SarasotaFL

Will be soon staying in Gainesville, June 3-7. Ideas on activities with an 11-year-old girl and 8-year-old boy? Preferably in the area, no more than an hour drive in any direction.

Thank you for any help!

obxgirl

If you travel during non rush hour, you're less than an hour from downtown DC and the Smithsonian, the Zoo, monuments, etc. Harpers Ferry WV is a little more than an hour from there and is a good day trip. The Friday edition of the Washington Post includes a Weekend section with lots of great suggestions for kids including festivals, fairs and activities that might not get mentioned here.

dan_woodlief

Along with the good suggestions from Obxgirl, it would make sense to see the Manassas battlefields if you have any interest, since they are just up the road a little to the east.

karenvk

OK, I live in the town next to Gainesville and have a 7 and 10 year old so maybe I can help! The Manassas Battlefields which someone mentioned are a great idea and an easy hike. The new annex to the Air and Space museum is only 20 minutes away and an easy trip (rt 66E to 28N and you'll see signs for museum within 5 miles). It only opened in Dec. and we've already been there twice. Splashdown waterpark is in Manassas too. I've personally never been but it's a local favorite. The Vintage VA wine festival I believe is that weekend in the Plains, VA - about 15-20 minutes west of Gainesville and easy to get to off rt.66. Aside from wine tasting, there are live bands all day, crafts, foods and other entertainment too.
Hope this gives you a headstart. Please let me know if you would like any restaurant recommendations. (BTW, DC is an easy 45 minute drive if you don't do it during rush hour and as mentioned by obxgirl there are all the museums and monuments to visit there - I would be sure to hit the Spy museum. Your kids are the perfect age).

ronkala

The Battlefield and and new Air and Space Museum can be done in one day since you are so close. DC would cover a day or two. Harpers Ferry, WV is about 1:10 hr, 63 miles from Gainesville. Charlottesville with Monticello is a bit further, about 1:40, but an easy drive.

Front Royal out I-66 is 45 minutes away if you wanted to do some extra driving on Skyline Drive. Take a picnic lunch along if you go. You can turn around whenever you decide you've had enough.

SarasotaFL

OK, my kids have been to the zoo and Smithsonian before, but not the spy museum. Never had heard of it. I'll check it out. What is in Harpers Ferry? I don't know if there would be any interest in the Manassas Battlefields, but perhaps I can find some children's books at the library to drum it up beforehand. Maybe the Dear America series would do. I'll also look up information on the Air and Space Museum and Splashdown waterpark. We go to waterparks all the time, though, in Florida.

Yes, Karen, any restaurant recommendations would be great. We'll also be visiting Centreville. My children are well behaved and able to eat in any sort of restaurant. They eat a wide variety of foods, too.

Thanks to all who replied. And obxgirl, you had responded to a request of mine for info on Williamsburg last fall and your recommendations were spot on, so double thanks to you!

karenvk

Harpers Ferry is a historic town where John Brown led a revolt in the civil war era. If you're not into history, there are also some great rafting trips that leave from that spot. The Manassas Battlefields won't take too much time but you can see the Stone house which was converted into a hospital during the war and the famous Stone Bridge and the Robinson house. Worth a couple of hours. I really think the new air and space (10 minutes from Centreville) is a must-do. They have an Air France Concorde, the space shuttle Enterprise, a stealth bomber, the Enola Gay and a bunch of other incredible aircraft in this huge hangar. You can also go up to the tower 6 stories up and see planes coming into Dulles on either side of you. An amazing view.
As for restaurants, in Centreville there's Sweetwater Tavern - good american fare. Across the street from that (and also in Gainesville) is Bonefish Grille. It's a chain but quite good and a very nice kid's menu. If you like Cajun food, there's a fun place in Old Town Manassas called Okras. Milwaukee Custard is a delicious treat in Manassas and if you're looking for the best burger around there's a local chain called Foster's Grille. One in Haymarket (right next to Gainesville), Manassas and Old Town Manassas. Sudley Road (rte 234) in Manassas, is a major commercial route and has most of the nationwide chains there too, TGIFridays, Damons (ribs), LoneStar, Dan Pablos (Tex Mex), Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Ruby Tuesdays etc...however, I know that when I travel, I try to experience the local chains and independents as much as possible. Hope this helps and feel free to post back with any other questions.

SarasotaFL

Hi again KarenVK,

Thanks for the restaurant info. We have a Bonefish Grill in Sarasota, and I, like you, prefer not to eat at nat'l chains if possible while traveling. I've printed out the menus from Okras, Foster's Grille, Sweetwater Tavern and Milwaukee Custard. I've also hunted down information on the International Spy Museum, the new wing of the National Air and Space Museum, Splash Down Waterpark, & Manassas Nat'l Battlefield. My kids did not seem very excited about the battlefield idea, but I am checking out some books to see if they might change their minds. The reviews I read at epinions were very positive on the spy museum.

I also stumbled across some other places on which I wouldn't mind hearing your comments. These were recommended at the Washington Post website:
Cassatt's (dinner, family fun night)
ComedySportz (comedy club)
Classika (theater & puppet theater)
Tuckahoe Park & Playfield (playground)

I couldn't find much of anything to do in Centreville or Gainesville, and so chose Arlington as I do have relatives there, too. I don't know if you've even been to any of these, but thought I'd ask. In the next couple of days I'm going to firm up my itinerary and purchase any advance tickets possible. I also read Sweetwaters is very busy and to call ahead to shorten the wait - is that what you do?

Also, although I will be staying with relatives, I do not want to put them out for transportation if not necessary, so I'm wondering if it is possible to get to Arlington from Gainesville with public transportation or if I should rent a vehicle? I'm flying into Dulles and out of Reagan.

Thanks again!
SarasotaFL

karenvk

Sorry but I haven't heard of those 4 places mentioned. The Spy museum is great (and it's almost directly across from the MCI Center where they have an ESPN restaurant and cool gift store). If you go, be sure to have the kids choose their alternate identity at the beginning and track it through the whole museum (there are questions about your alibi throughout the museum and it's cool to see how much you remember of your alibi).
As for Sweetwater's it can't hurt to call ahead... we do that on a weekend, although if you go on a weeknight, there might not be too much of a wait. Also, there's a multiplex movie theater in the same complex so if you plan it right you can hit the 3rd Harry Potter, Shrek or another flick!
Unfortuntately, no public transportation from Arlington to Gainesville; you'll definitely need to rent a car to get around.
One last thing. There are a lot of places in VA and MD where you can pick your own strawberries this time of year. My kids love doing that.
Hope this has been helpful!
Karen