On Gray Road, the restaurant at Old Smith Farm reopened under new owners. On Hurricane Road, a farm festival doubled its pumpkin and sunflower fields. Off Blackstrap Road, crews replaced trail bridges over the summer, before the leaves turned. Falmouth's coastal stretch along Route 1 and the Foreside gets most of the attention. This year, though, most of the new things to do in fall are inland, along Route 100 and the back roads that branch off it.
This guide follows those changes in order. It starts with dinner, then the farm, then the trails, and ends with the dates that tie them together this month.
Gray Road Is Taking Reservations Again
The farmhouse at 226 Gray Road had a long run as a Falmouth restaurant and event venue. In April, Mainebiz reported that Old Smith Farm would reopen on May 26 under a new ownership group. The group is led by Jill Moses, whose restaurant work includes 3 Dollar Deweys in Portland and Salt Water Grill in South Portland, and Frank Curran of Harborview Properties.
The owners said they wanted to keep the place familiar while making it their own.
"Old Smith Farm has always been a special place for the Falmouth community. Our goal is to honor what people have loved about this property while creating something fresh, welcoming, and vibrant for all guests." — Jill Moses, to Mainebiz
The plan was to keep the farmhouse look, update the exterior and make small changes inside. Live music and private events would continue. Rachel Sagiroglu, who founded the travel and event planning company Experience Maine, is partnering with Moses on event programming.
Chef Nate Feld runs the kitchen. He came from Twelve in Portland and told Mainebiz that his time there taught him to bring French technique to New England cooking. The announced menu kept the handcrafted pizza that had long been a staple there and added a full bar with craft cocktails, a larger wine list, fish and chips, lobster rolls with seaweed butter, and stuffed clams. The current online menu lists clam-and-corn chowder, a farm salad, sandwiches, desserts and pizza. Resy describes the pizza as wood-fired.
The restaurant now goes by The Barn at Smith Farm. Its website calls it a seasonal restaurant, recommends reservations and books through Resy. Resy showed openings as soon as Wednesday, October 7. That same night, Andi Fawcett plays live music from 6 to 8 p.m. The site doesn't list fall hours, so check before you go. A seasonal restaurant can cut back its days as the evenings get colder.
Hurricane Road Doubled Its Fields
From the Blackstrap Hill trailhead, it's about two and a quarter miles along Blackstrap Road to the turn onto Hurricane Road. Hurricane Meadows, at 85 Hurricane Road, holds its fall festival there. The 2026 season runs September 11 through November 1, Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is also open Monday, October 12. Admission is $15 per person, children under two get in free, and a season pass costs $50.
This year the farm grew. Its own description says the farm footprint got bigger and the pumpkin and sunflower fields doubled. It also added three attractions: silo swings, a 20-foot slide off a farm combine, and a trike track named "Tile-Dega Speedway." The returning activities include a five-acre corn maze, pick-your-own pumpkins and sunflowers, farm animals, and food such as cider donuts, cider and pizza. This year's maze theme is a partnership with Portland Hearts of Pine.
If you have school-age kids, mark Saturday, October 17. The Falmouth PTO is holding a community fundraiser at the farm from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is the usual $15, under-twos are free, and the rain date is Sunday, October 18.
On the way home, you can stop at Winslow Farm, also on Gray Road at number 291. It sells produce, flowers, herbs and flower arrangements. The stand is self-service on weekdays and fully staffed on October weekends, then closes for winter. The Falmouth farmers market at 22 Hat Trick Drive runs Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October 28. Vendors sell produce, meat, dairy, baked goods, coffee, honey and flowers.
The Bridges Went In Before the Leaves Came Down
The trails behind those farms got the least public attention of this year's changes, and they may last the longest. This summer, a Maine Conservation Corps crew worked with the Falmouth Land Trust and town staff on Falmouth's trail network. They built 29 wooden steps into a steep hillside at Falmouth Community Park and raised gravel sections of trail at Underwood Springs Forest to drain the wet spots. Town and Land Trust staff, with Land Trust interns, also replaced five bridges at Tidewater Farm Preserve, Falmouth Nature Preserve, Ledges Preserve, Blackstrap Hill Preserve and Woods Road Community Forest. They added a bog bridge over a muddy stretch at Town Forest Preserve.
