A calm suburban community in Northern Virginia, located 17 miles from Washington DC. Home to George Mason University and the annual Chocolate Festival.
Fairfax, Virginia, sits 14 miles west of Washington, D.C., combining colonial-era landmarks with suburban neighborhoods. You can walk through Old Town Fairfax, where February brings the Chocolate Lover’s Festival with sculpture contests and cocoa tastings. Civil War reenactments take place at Blenheim estate, and George Mason University fills the area with students and cultural events. The Fairfax Regional Library’s Virginia Room archives hold local records dating to the 18th century. From Vienna Metro Station, you can reach Washington’s Smithsonian museums in 28 minutes via the Orange Line. Annual fireworks displays light up the sky over Fairfax High School every July 4th.
Old Town Fairfax: Shops and Seasonal Events
Old Town Fairfax stretches along Main Street and Chain Bridge Road, where brick sidewalks connect 19th-century buildings. Independent stores sell handmade jewelry and vinyl records, and restaurants serve Korean barbecue alongside Neapolitan pizza. In 2005, redevelopment added a three-story library with study rooms and a genealogy center. During the first weekend of February, local chefs create chocolate sculptures for public voting at the Chocolate Lover’s Festival. October’s Fall Festival fills eight blocks with pottery stalls, live glassblowing demonstrations, and food trucks serving pumpkin spice funnel cakes.
Major Annual Events: Festivals and Historical Recreations
Blenheim Historic Site holds Civil War encampments every May, where volunteers fire replica muskets and demonstrate 1860s field medicine. George Mason University collaborates with the city each April for the Spotlight on the Arts Festival, presenting free jazz concerts in parks and student-directed plays. The Irish and Celtic Festival in September includes bodhrán drum workshops and competitions for best traditional soda bread. Fall for the Book brings authors like Colson Whitehead and Jhumpa Lahiri to campus each October for readings in the Johnson Center. July 4th celebrations start with a parade featuring high school marching bands and end with fireworks launched from Fairfax High’s athletic field.
Historical Landmarks: From Courthouses to Soldier Graffiti
The Fairfax Museum displays the 1830s courthouse bell that once alerted residents to Civil War battles. At Blenheim Estate, penciled notes from Union soldiers cover attic walls, including a private’s complaint about "hardtack biscuits." The Ratcliffe-Allison-Pozer House grows 19th-century vegetable varieties like fish pepper and moon and stars watermelon in its garden. Original courtroom benches from 1800 remain in use at Fairfax County Courthouse, where judges still hear cases. Eight miles south, Sully Plantation gives guided tours of slave quarters and the main house’s hand-painted French wallpaper.
George Mason University: Campus Life and Public Access
George Mason University’s campus covers 677 acres south of downtown, with 40,000 students enrolled in programs from cybersecurity to bioengineering. EagleBank Arena hosts Washington Wizards training camps and concerts by performers like Pentatonix. Free student theater productions run weekly at the Center for the Arts’ 500-seat auditorium. On football game days, food trucks sell birria tacos and loaded fries near the 75-foot statue of George Mason. The Fenwick Library’s special collections include letters from Thomas Jefferson and a first-edition copy of the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
Natural Areas: Trails and Recreational Facilities
Accotink Creek starts near Fairfax’s northwest border, flowing past backyards and small parks before reaching Lake Accotink’s boating area. The paved Washington & Old Dominion Trail runs east of the city, popular with cyclists commuting to Reston’s metro station. Van Dyck Park maintains six lit tennis courts open until 10 PM and a skateboard area with quarter pipes. Hikers follow the Cross County Trail’s dirt paths through oak forests between Burke Lake Road and Route 50. