Two schedules set the timing for a Bogart October this year. The first belongs to Washington Farms, which charges different prices for different days. A weekday morning ticket costs $8 less than a ticket for one of the three busiest weekends. The second belongs to the Georgia Department of Transportation. Since mid-September it has cut lanes on the Oconee Connector at SR 316 and closed Jimmy Daniell Road where it crosses 316, and neither change has a firm end date. Taken together, the best-value fall days around Bogart are the ones that don't require a trip east.
The rest of this post covers the dates, prices and road changes behind that.
Washington Farms sets four prices for the same farm
Washington Farms at 5691 Hog Mountain Road runs its 2026 fall season from September 19 through November 8. The farm has been open since 1993, but the 2026 pricing makes timing matter more than it does at most fall attractions. Admission is sold online only, the farm is cashless, and everyone 2 and older needs a ticket for the activity area.
| Visit window | Dates | Hours | General admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekday mornings | Tues. to Fri., Sept. 22 to Oct. 30 | 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. | $13.95 |
| Columbus Day | Mon., Oct. 12 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | $16.95 |
| Regular weekends | Oct. 2 to 4, Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, Nov. 7 to 8 | Fri. 4 to 8 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sun. 1 to 6 p.m. | $18.95 |
| Extended weekends | Oct. 9 to 11, 16 to 18, 23 to 25 | Fri. 4 to 10 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. | $21.95 |
All prices are before tax and fees.
For a household of four, general admission costs $55.80 on a weekday morning and $87.80 on an extended weekend, before tax and fees. Adding the Mega Slide on an extended weekend raises the ticket to $31.95 per person.
The lower weekday price comes with less to do. On weekday mornings, some activities are closed and the Mega Slide doesn't run. Field trips are usually on the grounds. The Barnyard Grill is closed, but the Sweet Shack and Pizza Barn are open. The weekday list still includes the Cow Train, the petting zoo, the jumping pillow, the ropes course, wagon rides, the Giant Pirate Ship and a noon pig race. The corn maze, ziplines, Vortex Tunnel and campfires appear only on the weekend list. Campfires run on select Fridays only.
Arrival times matter at every tier. The last ticket slot is two hours before closing, the maze closes to new entries one hour before closing, and some activities close at dark. On a weekday, that puts the last entry slot at 11:30 a.m. On an extended Friday, it's 8 p.m.
The pumpkin patch is free to walk into
People who come only for pumpkins don't need an admission ticket. Tickets cover the activity area, and pumpkins are sold separately. Pets are not allowed anywhere on the property.
Columbus Day and the closed Tuesday after it
Monday, October 12 is a special day at the farm. It runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Mega Slide is open, and general admission is $16.95 or $22.95 with the slide. The corn maze, Vortex Tunnel, Grain Train and Corn Cannon are closed that day. The farm is also closed the next day, Tuesday, October 13.
The road work affects every plan that heads east
The farm's prices are only part of the cost of an outing this month. Travel time is the other part, and it changed on September 18.
That evening at 7 p.m., Archer Western Construction shifted traffic on the Oconee Connector at SR 316 so crews could build mid-span supports for the new bridges. GDOT project manager Brittney Bozzi sent planning sheets to Oconee County Observations. They show three lanes approaching the signal from each direction: a left-turn lane, a through lane, and an outside lane that allows right turns and then continues through. That leaves two lanes passing through the intersection in each direction, with no separate right-turn lane. GDOT's notice set a 35 mph speed limit, warned that signal timing would change, and told drivers to allow extra time. The restrictions "will remain in place until bridge construction is complete," and GDOT gave no time estimate.
The bridge work is now underway. GDOT released detailed plans in late September showing SR 316 crossing over the Connector on separate eastbound and westbound bridges. This replaces the earlier plan, which had the Connector going over 316. GDOT said on October 1 that foundation work on the future eastbound bridge would start the following week. Because of the design change, the Connector doesn't need a detour during construction staging. Once the interchange opens, the current at-grade crossing will be abandoned, and two signals north and south of the old junction will replace its single light.
