Northern Virginia (or NoVA, as the locals call it) is generally considered to include Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Stafford, and Prince William counties, as well as the independent cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, and Manassas Park. Fairfax County is a treasure trove of unique historic sites, museums, performance venues and natural wonders. Visit and discover national treasures such as George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate & gardens, the Smithsonian Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Workhouse Arts Center, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts and Great Falls National Park.
Much more history can be found in Northern Virginia. Arlington Pays Tribute to Our Nation's Soldiers and Military History at Arlington National Cemetery and the Women in Military Service Memorial for America. A beautifully preserved historic district on the Potomac waterfront, Old Town Alexandria is the heart of the city that George Washington called home. Today, the cobblestone streets and red-brick sidewalks of the Old Town buzz with an energy that draws everyone from presidents to pet lovers, to some of the region's best restaurants, a vibrant art culture, including the nationally renowned Torpedo Factory Art Center; a thriving boutique scene; numerous boats, tours and water taxis; and creative cocktails and craft beers, including Alexandria's own Port City Brewing Company, recently named America's Best Small Brewery.
This region is considered Horse Country with obstacle courses, horse shows and polo matches. One of the westernmost places to visit is Marriott Ranch in Hume, with horses to ride, shoot traps and homely hospitality. If you're looking for an exclusive resort, try Landsdowne in Leesburg. Visit these 15 unique and fun small towns in Northern Virginia for local flavor, classic high streets, outdoor adventures and interesting history.
These walkable Virginia towns offer plenty of interesting things to do and see during your visit. The small town of Bluemont, on the western edge of Loudoun County, combines great walks with a winery, cider and two craft breweries for a perfect day trip from Washington DC. Bluemont is home to Bears Den Overlook, one of the best family hikes in Northern Virginia and a beautiful spot to watch the sunset. Or take on a more challenging stretch of the Appalachian Trail to the eye from Raven Rocks.
After the hike, you can enjoy wine or beer with a breathtaking view at Bluemont Vineyards and Dirt Farm Brewing. At the bottom of the hill is Henway Hard Cider and the Great Country Farms fields and play areas. Grab a snack or casual lunch at Bluemont General Store, then take a scenic drive along the historic Snickersville Tollway. If your goal is to visit cute small towns near DC, look no further.
Clifton is definitely one of the most interesting and picturesque small towns in Northern Virginia. Here you can stroll along a classic main street lined with restaurants, shops, businesses, and local historic houses. A short distance from downtown Clifton is Paradise Springs, the closest winery to Washington DC. Quench your thirst with a hike along the Bull Run Occoquan Trail, just down the road.
There are several breweries in the city center and wineries are scattered throughout the region. On the east side of town is Old House, a combination of winery, brewery and distillery on a 75-acre farm. It's a lovely place to relax and have a drink surrounded by farms and fields. One of the most popular national parks in the DC region, Great Falls Park, is located just down the street from the small town center.
Take in the spectacular views of the waterfalls and hike the cliffs of Mather Gorge in the park, then follow the historic Georgetown Pike to downtown Great Falls for a bite to eat and drink. The Old Brogue outdoor patio is one of our favorite outdoor dining spots in Northern Virginia. Although one of Virginia's largest cities, historic Leesburg has a charming pedestrian center with a small-town feel. Start your visit with antique shopping and have lunch at one of the many great restaurants in downtown Leesburg.
There are also several craft breweries to choose from and you can buy a delicious treat at Mom's Apple Pie bakery. Take a scenic drive north of Leesburg to visit local wineries, breweries, and more antique stores. Or explore farms and small towns on a beautiful scenic drive along the unpaved roads of Loudoun County. Marshall is a small town, but it has several delicious restaurants and nice local shops.
Eat casual with takeout from Johnny Monarch's exclusive aunt. The converted double-decker bus serves tasty vegan, vegetarian and meaty comfort food, and there are picnic tables outside to enjoy your meal. Visit Marshall, Middleburg and The Plains on a beautiful scenic drive through Hunt Country in Northern Virginia. Enjoy a selection of casual, full-service dining on the city's main street.
Head to King Street Oyster Bar for fresh oysters and crab cakes, followed by a slice of cake from The Upper Crust. Sample local craft drinks at Mt Defiance Cidery and Distillery or Wild Hare Cider Pub. December is one of the most beautiful times to visit Middleburg, especially for the annual Christmas celebration in Middleburg, when the Hunt and Hounds Review parades down the main street. The small historic town of Occoquan occupies a few compact blocks on the banks of the Occoquan River.
It's hard to imagine today, but this was a bustling port with the largest mill in the region. Today, the streets are lined with shops, restaurants, and some historic gems. At the other end of Occoquan's main street is the River Mill Museum and a beautiful walkway over the river. Further on there is a small park where you can relax or take a picture with a LOVE sign.
In Between, Local Stores Welcome Browsers With Unique Findings. There are several restaurants to choose from, including one of our favorites for dining on the patio, The Secret Garden Cafe. One of Virginia's most unique historic cities was created in the 1960s. Reston Virginia is one of the first planned communities in the United States.
City founder Robert E, Simon (the RES at Reston) wanted to create a place where residents could live, work and play. At Lake Anne, Reston's first town center, enjoy a lakeside meal, craft brewery, and wine bar. Take a short walk to the beautiful Van Gogh Bridge or take a longer trip around the lake. The town of Sperryville is small, and that's part of the fun.
There are a few nice restaurants, a comfortable pub, and one or two shops in the city center. Sperryville's biggest claim to fame is its location on the edge of Shenandoah National Park. Stop in town to eat or order takeout before driving along winding Route 211 to the Thornton Gap entrance of Shenandoah. One of Virginia's smallest cities, with just over 200 residents, The Plains is a great destination for foodies who enjoy a walk in the countryside.
