National Apple Harvest Festival in Arendtsville, Pa

The first two weekends of October every year, all eyes are on the rural countryside north of the historic town of Gettysburg, Pa., where 100,000 people ascend upon the valley to celebrate the apple.

This year, the National Apple Harvest Festival celebrates 54 years – bringing families together for decades to experience food, entertainment, crafts and more. The festival opens Oct. 6 through the 7, then picks up again Oct. 13 through 14.

The National Apple Harvest Festival not only draws visitors from all over the country each year but also hundreds of vendors selling crafts, art and unique handcrafted goods. Families are encouraged to enjoy the festival together, and there will be multiple activities for children, including hay piles to play in and scarecrow stuffing. As is tradition, stages with live musical entertainment will be set up, along with an antique tractor exhibition and steam engine displays.

The festival is held in the middle of “Apple Country” at the South Mountain Fairgrounds, and tractor-led tours will take visitors through the orchards to see where the produce grows. Quite possibly the best part of the festival is the food – dozens of vendors will be selling everything from apple pie to apple fritters to apple cider – along with pulled pork, sweet potato fries and everything in between.

 The event runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, and tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and kids 12 and under are free. For more information, visit www.appleharvest.com.