It's a great week to visit the Highlands. The annual "Week in the Highlands" celebration kicked off last weekend with a 5K run and the Highlands-Douglass Big Rock Jazz & Blues Fest, but they saved the best for last. The Belknap Fall Festival and Farmington Harvest Festival are both terrific family-friendly events happening this weekend, October 12, 13 and 14.
Now in its 18th year, the Belknap Fall Festival takes place on the historic Douglass Loop off of Bardstown Road at the intersection of Harvard and Dundee Drives. This Friday from 6:00-9:00 pm you can nosh from local food trucks and enjoy live music in the beer garden. On Saturday from 11:00 am-10:00 pm, pack up the stroller and cruise the booths and local vendors. Live music begins at 1:15 and will keep your kids dancing well past bedtime. And if collecting all the free goodies from the booths doesn't entertain your children (but who doesn't love another ruler or reusable grocery bag?), there are also some fun arts and craft booths. Last year, my kids loved painting mini pumpkins and adorning them with googly eyes and feathers. (I think they stayed on our dining room table until it was time to decorate gingerbread houses.) This free street festival has been growing bigger every year, making it one of the city's best outdoor neighborhood festivals.
On Sunday from 10:00 am-6:00 pm, head down to 3033 Bardstown Road to the historic plantation of Farmington for their annual Harvest Festival. A $5 admission fee (per car or per family) allows your children to be transported to the 19th century to interact with costumed characters giving historical demonstrations of life on this Kentucky hemp plantation. Enjoy live music, Comfy Cow ice cream, Kingsley's pig roast, local beer, food from Mozzapi, Holy Mole and Little Cheezers food trucks, and free tours of the museum house and grounds. Family fun also includes a petting zoo, pony rides, storytelling, and crafts.
Find out more about the Belknap Fall Festival and the Farmington Harvest Festival at http://www.thehighlandsoflouisville.com and http://www.edisonhouse.org.
Photos of Farmington: courtesy of Edisonhouse.org. Photo of pumpkin painting: Anna Frye