Blackstrap Hill matters most here because of its size. The Land Trust preserve and the town-owned community forest together cover about 600 acres, the largest block of connected protected land in Falmouth. Most of the town's portion was bought in 1995 as part of an effort to preserve Wilshore Farm. The Land Trust added the rest in 1999. The trail system runs about 11 miles. It is rooty and rocky, with narrow bridges over wet ground. The West Branch of the Piscataqua River runs along the northeastern edge, and a few very large white pines that were never cut still stand in the ravines.
Where you park depends on what you plan to do:
- 369 Blackstrap Road. This is the preserve trailhead, an unpaved lot with eight spaces. A field trail leads down to the woods. From I-95 exit 53, take Route 100/26 north, turn left on Mountain Road, then right on Blackstrap Road.
- 106 Hurricane Road. A large unpaved lot near the I-95 overpass. The Land Trust sends mountain bikers here for direct access to the flow trail.
- 493 Blackstrap Road. A small extra lot near Stillings Field.
October at Blackstrap comes with two cautions. Hunting is allowed on the property, and the Land Trust calls it a popular hunting area, so take care during the season. Deer ticks are common too. Dogs may be off leash under voice control but must stay leashed within 300 feet of the trailhead.
If you want to keep going north, North Falmouth Community Forest adds 5.75 miles of trail through mixed hardwood and softwood forest. Its trailhead has a large unpaved lot at 555/556 Blackstrap Road. Woods Road Community Forest has 5.25 miles of trail and a flat, quarter-mile crushed-stone loop with accessible surfacing at the Woods Road entrance. Both of its lots hold only three or four cars.
The work isn't done. On Saturday, October 10, the Land Trust's volunteer day at Blackstrap will move a bridge, finish gravel turnpikes and pull invasive plants. Volunteers meet at 369 Blackstrap Road.
One Detour and One Bridge Date
The 11.5-mile Cross Falmouth Trail runs from River Point Conservation Area to North Falmouth Community Forest and links the open spaces described above. One section is closed: the stretch connecting Route 100 to Hadlock Community Forest, because of logging on private land. Signs at each end of the closure show the way around it. This year's Cross Falmouth Trail Challenge is also back. Walkers, hikers and bikers who complete it can earn a treat from Bam Bam Bakery.
If you drive Middle Road, MaineDOT's Staples Point Bridge project on Route 9 has had one lane of alternating traffic, controlled by signals, on weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and some Saturdays. The Town's August 21 update set completion for October 16. That was earlier than the November 17 target the Town gave in July. October 16 is still a schedule, though, not a confirmed opening.
The Rest of October, by Address
Most of this month's town calendar also falls along these inland roads. A few events are near the water.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Wed., Oct. 7, 6–8 p.m. | Live music with Andi Fawcett | The Barn at Smith Farm, 226 Gray Road |
| Thu., Oct. 8 | River Point walk led by Minquansis Sapiel, free, 20 spots, registration required | River Point Conservation Area |
| Sat., Oct. 10, 9 a.m.–noon | Fire-EMS Open House & Touch-A-Truck, free | Central Fire Station, 8 Bucknam Road |
| Sat., Oct. 10, 9:30–11:30 a.m. | Falmouth Land Trust volunteer day | 369 Blackstrap Road |
| Mon., Oct. 12, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | Holiday opening of the fall festival | Hurricane Meadows, 85 Hurricane Road |
| Sat., Oct. 17, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | Falmouth PTO fundraiser, rain date Oct. 18 | Hurricane Meadows |
| Thu., Oct. 22, 5–7 p.m. | Falmouth Community Supper, free, donations to the Falmouth Food Pantry | Falmouth Congregational Church, 267 Falmouth Road |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 9–11 a.m. | Accessible beginner bird walk on the new All Persons Trail | Maine Audubon, Gilsland Farm |
| Wed., Oct. 28 | Last Falmouth farmers market of the season | 22 Hat Trick Drive |
The Gilsland Farm walk is the one exception on the coastal side, and it's new too. Maine Audubon's fall beginner-birding programs use its newly built All Persons Trail. The routes are flat, with rest seats, accessible bathrooms and van-accessible parking. Registration is encouraged.
Hurricane Meadows closes for the season on November 1, and Winslow Farm's stand closes for winter after October.
If your home is near Blackstrap Road, Gray Road or one of these preserves, those trails and farms are part of what it's worth, and they belong in how it's marketed. Linda MacDonald Associates can show you how buyers are valuing homes on Falmouth's inland side right now. Request a complimentary home valuation to start.
