50 Best Sights in Northern Virginia, Virginia

Outside the Arlington National Cemetery is the lovely and unusual 50-bell musical carillon presented to the United States by the Dutch people in 1960 in gratitude for aid received during World War II. For a good view of Washington, look to the east across the Potomac. From this vantage point the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Capitol appear side by side. The bells are programmed to play patriotic music including the "Star-Spangled Banner" and "America the Beautiful" and even the Dutch national anthem. Every week in the summer there are live concerts of jazz, pop, and other music.

Five miles south of Leesburg on Route 15, Oatlands is a former 3,408-acre plantation built by a great-grandson of Robert "King" Carter, one of the wealthiest pre-Revolution planters in Virginia. The Greek Revival manor house was begun in 1804 in the Federal style; a stately portico and half-octagonal stair wings were added in the 1820s. The house, a National Trust Historic Site, has been meticulously restored, and the manicured fields remain host to equestrian events from spring to fall. Among these is the Loudoun Hunt Point-to-Point in April, a race that brings out the entire community for tailgates and picnics. The terraced gardens here house boxwoods, roses, a reflecting pool, and the Carter tomb. Guided tours of the home and grounds are available daily.

Except from 1899 through 1949, the Old Presbyterian Meeting House has been the site of an active Presbyterian congregation since 1772. Scottish pioneers founded the church, and Scottish patriots used it as a gathering place during the Revolution. Four memorial services were held for George Washington here. The tomb of an unknown soldier of the American Revolution lies in a corner of the small churchyard, where many prominent Alexandrians—including Dr. James Craik, physician and best friend to Washington, and merchant John Carlyle—are interred. The original sanctuary was rebuilt after a lightning strike and fire in 1835. The interior is appropriately plain; if you'd like to visit the sanctuary, you can stop in the office or call ahead for a tour; a historian is generally there on weekdays.

One of the nation’s oldest continually operating farmers' markets has served Alexandria residents since 1753. On Saturday mornings, residents and visitors alike can get fresh meat, dairy, fish, fruits, and vegetables from area farmers. Local artists also sell their work in the bustling Market Square. Stop by year-round.

The headquarters of the United States Department of Defense is the largest low-rise office building in the world. Approximately 26,000 military and civilian workers arrive daily. Astonishingly, the mammoth structure, completed in 1943, took less than two years to construct. Following the September 11, 2001, crash of hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 into the west side of the building, the damaged area was removed in just over a month and repaired in a year. In this same area is the America's Heroes Memorial and Chapel, which pays tribute to the civilians and military members killed in the attack. South of the building is the 2-acre outdoor Pentagon Memorial, with its 184 benches commemorating the lives lost on 9/11. Tours of the Pentagon are free and last about 60 minutes, including a presentation and approximately 1½ miles of walking.

Washington's own 9/11 memorial honors the 184 people who perished when the hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon. Stainless-steel-and-granite benches inscribed with the victims' names are arranged in order by date of birth and where they were when they died. The names of the victims who were inside the Pentagon are situated so that visitors reading their names face the Pentagon, and names of the victims on the plane are arranged so that visitors reading their names face skyward. At each bench is a lighted pool of flowing water. Designed by Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman, the memorial opened to the public on September 11, 2008, the seventh anniversary of the attacks. Volunteer docents periodically stand near the entrance and answer questions. There is no public parking, with the exception of five stalls for handicap-permitted vehicles.

Nearly 3,800 former slaves are buried in this part of Arlington National Cemetery. They're all former residents of Freedman's Village, which operated at the Custis-Lee estate for more than 30 years beginning in 1863 to provide housing, education, and employment training for ex-slaves who had traveled to the capital. In the cemetery the headstones are marked with their names and the word "Civilian" or "Citizen." Buried at Grave 19 in the first row of Section 27 is William Christman, a Union private who died of peritonitis in Washington on May 12, 1864. He was the first soldier (but not the first person) interred at Arlington.

Many distinguished veterans are buried in this area of Arlington National Cemetery near the Tomb of the Unknowns, including boxing champ Joe Louis, ABC newsman Frank Reynolds, actor Lee Marvin, and World War II fighter pilot Colonel "Pappy" Boyington.

Once patronized by Martha Washington, the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary is one of the oldest in the country. The shop now houses a museum of memorabilia, including one of the finest collections of apothecary bottles in the country. In fact, they have so many of these original bottles (20,000 in total) that it took six years to process them all. Tours include discussions of the history of medicine as it was practiced at this family-run business for 141 years.

Unlike the museum on the Mall, which is divided into smaller galleries with dense history and science exhibits, the Udvar-Hazy Center, its annex, displays large aircraft and spacecraft, hung as though in flight throughout two vast, multilevel hangars. This focus makes the center more appealing for families with kids who may not be old enough to take in detailed historical narratives but will certainly be in awe over the marvelous planes. It is also much less crowded than the Mall museum, with room to move. Gaze upon historic aircraft like the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in the world; the sleek, supersonic Concorde; and the Enola Gay, which, in 1945, dropped the first atomic bomb to be used in war on Hiroshima, Japan. Walk alongside space shuttle Discovery, and browse displays of astronaut paraphernalia, including space food and space underwear! If you want to visit the museum while you are waiting for a flight or connection at Dulles, the Fairfax Connector Bus 983 runs daily between the museum and airport for $2 (SmarTrip card or cash); the trip takes 15 minutes.

