Fairfax County Official Visitors Guide - 2026 Fairfax County Official Visitors Guide
History Hot Spots
2025-11-21 09:52:11
Step back in time at these fascinating sites offering a glimpse of Virginia’s early days.
George Washington’s Mount Vernon Wander our first president’s storied estate to learn about who George Washington was as a man, a farmer, an entrepreneur, a general and a president. Explore the estate’s mansion, lush gardens and interesting outbuildings, as well as a new immersive museum and a Revolutionary War living history pathway.
George Mason’s Gunston Hall Visit the “Home of American Rights,” where an influential founding father lived in the 18th century. George Mason is known as the “Father of the Bill of Rights” and his Virginia Declaration of Rights became the basis for the U.S. Bill of Rights.
Historic Blenheim & Civil War Interpretive Center At Blenheim, a circa-1859 brick farmhouse built by the Willcoxon family in the City of Fairfax, you’ll learn how this home became a refuge for Civil War Union soldiers, who left signatures, drawings and musings scribbled (and now preserved) on its walls. Afterward, explore 12 acres that include an 1840s cottage and a period cemetery.
Sully Historic Site Tour the 1790s home of Northern Virginia’s first U.S. Congressman, Richard Bland Lee. Learn about early American life and the people who lived here, as well as the property’s connection to the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
Woodlawn & Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House Admire famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s classically modern Pope-Leighey House, which was designed in a way that brings the outdoors inside. The home shares property with Woodlawn, an 18th century estate once owned by George Washington that also carries a captivating history related to social activism and the American story.
Colvin Run Mill Tour a 200-year-old operational, water-powered gristmill and purchase the artisanal flours, grits, cornmeal and buckwheat still made from the mill at the site’s historic general store.
George Washington’s Distillery® & Gristmill Attend a small-batch spirits tasting event or take a specialty tour of a fully functional reconstruction of our first president’s distillery and gristmill, located 3 miles from Mount Vernon’s main entrance. Imagine what it was like in 1799, when nearly 11,000 gallons of whiskey were produced here! This site serves as the Gateway to the American Whiskey Trail.
Historic Huntley House Built as a summer getaway for Thomson Francis Mason, former mayor of Alexandria and grandson of George Mason, this Federal-period villa on the National Register of Historic Places is an architectural jewel. Visit the grounds April through October for insightful tours and family outings.
Ox Hill Battlefield Park Explore Fairfax County’s only major Civil War battle site, where more than 1,500 soldiers were wounded or killed on Sept. 1, 1862. Now a tranquil park to take a stroll, visitors can learn about the battle from a historian via audio tour.
Pohick Church The home church of George Washington and George Mason, this grand red-brick place of worship still hosts services and boasts a meaningful tie to early American history as the “Mother Church of Northern Virginia.” Experience the ground’s lush, manicured lawn and see historical burial plots, as well as a 12th century baptismal font.
Tinner Hill Historic Park Visit a peaceful park celebrated as a pivotal point for African American history. Here, Joseph and Elizabeth Tinner fought segregation laws threatening their small Tinner Hill community, which resulted in the very first rural branch of the NAACP.
Historic Fairfax Courthouse Constructed in 1799 and a significant site during the early stages of the Civil War, this historic brick courthouse now showcases colonial-style wainscoting and an imposing facade. It is also home to the Last Will and Testament of both George and Martha Washington.