site has a post dated Oct. 2 about pumpkin season. Check cullipherfarm.com for hours and ticket prices before you go.
• Flanagan Farm, 1707 Princess Anne Road. It lists fall wagon rides, a U-pick pumpkin patch, a corn maze and a straw maze. The farm posts current hours and availability on its Facebook page, not on its website.
• Pungo Farms. Its fall page describes September and October activities. The $8 Farm Experience includes games, animal feeding, a corn maze, a sunflower field, a picnic area and a barrel train. The page doesn't give 2026 dates, so check the fall farm page closer to your visit.

None of these farms publishes a schedule running into November the way the tram does. Hunt Club states an end date of Nov. 1, and Pungo Farms frames its fall season as September and October.

A Thin Pumpkin Year Is One More Reason to Go in October

This year's crop is another reason not to wait. On Oct. 2, The Virginian-Pilot reported on a hard growing season for Hampton Roads pumpkin farmers. The headline says most farmers still have pumpkins, but the story shows how uneven the year was.

Billy Conboy, a Virginia Beach grower who sells most of his crop wholesale to garden centers and produce stands, planted 6 acres on Father's Day. Dry, hot days were followed by two or three heavy rains, and only about 30% of his crop could be saved. In Pungo, Barbara Henley of Henley Farms on Charity Neck Road told the Pilot she was keeping a close eye on her pumpkins:

"It's awfully dry and they need rain."

Henley Farms also runs an on-site market for pre-picked seasonal produce. Across the region, the story describes results ranging from Conboy's "pretty well a bust" to "a pleasantly surprising amount" at Hickory Ridge Farm in Chesapeake. When local supply is that uneven, the U-pick patches are fullest early in the season.

Two Pungo Dates Before the Switch

Blue Pete's Restaurant at 1400 North Muddy Creek Road has two events in the middle of the remaining October weekends. The Fall Wine Tasting is Thursday, Oct. 15, from 7 to 10 p.m., with $85 tickets. On Saturday, Oct. 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the restaurant hosts the free, public Witch of Pungo Festival. The listing includes seasonal food and drink, a visit from Grace Sherwood, face painting, a bounce house and a DJ. On a regular weekend, Blue Pete's serves brunch from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner afterward. Weekday dinner runs 4 to 10 p.m., with happy hour from 4 to 6.

The 17th lines up with a morning Blue Goose tour from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. That gives you a refuge morning and a Pungo afternoon on one Saturday, while the dike trails are still open.

What's Left South of Ocean Lakes in November

After Nov. 1, the area is open but works differently. You don't pay to enter the refuge, but the interior trails are closed, so the beach is the only way to hike or bike to False Cape. The tram switches to Sunday afternoons. On Sunday, Nov. 8, Cullipher Farm holds its second annual Harvest Craft Market from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 772 Princess Anne Road, with local makers and handmade goods. Its hours overlap with that day's noon tram tour, so if you want both, the craft market works best as a morning stop before the tram.

Getting to the refuge from Ocean Lakes means driving through Sandbridge, where WHRO notes there's only one road in and out. The city's Nimmo Parkway Phase VII-B page says a public hearing on the project's draft environmental impact statement is planned for the latter part of 2026. WHRO reported in July that construction would likely start in 2029, so the drive this fall and for several falls after it stays the same.

The dike trails reopen April 1, the same day refuge entrance fees start again.

Coco grew up in Hampton Roads and knows this stretch south of the neighborhood well. If you're planning around these dates, or you're an Ocean Lakes owner hosting guests who want a Back Bay morning before the dikes close, Coco Hanauer is happy to suggest a weekend that fits. Let's Connect.