This Federal-period home has changed hands many times since it was built in 1794 by Richard Bland Lee, Northern Virginia's first representative to Congress. Citizen action in the 20th century saved it from destruction during construction of nearby Dulles Airport; it is now on the Register of National Historic Places. In the 1970s the house and its outbuildings were restored to their original appearance, with a representative kitchen and flower gardens. A 45-minute tour is offered every hour on the hour, and tours of the outbuildings and slave quarters are available daily at 2 pm from mid-March–mid-November. Educational programs, special events, and living-history programs are held here throughout the year.

Many countries established a memorial to their war dead after World War I. In the United States, the first burial at the Tomb of the Unknowns took place at Arlington National Cemetery on November 11, 1921, when the unknown soldier from the "Great War" was interred under the large white-marble sarcophagus. Unknown servicemen killed in World War II and Korea were buried in 1958. The unknown serviceman killed in Vietnam was laid to rest on the plaza on Memorial Day 1984, but was disinterred and identified in 1998. Officials then decided to leave the Vietnam War unknown crypt vacant. Soldiers from the Army's 3rd Infantry ("The Old Guard") keep watch over the tomb 24 hours a day, regardless of weather conditions. Each sentinel marches exactly 21 steps, then faces the tomb for 21 seconds, symbolizing the 21-gun salute, America's highest military honor. The guard is changed with a precise ceremony during the day—every half hour from April through September and every hour the rest of the year. At night the guard is changed every hour.

The Memorial Amphitheater west of the tomb is the scene of special ceremonies on Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and Easter. Mementos from foreign governments are displayed in an indoor trophy room. Across from the amphitheater are memorials to the astronauts killed in the 1986 Challenger space shuttle explosion and to the servicemen killed in 1980 trying to rescue American hostages in Iran. Rising beyond that is the main mast of the USS Maine, the American ship sunk in Havana Harbor in 1898, killing 299 men and sparking the Spanish-American War.

On a beautiful hillside in Arlington, the Air Force Memorial honors the service and sacrifice of America's airmen. Three stainless-steel, asymmetrical spires slice through the skyline up to 270 feet, representing flight, the precision of the "high bomb burst" maneuver performed by the Air Force Thunderbirds, and the three core values of the Air Force: Integrity first, Service before self, and Excellence in all we do. The spires are adjacent to the southern portion of Arlington National Cemetery and visible from the Tidal Basin and Interstate 395 near Washington. At the base of the spires are four 8-foot statues standing guard, a glass wall engraved with the missing man formation, and granite walls inscribed with Air Force values and accomplishments.

Also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, it is inspired by the iconic photograph taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. The memorial depicts six marines raising the current U.S. flag and honors all U.S. Marine Corps personnel whose lives were lost since 1775. It's a 15-minute walk from the Metro station at Arlington National Cemetery, some of it uphill.

Better known simply as "the Iwo Jima," this memorial, despite its familiarity, has lost none of its power to stir the emotions. Honoring Marines who gave their lives since the Corps was formed in 1775, the statue, sculpted by Felix W. de Weldon, is based on Joe Rosenthal's Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph of six Marines raising a flag atop Mt. Suribachi on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima on February 23, 1945. By executive order the U.S. flag flies day and night from the 78-foot-high memorial. On Tuesday evenings from early June to mid-August there's a Marine Corps sunset parade on the grounds of the memorial. On parade nights a free shuttle bus runs from the Arlington Cemetery visitors parking lot.

The "Virginia Winery Guide" lists each of the state's wineries (many offer tours and tastings). It's free and can be picked up at visitor information centers throughout the state or by on the Virginia Wine Board's website. From there you can also find descriptions of more than 500 wine events and festivals that take place each year.

Dating back to 1733, this National Historic Landmark village is a good example of 19th century life in Loudoun County. The Waterford Foundation has a self-guided walking tour of the town—stop by the Visitor Center at the Corner Store for town information. The walking tour is also available online.

What is now this memorial next to the visitor center was once the Hemicycle, a huge carved retaining wall faced with granite at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery. Built in 1932, the wall was restored, with stairways added leading to a rooftop terrace. Inside are 16 exhibit alcoves showing the contributions that women have made to the military—from the Revolutionary War to the present—as well as the history of the memorial itself. A 196-seat theater shows films and is used for lectures and conferences. A computer database has pictures, military histories, and stories of thousands of women veterans. A fountain and reflecting pool front the classical-style Hemicycle and entry gates.

Two iconic homes on one site are found just west of Mount Vernon. Woodlawn overlooks the Potomac River on lands first belonging to the Algonkian-speaking Doeg people, and then lands of George Washington’s larger Mount Vernon plantation. Finished in 1805, the Federal-style mansion was designed for Eleanor and Lawrence Lewis by William Thornton, the architect of the U.S. Capitol. It displays the power and prosperity of America’s first ruling class. Anti-slavery Quakers purchased and transformed Woodlawn in 1805. The Quakers and local free Black people demonstrated that with agricultural reforms and Black landownership, the South could be successfully cultivated without slavery.

Also on the grounds, Pope-Leighey House is a Frank Lloyd Wright Unison home. Designed for the Pope family in 1940, it artfully blends into the landscape. Its innovative design concepts and natural materials create a sense of space and grace. The home is an expression of Wright’s radical vision for beautiful, affordable, and more inclusive middle-class housing. To save it from demolition, the home was moved from Falls Church, Virginia, to Woodlawn in 1965 by its second owner, Marjorie Leighey. It's the only Wright house open to the public in Virginia.

Guides and exhibitions at both houses offer insight into the architectural details of both houses, as well as thoughtful narratives dedicated to telling the fullest story possible about all people associated with the property.