Fall in Fairfax, It's Monumental

Day 1

Warm sunny days, cool nights, flaming foliage, festivals and family memories make fall the time to visit Old Town Fairfax. We’re at the epicenter of some of the sites your favorite veteran will long treasure seeing. Enjoy long hikes and early holiday shopping at one of Metropolitan Washington’s best-kept secrets….the city of Fairfax.  The city’s 31st Annual Fall Festival will be held on Saturday, October 18th  on the Old Town Streets. Bibliophiles should plan their visit for September 24-30 for George Mason University’s literary event, “Fall for the Book.”

Start your visit with a hearty meal on the Fairfax Boulevard. (Route 50 & 29) The shopping district offers an array of excellent restaurants, new car dealerships, unique one of a kind stores and furniture shopping options for your home.

Proceed to Old Town Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center for an orientation. See the displays of area history in this 1882 then take the self-guided walking tour with the “Courting History” brochure.”

Spend the evening at a basketball game with the George Mason Patriots, the darling of the 2006 Final Four or family entertainment at The Patriot Center. www.patriotcenter.com)

Day 2

Travel south on 123 to the Fairfax Station Museum and St. Mary’s Church famed for Clara Barton’s efforts treating Civil War soldiers.

Continue south to the Occoquan Regional Park, once a workhouse for suffragettes seeking the right to vote. Stroll along the Occoquan River or join in some bass fishing with the locals.

Return to Fairfax for an afternoon at The National Firearms Museum ( 703-267-1600) at 11250 Waples Mill Road where the Second Amendment is celebrated.

Lunch at nearby Lamplighter Inn before heading off to the Steven Udvar Hazy Center, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (202-357-2700 housing the Enola Gay and hundreds of other historic aircraft. (www.nasm.org)

Enjoy dinner in Old Town Fairfax,(Coyote Grill offers great Mexican) before choosing a movie or a concert at The Center for the Arts. (www.gmu.edu/cfa)

Day 3

Enjoy breakfast in Old Town Fairfax. Pack a picnic lunch for your military adventures. Muster up and head out to the new National Museum of the Marine Corps accessible off 123 and I-95 south at 18900 Jefferson Davis Highway in Triangle. The new museum building is inspired by the flag-raising at Iwo Jima. Inside, you’ll learn the 225 year history of the Corps.

Pass through the Quantico National Cemetery located on 700 wooded acres. Drive the memorial path flanked with flags and information on the heroes interred on the grounds.

Stop by the Manassas Museum at 9101 Prince William Street (703-368-1873) in Manassas for a view of a village that was re-built in its entirety after being destroyed by the Civil War.

Enjoy your picnic on the expansive acreage of the Manassas National Battlefield Park. (703-361-1339) 6711 Sudley Road in Manassas)You can spend several hours or several days walking the 5,000 acre historic site where armies clashed…twice with the same outcome, a Confederate victory. Stop at the visitors’ center for the film, exhibits, bookstore and ranger programs.

Return to Old Town Fairfax to visit the Marr Monument, site of the first Confederate officer fatality during the conflict. Spend a few hours on reading or research at the Virginia Room at the Fairfax Regional Library! They can help you research your ancestry or Civil War history. 

Day 4

Take the Orange Line of Washington Metro to Arlington National Cemetery. See the Women in Military Service to America Memorial, JFK’s Gravesite, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and other revered places in American history.  From Arlington, it’s just a short walk to the Iwo Jima Memorial or across the Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial to the WW II Memorial. Or book a Spies of Washington Tour offered by the Cold War Museum by calling 703-273-2381 www.coldwar.org.