Spring in Crozet
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.
Events
Late March or April · Weather-dependent
Peak bloom, April · Dates posted, not fixed
Saturday before Easter
Late April · Apr 25, 2026
Early May · Opened May 2, 2026
Second weekend in May · May 9–10, 2026
Late May into June
Memorial Day weekend · Sundays, noon start
Activities
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Food & drink
Taproom with 24 taps, open daily; Crozet's brewery since 2006 (hours per Visit Charlottesville, Oct 2026)
Tasting room Thursday to Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm, up Sugar Hollow Road
Day trips
Lodges and campgrounds reopen in spring: in 2026, Big Meadows Campground on March 25 and Big Meadows Lodge on May 4 (NPS)
Claudius Crozet's 4,237-foot railroad tunnel, built 1850–1858 and open as a walking trail since 2020
Costs of Spring
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.
Spring, answered
When does strawberry picking start near Crozet?
Strawberries are the first pick-your-own fruit of the year at Chiles Peach Orchard, generally ripening in late March or April. The opening moves with the weather every year and the orchard posts it rather than scheduling it, so call before driving out. Sweet cherries follow in late May and June, at Chiles and at Spring Valley Orchard in Afton.
When does the farmers market open for the season?
Early May — the 2026 season opened on May 2. Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon in the grassy area behind the Blue Goose building at Crozet Avenue and Jarmans Gap Road. Five percent of every purchase goes to the Crozet food pantry program, and all vendor fees go to local food banks.
When does polo season start at King Family?
Memorial Day weekend, at the end of May, and then every Sunday through late October. Spring matches begin at noon with gates opening at ten. Admission is free. Weather and field conditions can cancel a match.
What festivals happen in Crozet in the spring?
The Crozet Spring Arts & Crafts Festival at Claudius Crozet Park is the big one — second weekend in May, more than 120 juried artists, a kids area, and event tents so it runs rain or shine. Chiles Peach Orchard adds Hop Into Spring on the Saturday before Easter and Tulip Field Days at peak bloom.
Sources
- Dates confirmed August 2026 · Fruit and bloom windows move with the weather — confirm before you travel
The spring dates that matter
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
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