Jimmy Daniell Road is closed across 316 until spring
Jimmy Daniell Road has been closed at SR 316 since September 14 so crews can build the bridge that will carry it over the highway. SR 316 itself remains open. GDOT's posted detours:
- North of SR 316: Jimmy Daniell Road to Atlanta Highway, then U.S. 78/Monroe Highway, then SR 316.
- South of SR 316: Jimmy Daniell Road to Mars Hill Road, then U.S. 78/Monroe Highway, then SR 316. The detour covers about 2.4 miles on Mars Hill Road.
Driveways, local businesses and public facilities along the closure stay accessible. GDOT's October 1 update said the detour should remain until early spring. Oconee County Commission Chair John Daniell was blunt about the congestion at a June town hall:
"Just stay away from there."
These closures are short-term conditions within a longer project. GDOT's project page for PI 0013769 says construction began August 1, 2025, and estimates substantial completion in 2028. The contract completion date is June 5, 2028. Oconee County Observations expects work on the Jimmy Daniell, Virgil Langford and Connector intersections to continue at least through the end of 2028.
What's on the Bogart side this month
With the roads east this slow, Bogart's own events are the easiest to get to. The city and the library both have free events this month.
The Bogart Library has three children's programs early in the week of October 5: Storytime with Miss Harli on Monday, October 5; Bogart Bookies on Tuesday, October 6; and LEGO Mania on Wednesday, October 7.
On Halloween, the City of Bogart holds Trunk or Treat on Main Street from 5 to 7 p.m. The city calls it free family fun. Anyone who wants to decorate a vehicle and hand out treats should call City Hall at 770-725-7386 to register. October 31 is a Saturday this year, so Trunk or Treat and a Washington Farms regular weekend fall on the same day. The farm is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. that Saturday at the $18.95 rate. A family could visit the farm in the morning and be on Main Street by 5.
The trips worth making to Watkinsville
Three Oconee County events this month are in Watkinsville, south of Bogart. That route doesn't run through the Connector, so these plans aren't affected by the lane cut.
- Oconee County Chamber Fall Festival: Saturday, October 17, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., in historic downtown Watkinsville and at Rocket Field. Admission is free. Festival parking is off-site, and everyone walks in to the festival area.
- Oconee Farmers Market: Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Wire Park, 1725 Electric Avenue. Wire Park's calendar lists market days on October 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31.
- Wire Park evenings: The Kinchafoonee Cowboys play the Pavilion Stage on Friday, October 16 at 6:30 p.m. The event graphic lists $20 tickets. Harvest in the Park is listed for Saturday, October 24 at noon.
October 17 is a crowded Saturday. The Chamber festival, the Wire Park market and a Washington Farms extended weekend all fall on it. People who want the farm without the crowds have the weekday mornings of October 14 through 16 and October 20 through 23. On those days the farm costs $13.95 and the traffic on the Connector is whatever traffic remains on a weekday.
Two planned stores that aren't open yet
Two retail projects near Bogart get mentioned often, and neither has reached opening. In January, the Oconee Enterprise reported that a Publix off U.S. 78 at Crowe's Corner had a signed lease and was expected to break ground in the spring. It gave no opening date. A separate plan for a two-building, 26,000-square-foot retail center with a restaurant at the Oconee Connector and Mars Hill Road was under appeal as of April. County planning staff had found the retail uses weren't allowed under the parcel's zoning. This October, Bogart's options are the ones already open: the farm on Hog Mountain Road, the library and Main Street.
Road projects like the SR 316 interchanges tend to change how people judge drive times long before the bridges open, and those questions come up when homeowners in Bogart and western Oconee County think about timing a sale or a move. If you'd like to talk through how the 2028 interchange timeline relates to your own plans, Jennifer Westmoreland is glad to set up a personalized market consultation.
