Pick Apples, Strawberries or Pumpkins
Summer offers acres of fresh strawberries in La Plata, and fall is the perfect time to pick apples or pumpkins. A host of farms offer fresh fruit from stands or a ladder and bushel basket to pick your own. Take Hawthorne Road and follow the advertising signs for seasonal picking opportunities. Locations for self-picking differ from year to year and the exact time of the harvest is dependent on weather conditions.
Walk in the Fall Colors
La Plata has numerous mature trees and the colors seen during the fall months offer a rare view of nature. The U.S. Forest Service hosts a "Fall Color Report" for La Plata (located in the "Eastern Region") on their web page listed below and under "Resources" for this article. Gilbert Run Park and Laurel Springs Regional Park are the best places to view the fall foliage.
Gilbert Run Park
1001 Radio Station Road
La Plata, Maryland 20646
(301) 932-1083
Laurel Springs Regional Park
1000 Radio Station Road
La Plata, Maryland 20646
(310) 932-3470
USFS: Eastern Region National Forests
fs.fed.us
Take in the County Fair
The Charles County Fair has been held at the La Plata Fairground each September since 1923. Its 30-plus acres encompass crafting exhibits, livestock displays, quilting demonstrations and agricultural information and exhibits. Four stages offer musical entertainment and shows for all ages, and the midway features rides designed for families. Children under ten are admitted free of charge.
Fairgrounds
8440 Fairgrounds Road
La Plata, Maryland
charlescountyfair.com
Listen to Music
La Plata hosts free music concerts in the park during the months of June, August, September and October. Bring a blanket and chairs to stake out a prime listening spot on the first Friday evening. Food vendors and special displays vary with the musical acts each month, opening for business beginning at 5:30 p.m. The music starts at 6:00 p.m. and everything wraps up by 9:00 p.m. Free popcorn is available at every concert and no reservations are required.
La Plata Town Hall
305 Queen Anne Street
La Plata, Maryland
(301) 934-8421
townoflaplata.org
Watch Wildlife
Myrtle Grove Wildlife Management Area includes over 1,723 acres of marshes, wetlands and forests that is home to the barred owl, wild turkeys, deer, quail and rabbits. Myrtle Grove is also open year-round for fishing. Catfish, large-mouth bass, bluegill and pickerel abound in the 23-acre lake.
Maryland 225
(310) 743-5161
