The staff at Cox Farms—one of Northern Virginia's biggest tourist attractions in the fall months—are in the midst of preparations for their opening weekend. 

It's the family farm's 40th year in Fairfax County. The Cox family opened a small farm in Herndon in 1972, followed by a market in Vienna, and in 1979 moved to Centreville. Fields of Fear, a haunted field, and the Fall Festival now attracts tens of thousands of people every year, the staff estimates (Even Malia and Sasha Obama paid a visit last year, the family said).

Opening weekend is Sept. 29, but Cox Farms will hold its annual "preview weekend" on Sept. 22 and 23. Visit www.coxfarms.com for additional details. 

Click through the photo gallery to see what's new at Cox Farms this year, and how the staff is preparing for the enormous amount of visitors that will visit the Fall Festival and Fields of Fear.