This was my first time visiting Morven Park. It's a beautiful park with a garden and a historically…read more protected mansion. I went here to take some scenic pictures with my wife and daughter. We were hoping to see some blooming but it's still a little early in the season to see its full glory. There were two beautiful magnolia trees in full bloom and that was worth the visit in itself. There are some picnic tables next to the public parking lot which makes for a nice place to have a picnic. There's an equine center in the park and I'm sure it's awesome for horse enthusiasts. I'm looking forward to coming back and enjoying a nice walk with my family.

We purchased the guided tour. Tickets were $16. Our tour guide Lizzy was very knowledgeable about…read morethe history of the house and the Westmorland Davis family. Westmorland Davis was the governor of Virginia. The rooms were opulently decorated. See the many photo! The upstairs guestrooms have been turned into the museum of hounds and hunting at Morven Park. which is a self guided tour. Lots of paintings of horses, foxes dogs.

Very nice tour and house of George Marshall. Tickets are not required in advance, and as I wasn't…read moresure when I'd be in town, we just called to confirm they were open for a tour, and that worked out. Just look up the address of where to park (as it's in the back on a different street) and you're good to go. The tour starts off with an informative movie. The house stayed with Marshall's family until it became a public historical site, so all the rooms were just as he left them. The tour guide had a lot of good stories about the private life of Marshall, which was really interesting to hear about. I'm glad the house was preserved, despite it being in rough shape when the last family member sold it. It's a gem of a site. There is a very small gift shop section. The tours are a bit over an hour and totally worth it to visit.

I loved this place! Good docents made for a great experience. Highly recommend coming here. Each…read moretour is led by a different guide, and has a slightly different experience based on their stories. But it was fascinating to really learn about the role George Marshall played in history, and about how impressive he was in putting Service over self.

Beautiful, well-cared for property. We thoroughly enjoyed hiking the trails and wandering around…read morethe grounds and gardens!

Love this place. Mansion is fun. I have cross country schooled here, and attended Polo in the Park…read more So much to see and do at this venue.

The Heritage Farm Museum is one of my favorite ways to entertain a toddler on a rainy / hot / snowy…read moreday! You can spend a full morning here, running around, playing, and exploring all the different exhibits and not get bored. The general store is a personal favorite and my kiddos love putting on an apron, stocking and restocking shelves, and pretending to purchase bread and potatoes. There is also a little interactive farm, one room school house, and recreation of an old timey kitchen that are a big hit with our toddler set. In nicer weather days, they have actual farm demonstrations and lots of tractors and other wheeled contraptions for kids to look at. The cost of a morning of fun? $5 for adults, $3 for kids, and FREE NINETY NINE for the two and under set. You can tire your kiddos out, grab lunch at nearby Ridgetop Coffee (which has an indoor playroom), and have a peaceful car nap home. Truly one of the best hidden gems for families here in Nova.

Great spot to spend a few hours with your toddler! The museum is small but perfectly sized for…read moresmall toddlers that need to burn energy on a hot or rainy day. The woman at the front desk was incredibly nice and helpful. The play areas were clean and creative. There farm area and general store were our toddler's favorite! Would definitely recommend and we will be back soon

Oatlands is a beautiful house that merges the history of the 18th-century Carter owners and the…read more20th-century Eustises, who donated the house to the public. The house was beautifully decorated at the holidays. The tour guide seemed not to like or want to focus on the history of the house or the objects inside unless asked. It felt like she was bringing a lot of personal biases to her perspective, which made the experience a lot less enjoyable than it could have been otherwise. She took us through the first-floor rooms and then announced the top floor is self-guided only. At the admission price, that detracted from it being a better experience. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is the new manager of the site, and they bring a historical interpretation to the site that some visitors may not find as valuable as the tours given by the previous volunteer staff. There is a garden, a greenhouse, and a nice-sized gift shop. It's a beautiful house, and I did like getting some information on the inhabitants and the long history of the property. The presentation itself needed improvement, but the site was worth preserving.

