Trips for Every Traveler Strolling through Chantilly’s massive National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center puts me up close to thousands of aviation artifacts, including a piece of history that predates Orville and Wilbur Wright’s first flight. By Christine Miller Ford Not long before the Wright Flyer sailed along the Carolina dunes in 1903, Samuel Langley used a catapult to send his colossal "aerodome" into the skies above the Potomac. The idea didn’t fly, but the machine — as well as other treasures like the Space Shuttle Discovery, the SR-71 Blackbird, and the Concorde at the Udvar-Hazy Center — lets visitors to this major Smithsonian museum take in the story of flight from past to present. History at every turn is a given in Fairfax County, but it’s hardly the sole attraction. If I am in the mood to explore nature, I hike or head off on horseback, bike or kayak, go camping or bird-watching. When I want retail therapy, thousands of stores await my discerning eye. Other times, I set off for DC and its fleet of world-class museums or grab a few friends for a girlfriend getaway, perhaps while the men in our lives indulge in their own Fairfax County treat — hot lather shaves at the Grooming Lounge at Tysons Galleria. KIDS AND THEIR GROWN-UPS Youngsters can pick up an adventure map and solve puzzles as they explore Mount Vernon, the colonial home of George Washington, or give 18th century agricultural life a test drive at Claude Moore Colonial Farm. The Family fun at Mount Vernon 36 www.fxva.com
Fairfax County Official Visitors Guide 2017: Page 36
