I have had a plot at the City of Fairfax Community Garden for two years. I love being so close to…read morethe garden and having the opportunity to garden when I live in a small condo. Water is provided and the fees are very reasonable. We get plenty of sun, and the Picket fence surrounding the garden is super cute. I highly recommend getting on the waiting list if you live in the city and want to garden! The spot also gets plenty of sun. :)

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!

Took the family here on a weekday morning in early July while we were on vacation in the area. We…read morewere welcomed and given instructions plus everything we needed to have a successful outing picking berries. The blueberries were plentiful and beautiful. The six of us stayed about an hour and we picked about 8lbs. worth. Came home and had a great blueberry pancake breakfast using some fresh berries. The owner is a wonderful lady and we spent some time chatting about the area and things to do. She introduced us to her emu and was a very gracious hostess. Highly recommend a stop here if you are nearby during berry season!

Awesome opening day at Buffy's Blueberries! Charlene/Buffy is a wonderful welcoming owner! My…read morehusband and I quickly picked 10lbs of beautiful organic blueberries. The 15 varieties will make a great pie or tasty smoothie or preserves. Buffy's has chickens and a HUGE Emu!! Don't forget to check to see if there are farm fresh eggs for sale too. Be sure to bring cash as it is cash only. Great place to bring the family. Love Buffy's Farm!!

I recently visited Sankofa Community Orchard to learn more about the orchard and what it offers…read more It's such a great place for the community. Sankofa is a five screen green space with over 80 fruit trees! You can visit Sankofa to learn more about gardening and harvest fresh fruits and veggies. They offer field trips for schools and you can volunteer on the weekends. Such a pivotal addition to many communities in Richmond.

The Roanoke Valley Sister Cities Sculpture is a secluded square between Church and Kirk St. near…read morethe downtown market square in Roanoke. In warmer months this is a great place to sit on a park bench and watch life or reflect. The sculptures represent Roanoke's Sister Cities in Brazil, Kenya, China, Poland, Korea, Russia and France. Trees offer shade in the summer and a background of birds cheeping all year. It's not enough to drown the sounds of City life, but if you focus you can stop focusing. I like cutting through here on my visits to Roanoke and enjoy the different kinds of people who escape into this square.