Head to the small city center to eat at one of three great restaurants: The Front Porch, The Rail Stop, and Girasolle. There are a few shops to visit, but food is the main attraction. Look out for Robert Duvall, who lives in The Plains and is often seen around town. You can reach the city on a panoramic tour, passing through farms and fields.
Nearby, catch a show at Wolf Trap, the only National Park for the Performing Arts. You can also picnic and hike at Wolf Trap up to 2 hours before the show. The Washington and Old Dominion Bike Trail, the thinnest park in the region, passes through the city center along a beautiful level and paved path. Be sure to check out the mural of the city near the W&OD.
Take a short drive from downtown Waterford to Wheatland Springs Farm and Brewery for a tasty selection of farm-brewed craft beers. There are also several charming Virginia wineries in town, including The Wine Reserve at Waterford, 8 Chains North Winery, Corcoran Vineyards and Cidery, and Village Winery and Vineyards. One of Northern Virginia's most popular festivals, the three-day Waterford Fair features artisans, period reenactors, house tours and more during the first weekend of October. Near Lexington, marvel at the 215-foot tall formation at Natural Bridge State Park, then go underground for a tour of the Caverns at Natural Bridge.
Enjoy spectacular mountain views on a hike to Devil's Marbleyard, or take in the scenery from the Blue Ridge Parkway viewpoints. Northern Virginia is heavily populated, and it destroys most stereotypes of Virginia, that southern state all at once. Although much of it is considered a suburb of the Washington, DC, C. Northern Virginia Emphasizes North.
There are no ties here, politics are liberal and people are not quite sure what to do with semolina. In reality, most of Northern Virginians were born elsewhere, and nearly half of them were from a different country or immigrant parents. Outside of immigrant populations, which are quite rich in their own right by any national standard, the native population is frankly spectacularly rich. Khaki polo shirts and shorts dominate, pearls adorn the night, mansions are very new (and prevalent), and world-class golf is everywhere.
Northern Virginia has always been closely linked to the nation's capital. This part of the state benefits from the history and cultural aspects of Washington, D.C. Arlington and Alexandria, in particular, are urban areas as dense as D, C. Fairfax County is only slightly less dense and, with more than a million residents, is by far the most populous county in the state.
Much of Virginia's northeastern corner, apart from the cores of Arlington and Alexandria, was farmland for most of its history until the period immediately following World War II, when government employment increased and the population around Washington D. The area experienced another explosion in growth due to jobs in the tech industry in the early 1990s. Today it remains one of the fastest growing areas in the country. As Northern Virginia continues to expand, the region spans from planned cities crammed with great shopping to soccer-grown suburbs, from ethnic neighborhoods full of authentic restaurants to the upper-class Hunt Country style.
Private and charter boats can also land at Leesburg Municipal. A Long List of Major Interstate Highways Lead to Northern Virginia. I-495 (Capital Beltway) and I-95 lead to Arlington and Alexandria from Maryland, with I-395 being a special extension of I-95 on the bypass to Washington, D.C. I-95 continues to head south toward Fredericksburg and toward Richmond.
On the Maryland side of I-495, you can take I-95 north to Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and then to Boston, or I-270 to I-70 to Pittsburgh and into the Midwest. Not a common way to get to the region, but there are boat cruises and water taxis from DC. WMATA offers subway service from Washington, DC. Through the blue, yellow, orange and silver lines.
The metro is relatively frequent and runs from early in the morning until late at night. Regional train service is provided by VRE which operates commuter trains from Union Station in Washington DC, C. To several cities in Northern Virginia. For long-distance trains, there is Amtrak, which has a hub in Alexandria, in addition to Washington, D., C.
From Southern Virginia, there are daily services from Roanoke and Newport News through Richmond. Northern Virginia has world-class public school systems, as well as some of the best private schools in the country. Many communities beyond the areas closest to Washington, DC also have close economic ties, as well as important functional ties, to Northern Virginia, especially with regard to roads, railroads, airports, and other modes of transportation. When you're ready to explore beyond Northern Virginia, plan a scenic road trip to Virginia's small towns in other regions of the state.
The entire Washington metropolitan area—the seventeen counties and seven cities of Maryland and Virginia, plus the District of Columbia—voted 1,958,562 votes to 752,670 votes (72 to 28 percent) in favor of Clinton and Trump, respectively. Northern Virginia is home to people of diverse backgrounds, with significant numbers of Korean Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Bangladeshis Americans, Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, Russian Americans, Arab Americans, Palestinians Americans, Uzbeks Americans, Afghans Americans, Ethiopian Americans, Indian Americans, Iranian Americans, Thai Americans, and Pakistani Americans. It is home to the Northern Virginia Swim League, which comprises 102 community pools, and NVSL-Dive, which is comprised of 47 teams in Fairfax and Arlington counties. Northern Virginia, known locally as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several independent counties and cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States.
The post-World War II period saw substantial growth of Virginia's suburban areas, especially in the Northern Virginia, Richmond and Hampton Roads regions. In addition, Northern Virginia was the area of operations of the famous Confederate partisan, John Singleton Mosby, and several small skirmishes were fought throughout the region between his Rangers and the federal forces occupying northern Virginia. In addition to being a tourist destination to enjoy everything on offer in the nation's capital, Northern Virginia, in its own right, is rich in colonial and civil war history. Although he became governor of Virginia in July 1677, he did not arrive in Virginia until 1679, and even then he seemed more interested in keeping his land in the Northern Neck of Virginia than in governing.
Although Northern Virginia contains a large part of the state's population, there are only a handful of colleges and universities in the region. Early development of the northern portion of Virginia was in the easternmost area of that early land grant, which encompasses modern Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond and Westmoreland counties. . .
