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COLUMBIA, MD — Fall doesn’t officially start until the autumnal equinox on Monday, Sept. 22, but the season is already underway at Howard County’s apple orchards.

There are plenty of activities at these fall attractions to appeal to all ages, especially kids.

Patch has compiled a list of some of the best apple orchards and family-friendly fall attractions in and around Howard County. Before you go, be sure to call ahead or check the orchard’s website to clarify hours of operation or to check for the availability of apples.

Address: 10500 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott CitySeason dates: Fall activities start Sept. 13. The pumpkin patch will be open from Sept. 13-Nov. 2 (hours vary).Details: Pumpkin patch, petting farm, fairy forest, enchanted forest, fresh produce, gem mining, merchandise shopping, face painting, food vendors. Halloween costume parades will be Oct. 25-26 at 11 a.m. and noon on Saturday and Sunday. Pumpkin chucking will be Nov. 1-2, a 23-year tradition at the farm.Hours: Tuesday through Friday from 10 am. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.Cost: $8 to $12 per person depending on the dayPhone: 410–730–4049

Address: 2415 Woodbine Rd, WoodbineSeason dates: Sept. 13 marks the day when apples can be picked.Details: U-pick apples and October hayrack ridesHours: Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.Cost: VariesPhone: 410-442-2605

Address: 4979 Sheppard Lane, Ellicott CitySeason dates: Farm store is open year-round.Details: Fall Festival runs from Sept. 13 through Oct. 26 with a visit to the pumpkin patch, animal encounters, the animal village barn, middle woods animal encounters, train rides, super mega slide, kid's play park, plus live music and food trucks on the weekends. Hours: Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.Cost: VariesPhone: 410-849-4314

This should be a good year for apple picking, according to the 2025 forecast from the U.S. Apple Association, which estimates the harvest will be 6 percent higher than in 2024, for a total of 273 million bushels.

That estimate is based on USDA data from the top seven apple-producing states — respectively, Washington, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California, Oregon and Virginia. When other states are considered, total production could be as much as 290 million bushels, the industry trade group said.

For the second year in a row, Columbia, Maryland grabbed the top spot in WalletHub’s rankings of Best Cities for Women to thrive.

It’s the third time this year Columbia topped the finance site’s surveys, as in January 2025 the city nabbed top rankings for finding a job in both the state and the nation.

WalletHub used 15 criteria to compare 182 cities to determine both the best and worst cities in which women can reach their potential. Naturally, they focused on economics, and Columbia has the highest median earnings for female workers (adjusted for cost of living) than any of the other cities at $61,778 per year. The poverty rate is the eighth lowest in the country, as well, at only 8.2%.

That is saying something in a nation where women still earn only 85 cents for every dollar men do, and the gap increases with age. The rate is worse for Black women, who earn only 69 cents for every dollar white men earn, and Hispanic women, who earn 57 cents for every dollar white men earn.

“Living in the right city can significantly improve a woman’s economic status, health, and safety,” said Milvionne Chery, a WalletHub analyst, in a statement. “The best cities for women offer job security and high pay, enabling women to achieve greater financial independence. They also prioritize safety, provide easily accessible medical care, and have high-quality hospitals, contributing to the best possible physical and mental health for women.”

The job market in Columbia is good for women, too, with the 34^th lowest unemployment rate in the country at just over 4%. In other cities, that rate is as high as 13%. Nearly one-quarter of businesses in Columbia (23%) are owned by women, too, which is the 31^st highest percentage in the nation.

To determine the level of women’s economic and social well-being in each city, WalletHub considered things like income, unemployment rate, job security, percentage of women living in poverty, share of women-owned businesses, and the “economic clout” held by women-owned firms.

Money isn’t everything, however, and WalletHub gave weight to women’s health care and safety in their considerations, too. The survey looked at abortion policies and access, the quality of women’s hospitals, female uninsured rates, women’s preventive health care, life expectancy, physical activity, and more.

Columbia ranks highly by these standards, as well. The city has the 10^th best life expectancy for women at birth and the 12^th highest share of women over the age of 21 who have received a cervical cancer screening within the proper time frame. It also boasts the 3^rd highest rate of women who got their mammograms in the past two years. Columbia has the sixth highest percentage of women who are physically active in the nation, with 85%.

Acknowledging all of this, there are always concerns and battles to wage. Cecilia Rio, Ph.D. is an associate professor and Graduate Program Director for Women’s and Gender Studies at Towson University. She points out the continuing need for access to quality childcare and elder care that is affordable, flex time, and paid family leave. Rio also has grave misgivings about government dismantling of DEI programs on women.

“Government officials need to look at how dismantling of DEI programs will greatly impact gender equity in the workforce and including access to institutional resources (STEM training, for example),” Rio said in a statement. “White women, in particular, benefited a great deal from the implementation of Affirmative Action in the past in order to open up professional and other traditional male occupations.”

She brought up the irony of Karoline Leavitt, Donald Trump’s press secretary, complaining about “wokeness.”

“[T]he very policies that came from the social movements of the 60s and 70s knocked down the doors of discrimination and stubborn glass ceilings that kept women out of such prestigious careers to begin with,” Rio said.