I wasn't going to rate the Oatlands because we attended the Stage Coach Theater at the Oatlands but…read moreI believe it also deserved to be rated! The road down to the main building was not paved, very long and bumpy. Once you arrive to where you're ready to park there really aren't any signs directing you of where to go so we went up to someone at the big building and asked if we were at the right place to which they confirmed we were. I would suggest a larger sign on the main road stating that the entrance is coming up rather than right at the entrance. There was a very cute store inside which would have been very nice to shop at but there was only one person working the pay line which was also full of people buying drinks and cocktails. I highly suggest at least 2 people working that area in the beginning when people are arriving and definitely at intermission. We would have purchased more if we were able to get in line, purchase our items, and be back in time but we didn't think we would make it back in time. Also, when leaving any event, PLEASE be very careful. There weren't any lights leading away from the building to the parking lot which was pretty scary given that it also was not paved or a sidewalk. It was rocks/dirt and we all had to use our phones to leave. This could be dangerous for others that may have more of a difficult time seeing at night.

Pros: play street, I think one of the only ones in the area. (Although there is a cute one in WV…read morethat has a cafe with food too). It's clean, bright. I love that there are also crafting options, some tables with puzzles as well. In a shopping area so plenty of easy parking. Your child gets to pick a snack at the end which helps with the "I don't want to leave" tantrums Cons: The price is hefty $16 for 1.5 hours. It's hard to get behind this when I can go to a place like me land in chantilly for $10 and unlimited play time with a much bigger space and a lot more to do. The snack helps with that but still, at this price I'll come maybe every other month. At $10, I go every week sometimes multiple times a week. The space is small and they are cleaning while you're playing, in such a small space this feels rude/ puts unneeded pressure on the customer. Especially since they have a gap to clean before the next time slot. Overall: I would come again but not often due to the price. If you have a really crafty kid and only one younger kid I feel the price might become worth it. If you have kids in a spread out age range, or who don't like crafts, or you don't want to deal with the stress of having to be there at a certain time, and leave after just 1.5 hour. There are certainly better options both from an affordability standpoint as well as quality.

I brought my youngest here for their Easter event and she had a blast! The session was 90 minutes…read moreof play with opportunity to take pics with the bunny. This is hands down the cleanest indoor space we've been too and we've been to lots. The staff here were super friendly and regularly cleaning and putting things away. The play space has a town motif with a crafting and art area and then a vehicles, blocks, and dinosaur area. My daughter's favorite was the vet space, followed by the recycling truck. She spent a fair amount of time with the dinosaurs and at the grocery too. We never made it to the play areas on the left side. 90 minutes just really isn't enough time to cover it all if your little spends a long time in one area. I looked online to book play for another weekend and was shocked to see they only offer play 9-1030 on the weekends. I'm a working single mom, child in preschool, and we live in Springfield-essentially the weekend schedule means we won't be able to return without setting out super early. I love the imaginative play concept so I really hope they open a space closer to Fairfax or open up additional weekend play hours.

I forgot I even went to the Aldie Mill. Bored at home. Took a ride. Stopped in here. The outside…read moreself tour is one grassy area at the back of the mill and a short 200 yard path over a creek to the FD. The building looked great but not much to report on. Oh. I did find a 1/2 inch screw in the gravel driveway and also when coming out of the mill onto the road (50 West) there's not a good view of oncoming traffic. Hold your breath and gun it.

Our homeschool group did a field trip here and the kids loved it. We were still in the parking lot…read morewhen my 7 year old asked when we are coming back. The staff was so kind and Informative. They really took their time to explain everything to the kids. The mill and grounds are beautiful and very well kept. Highly recommend.

I was driving to see the McKee-Beshers sunflowers when I stumbled upon this gem…read more This Seneca Schoolhouse Museum was built in 1865, and is a historic one room schoolhouse which is now used for educational programs and event space. I didn't get to really go explore the grounds since the gate was close. They did offer a history board about the building and the grounds from outside for people to read about it. I checked out the website, and it would seem this gets frequented by elementary school kids for a field trip back into time. I think it's great! It really is well preserved and well located for the what it was used during its time as an active school house right near the C & O Canal. If in the area - come visit and take yourself back into time.