Spring is when the town switches back on. Strawberries arrive at Chiles in late March or April as the first pick-your-own fruit of the year, the farmers market reopens behind the Blue Goose in early May, more than 120 artisans fill Claudius Crozet Park for the spring festival, and polo starts again at King Family on Memorial Day weekend.
It is also the least predictable season here. Bloom and ripening dates move with the weather rather than the calendar, so the orchard announces its openings instead of scheduling them. The mountain trails run wet and muddy well into April, and the swimming beach at Mint Springs has not opened yet. If you are visiting to size the place up, spring shows you Crozet without the October crowds — which is arguably the more honest look.
Recurring events with the pattern they follow, so this holds up next year and the year after. Specific 2026 dates are given where they are confirmed.
| Event | When | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Strawberry picking opens | Late March or April Weather-dependent |
Chiles Peach Orchard |
| Tulip Field Days | Peak bloom, April Dates posted, not fixed |
Chiles Peach Orchard |
| Hop Into Spring | Saturday before Easter | Chiles Peach Orchard |
| Foxfield Spring Races | Late April Apr 25, 2026 |
Garth Road — Charlottesville, not Crozet |
| Crozet Farmers Market opens | Early May Opened May 2, 2026 |
Behind the Blue Goose, Crozet Ave |
| Crozet Spring Arts & Crafts Festival | Second weekend in May May 9–10, 2026 |
Claudius Crozet Park |
| Sweet cherry picking | Late May into June | Chiles, and Spring Valley Orchard in Afton |
| Roseland Polo season opens | Memorial Day weekend Sundays, noon start |
King Family Vineyards |
Dates confirmed August 2026 · Fruit and bloom windows move with the weather — confirm before you travel
Eight things that only happen, or only work properly, in these three months.
Chiles Peach Orchard · 1351 Greenwood Road
The first pick-your-own fruit of the year and the signal that the season has started, generally ripening in late March or April. Rows are low and short, which makes this the easiest picking of the whole calendar to do with small children.
The opening date is announced rather than scheduled — it moves with the weather every year. Call first. No dogs on the property.
Chiles Peach Orchard · Peak bloom
A short run of days built around the tulip bloom, before any of the fruit is ready. It is the orchard's quietest event and the one most people in Charlottesville have never heard of.
Bloom timing is entirely weather-dependent, so this one is announced with very little notice.
Chiles Peach Orchard · Saturday before Easter
The orchard's Easter Saturday, with an egg roll, wagon rides, crafts and face painting, live animals, and educational tables run by the Albemarle 4-H clubs. Small, local, and firmly aimed at children under ten.
Behind the Blue Goose · Saturdays 8am–noon
Opening Saturday in early May is the most reliable social event of the Crozet year — produce, plants and cut flowers, eggs, beef, bread and pottery, all from people living within a few miles. It has run more than twenty-five years.
Five percent of every purchase goes to the Crozet food pantry program, and all vendor fees go to local food banks. Go early for the flowers.
Claudius Crozet Park · Second weekend in May
The spring half of the park's twice-yearly juried show, with more than 120 national artists and artisans across pottery, textiles, glass and wood, plus a kids area with art projects and face painting. Everything runs under large tents, so it happens rain or shine.
May 9–10 in 2026. Tickets required. Parking is free but fills quickly — the festival is a primary fundraiser for the community-owned park.
Beaver Creek Park · Free, 7am to dark
The Western Albemarle High School rowing team trains on the 104-acre lake, and spring mornings are when the water is at its best — gas motors are banned here, so it is genuinely silent. Bring a kayak or a canoe and stay out of the lanes.
Swimming is prohibited in the lake. Fishing needs a Virginia licence.
King Family Vineyards · 6550 Roseland Farm
Roseland Polo opens on Memorial Day weekend and runs every Sunday from there to late October. Spring matches start at noon with gates at ten, four seven-and-a-half-minute chukkers, and admission is free to anyone who turns up.
Tailgate spots are mostly first-come. Weather and field conditions cancel.
Sugar Hollow · Moormans River Road
Spring melt and rain put the most water of the year through the Moormans River, which makes the 4.6-mile round trip to Big Branch Falls worth doing now rather than in August. The reservoir at the trailhead marks the edge of Shenandoah National Park.
Multiple stream crossings, and in spring they are high — waterproof boots, and expect wet feet. Swimming and boating are prohibited in the reservoir itself. Parking is a small pull-off.
Most of what makes spring here good is free. The county swim parks do not start charging entry until the beach season opens on Memorial Day weekend, which makes March through May the cheapest stretch of the year to actually be outside.
No fee, no ticket, no membership.
Small, one-off, cash-in-pocket.
The line items worth planning for.
Park fees from the Albemarle County Summer Swim 2026 schedule, albemarle.org, retrieved August 2026 · Confirm before you go
The guide includes a weekend scouting itinerary — what to see, in what order, and what to look at while you are there. Free.