Love this park and glad it's back open! We had a nice hike doing the green to red trail loop. Check…read moreAlltrails for exact routes. However, I believe that the overlook remains fully closed, which is a huge bummer. It was a great view. That said, you can never go wrong with a walk in the woods! We saw lots of great scaly critter friends along the route. We took pictures, said hello, and left them alone. I think some of the concern about the overlook was that it was disturbing wildlife? So maybe with time we can prove we are worthy of this beautiful natural landscape.

I really do love this hiking system. The mountain has several colored trails, all are fun and none…read moreare overly difficult. They have some good historic markers and water features to enjoy. My only issue is they have restricted access to Friday-Sunday. Not sure why this was done, hopefully no one was abusing the trail during the week, but it causes the trails to be pretty crowded on the weekends.

This marker is located in a small clearing along John Marshall Highway as it parallels the…read moreinterstate. As you can imagine, the Civil War passed through here a number of times and this commemorates one such instance. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Lee and Longstreet, moving eastward to join Jackson at Manassas, found this gap held by a Union force, August 28, 1862. They forced the gap, after some fighting, and moved on toward Manassas, August 29, 1862." This is marker number 1-FA and it was erected in 1928 by the Conservation & Development Commission. There is parking here. [Review 1027 of 2025 - 1512 in Virginia - 24581 overall]

While I am not a member of this Country Club (I'm not a member of any CC for that matter!), it is a…read morenice place. I went over here last evening to attend a concert that is part of the "Haymarket Summer Concert Series." The concerts are free, but there is food and beverages available - folks are encouraged to buy tickets for the food - with the funds going to the preservation of the Evergreen Manor House - which is on the grounds of the Evergreen Country Club. The Evergreen Manor House has a history going back to the Civil War and is is on the National Register of Historic Places. It's a very scenic setting, the concert was on the front lawn of the Manor House, the location is right at the foot of Bull Run Mountain, the sun was setting, it was a nice time!

I lovely place to visit is you are in this area. The grounds are extensive. You can drive around…read morethe perimeter and stop in designated parking areas, which makes it more manageable to explore all the different parts of the Arboretum in one visit. There is a lively garden near the main building, which was so peaceful to walk through. Wonderful groves of all different kinds of David trees and the bamboo forest should not be missed! It was magical to walk through the tall bamboo.

I was late to enjoying the ginkgo garden but it's still beautiful. The facility was clean and…read moreorganize.

You should visit even if you are not a history or Civil War enthusiast Very accessible location…read moreand beautiful views of an important event in US history

It's bigger than you think. 18 miles for the car tour and a ton more hiking paths. It was also…read morehillier than I thought. Once you're there you'll understand how prominent Henry and Matthews's hills are. Well worth the visit.

Cool little U.S. Post Office - one which has been here as long as I can remember - it sits right…read moreoff of Route 55 in between Haymarket and The Plains - sitting right in Thoroughfare Gap - a break in the Bull Run mountain chain. It's an interesting little post office for a few reasons - it sits on the side of the road all by its lonesome little self; it is the first country post office I can ever recall seeing with a security fence around the front door (see the picture attached to this review); and the little receipt printers they are using must be 15-20 years old. I went in earlier this week to mail a package that needed to be weighed for proper postage - I decided on a whim to try out the Broad Run PO instead of the Haymarket Post Office - where there is ALWAYS a line and usually only one or two postal clerks. It's a few miles farther out of my way, but always a pretty drive! Well, I was the only one at the Broad Run PO! The clerk was sitting behind a desk in the back when I arrived. I asked him if they get much business - he said yes at times they do - he went on to say that they get customers from Haymarket, The Plains, and Warrenton (as well as the surrounding Broad Run zip code). When I asked for a receipt, that old receipt printer was so very loud and slow - it seemed like it took 2 minutes to print my receipt (it was actually less time than that) - I was somewhat amused and entertained by the fact that after all these years - the same good ole equipment is still functioning and good enough for a country post office.

Used self service mailing and was very pleased for the after-hours feature. Took a little time to…read morefind it but good mailing features for such a small location.

I'll start off with THIS BRIDGE IS ON A PRIVATE ROAD. *Someone* may have trespassed to get to the…read morebridge. If that's a concern for you, I would suggest finding another bridge or stopping to ask the owners if it's okay to pass. That someone was respectful in that they drove very slowly and did not "splash" through any potholes to make them any bigger. Built in 1896, renovated in 1989 and then updated again in 1990, this is a multiple Kingpost through truss bridge. It crosses Smith Creek and is open to vehicular traffic. There is a "caution" sign that indicates that the bridge is not weight rated and you're crossing at your own risk. I did not drive my car across the bridge. There is a small spot on the west side of the bridge to stop your vehicle and not block any potential traffic. You can walk down a bit to get a good profile picture of the bridge. The bridge is in amazing condition considering that it is over 100 years old. It could be the fact that it's on private land that keeps the idiots from damaging it and also limits the amount of traffic it has to carry. [Review 15105 overall, 607 of 2021, number 1320 in Virginia.]

The gps directed us to a location that has no covered bridge. It was more like a half shed like…read morestructure.

Beautiful example of early Prince William County farm house c.1791. Right next to the library so…read moreyou can see it whether the library is open or not.

Vint Hill is located between Gainesville and Warrenton. It is an emerging destination for locals…read moreand visitors. Vint Hill is a historic place. The U.S. Army operated a cryptology school and an intelligence gathering station at the former sheep and cattle farm during World War II. After the war, the Army used Vint Hill for research and development. The Army discontinued use of the property in 1997. Vint Hill now is open to the public. It is a scenic spot that offers many things to do. For food and beverages, there currently is a brewery, a winery, speciality food shop, cafe serving lunch, and more... These places are all located close to the Cold War Museum. There is a public swimming pool open seasonally. The tiny base movie theater still shows movies. There is a popular dog park. There are a number of park areas that are great for jogging, walking, or just relaxing. At the edge of Vint Hill, is Lake Brittle where you can go fishing, or rent a boat (seasonally). There is also a snack bar here open seasonally. Unfortunately, the park areas and the lake both lack bathroom facilities beyond port-a-potties. There are a number of businesses located at Vint Hill and one church that I am aware of. A lot of land is available for development. I heard that an independent coffee shop is slated to open. That would be great. I only hope that development does not get out of hand and ruin the nature areas that exist here. There is already extensive housing on the backside of Vint Hill. Traffic is not a problem here at present. Fingers crossed that new development is not overwhelming and that no more trees are cut down. Check Yelp reviews for the places located at Vint Hill and plan a visit!

The post-Civil War residence of Confederate Colonel John Mosby, leader of "Mosby Raiders", has been…read moreclosed since November 2014. According to the Warrenton tourism office, the foundation running it apparently ran out of money, and there is no information regarding what is going to happen next. It's a shame, because it's a neat piece of history in the middle of a quaint historical town. All you can do (for now) is look at the house from the outside. But for those who need their Mosby "fix", his grave is in the Warrenton Cemetery, only a few blocks away. You can find it next to the Confederate memorial.