Totally awesome. Think of Clifton, VA more of an intersection among 3 roads and less as a 'town'…read more Only come if you've got a stack of $100 bills, boy. Because that is all it is. The cluster features some wine stores, post office, a few bars, breakfast place, cafe, restaurants and shops in the antique/vintage field. All around are fields, forests and mansions. Clifton is a properly old and rustic, but also a quaint village that suits ideally for a visit to get away from the hustle elsewhere. Across the tracks are tourist signs, benches, in the summer umbrellas for shade to sit under and a small smattering of stores and shops to venture near and window browse. Take note: the businesses get crowded on nice days as there are few of them and lots of people visiting. Clifton, VA was originally along a rail line, that cut its way through Old Dominion and connected the town to the rest of the state. Along this train line, many skirmishes happened during the Civil War - when Northern Union soldiers and Southern Rebels took evasive actions against each other. Clifton is splendid. Once you are in the town, nobody wants to leave as it is in a small valley. Old timers show up in revamped sports cars, couples dawdle and youngsters run about (obviously drunk). It's fun! Clifton is a small oasis. Rebel review: 5

If you want to take a step back in time and visit a small Virginia town, then take a beautiful…read morecounty drive to Clifton. There are NO chain stores here. In fact, there are only 1-2 shops and several restaurants. The main draw are the historical markers along the railroad tracks that describe their history and importance and the quaint 1900's architecture. The first railroad station, now gone, was built around 1850. The railroad was important during the Civil War with many battles fought near this border town. The town remains unchanged since the 1930's. Colorful homes line the street each telling a story. Amenities are limited. There is some street parking and a small parking lot behind Buckley's store. Parking is free. The only restrooms are in the restaurants. All the restaurants are good. Gas up before you come.

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!

Heads up: Graffiti House is only open from noon to 4p on Saturdays. Sign on the front says those…read morehours will be in place through Dec 2026

It's only open every other Saturday seasonally, but it was a really unique and interesting Civil…read moreWar site - featuring graffiti. It delivers what it promises. This seemed pretty common for troops to occupy houses on their travels and doodle on the walls, but this was a lucky example to preserve it behind paint which was discovered in time for it to avoid demolishion. Some graffiti is better preserved/readable than others, but it is a recent site to be opened to the public, so it's a work in progress. It's interesting to think of the young men who strolled through here 150 years ago. There was a knowledgeable guide who walked us through a few rooms pointing to some of the writing, a small exhibit, and a small gift shop. It's free, but since it's all volunteers, we gave a donation. It won't take very long to go through, but it's a cool historical site to visit in the area.

Must see and must do site on the PWC- Fauquier County line. While the site itself was closed on the…read moreday I visited, I walked the nature trail and was able to see the mill and the all the ruins on the trail. The train still runs by and the water from Broad Run make a spectacular scene. Good for families, solo hikes, or a date. Really special place and important historical site.

I was driving down the interstate and all of a sudden I see this massive structure. I knew it was…read morehistoric. I flew on by realizing it would be painful trying to get there when I was on the same side as it was on my way to Shenandoah. On my way back, I managed to figure out what this place was. It was an old 5 story stacked stone structure built in 1742 that had survived several wars and milled food through all of them. in 1998, it was victimized by arson. The roof is gone, and the building has remanence from the fire. Currently, the mill is blocked off from being accessed. According to their website, they are making updates to the road. I accessed it by the railroad that runs behind the building, but as mentioned, the fence does prevent from access. It was really neat to see and I really wish it wasn't blocked off so I could get closer. It's definitely worth a stop if you're in Broad Run and into history.

This is one of three locations where you can find historical markers for the Battle of Brandy…read moreStation, the largest battle predominately fought by mounted soldiers in North America and de-facto start of the Gettysburg campaign. Of the three sites, this is closest to the ford so technically it should be the first stop if you're going to hit all three in the order of the fighting. Not a lot to see here thought; just an empty field with a very short mowed walking path. The other two historic markers are at 20362 Fleetwood Heights Rd (which had a separate Yelp entry) and the corner of St James Church Rd / Beverly Ford Rd (my GPS read it at about 13198 St James Church Rd). Each is only a few minutes drive away. Ironically, of the three, the St James Church Rd location is probably the most interesting - yet it's the only one without a Yelp entry. To see the other location, look here. http://www.yelp.com/biz/battle-of-brandy-station-brandy-station And yes there is hunting in the area; I waved at some guys who had their bright orange vests on. If you keep going over the concrete bridge, you will be rewarded with several other historic markers on the hill.

"Ascent" by John Safer is a monumental sculpture that rises like a gleaming exclamation mark at the…read moreentrance of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport. Standing 70 feet tall, this polished steel form twists and tapers upward in a fluid, aerodynamic gesture. It commemorates the human journey of flight and the grandeur of the Museum's collection. Safer believed that sculpture should capture "the essence and reduce the subject to the pure line in space." This is truly metallurgical poetry and when you view it without the museum or the trees in the way, it looks like a rocket launch against the blue sky. [Review 1031 of 2025 - 1515 in Virginia - 24585 overall]

This sculpture is the work of artist John Safer who crafted the piece in 2003. It looks great,…read moreespecially for being 20 years old. This helical shaped sculpture demands your attention. You will find it in the parking lot of the National Air & Space Museum Steven F Udvar-Hazy Center. You cannot miss it as you are approaching the museum. It towers at 75 feet tall and looks like a spiraling contrail of a jet. It is made of polished stainless steel and is an abstract piece whose interpretation is left to the viewer. There are some that believe the sculpture's upward soaring image represents man's desire to soar to the heavens. Safer is a very active artist with his work being featured in over 1,000 museums and embassies worldwide. But most notably and least known, Safer was a WWII veteran and an emeritus board member of the Air and Space museum. I have to admit, I like this piece. It drew me in and I could not take my eyes off of it. The pieces sits in a calming reflection pool with a little waterfall. That is a nice touch and pushed it to five stars for me. I do not know if it is allowed or encouraged, but some people have even thrown some money into the sculpture's reflection pool. The sculpture sits right out of the museum's front door. It is connected by a long walkway and you pass through Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Wall of Honor, a collection of curved stainless steel plaques that line the walkway and lists the names of those that have received the flying cross and those with a passion for flight. This is not a destination piece, but an add on piece. The vast majority of the sculpture's viewers will be visitors of the museum. At $15 to park, I do not see it being a stand alone, even though I believe the first 20 minutes of parking are free. But anyway, this is a nice addition to the museum. I hung out at the sculpture about 10 minutes after I exited the museum. I recommend checking it out up close.

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]

Great Community Center that offers many activities and events throughout the year. The pool is…read moregreat for the family when it's open during the summer.

The Middleburg Community Center was first conceived in 1946 and after a flurry of fund raising,…read moreconstruction commenced and the building was completed in 1948. The facility has hosted many activities over the years and is rented out for weddings, private parties, seminars, meetings, and more. In years past, I've spent part of a Sunday manning a booth at a particular show that is held every year in this building. It's a neat building from a historical perspective - but it has one issue - the building does not do real well at cooling. When you pack a lot of people into an old building like this - all those folks sucking oxygen combined with the lack of air flow - really makes the place uncomfortable. It's even worse - on a day like today - where you have a sudden warm snap!