Where to Go in Loudoun & Fauquier

In the mood for an outing to a park, museum or historical site? With its rural vistas, working farms and well-preserved estates, the Loudoun-Fauquier area has plenty of attractions. Below is a sampling of popular destinations.

Oatlands
This former plantation south of Leesburg dates from the early 19th century and includes a Federal-style mansion with period furnishings, more than four acres of terraced gardens and 200 acres of rolling farmland. This National Historic Landmark hosts art shows, afternoon teas and other events during most of the year.
Cost: Adults, $10; seniors and students, $9; gardens and grounds only, $7.
When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. Sundays, March 30-Dec. 30.
Where: 20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg. 703-777-3174, www.oatlands.org.

Temple Hall Farm Regional Park
This 286-acre farm offers horse-drawn wagon rides, hiking, tours led by a farm interpreter and some quality time with sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, turkeys and peacocks, among other animals. The park creates a giant cornfield maze every fall, and thousands of visitors try to find their way out.
Cost: Farm tours, free. Corn maze, $10 for adults, $8 for children 6-11, free for children 5 and younger. Wagon rides, during the fall, $2.
When: 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays, April 1-Nov. 2. Farm tours are offered only on weekends. The corn maze is open 4-10 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays in September and October.
Where: 15789 Temple Hall Lane, Leesburg. 703-779-9372, www.nvrpa.org/parks/templehall.

Sky Meadows State Park
Activities at this 1,862-acre park on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains include picnicking, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, primitive camping and history programs at Mount Bleak House, built in 1843. Because of its sweeping views and undeveloped surroundings, Sky Meadows also is a great spot for stargazing and hosts astronomy sessions during the spring, summer and fall.
Cost: Parking is $3 a car weekdays, $4 on weekends.
When: Dawn to dusk daily.
Where: 11012 Edmonds Lane, Delaplane. 540-592-3556, www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks.

Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center Part of the National Air and Space Museum, this complex in Chantilly opened in December 2003 and displays hundreds of aircraft and related artifacts that would never fit into the Smithsonian on the Mall. Among the planes displayed on three levels of a huge hangar are a Concorde supersonic airliner and the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay.
Cost: $12 daily parking fee, $65 annual parking pass.
When: 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily.
Where: 14390 Air & Space Museum Pkwy., Chantilly. 202-633-1000, www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy.

Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum
The museum is a repository of 250 years of Loudoun agricultural history. It includes the replica of a general store from the early 20th century, a children’s play area, exhibits of farm equipment and many historic documents and photographs. The building is in Claude Moore Park, near a farmhouse from the late 1700s and the last remaining intact section of Vestal’s Gap Road, a trail first used by Native Americans.
Cost: Adults, $5; children, $3.
When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, noon-5 p.m. Sundays.
Where: 21668 Heritage Farm Lane, Sterling. 571-258-3800, www.loudounfarmmuseum.org.

Historic Morven Park
The 1,200-acre estate just west of Leesburg was home to two governors and has been open to the public since 1967. The mansion and the Museum of Hounds and Hunting, in the north wing, are closed this year because of an extensive restoration. Visitors can see the Winmill Carriage Museum, which features many antique horse-drawn vehicles, and tour the Boxwood Gardens. The Morven Park Equestrian Center hosts several steeplechase events.

Cost: Carriage museum, $5 for adults, $1 for children 6-12; gardens, free.
When: Carriage museum, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays and 1-4 p.m. Sundays; gardens, 9 a.m.-dusk daily; April-mid-November.
Where: 17263 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg. 703-777-2414, www.morvenpark.org.

Aldie Mill
Of the many gristmills that once dotted Virginia’s landscape, this is one of the very few that has survived. Powered by twin waterwheels, Aldie Mill was built in 1807 and provided grain for soldiers and their horses during the Civil War. The restored structure hosts milling demonstrations on weekends.
Cost: Adults, $4; youths 6-17, $2.
When: Noon-5 p.m. Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. Sundays, mid-April to early November.
Where: 39401 John Mosby Hwy., Aldie. 703-327-9777, www.nvrpa.org/parks/aldiemill.

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STORIES: About The Guide Falling House Prices Take Toll in Va. Suburbs Deciphering the Code for Land Development in Loudoun Neighborhood Flavor A Slight Gap Where the Sidewalk Ends The Federal Worker Next Door

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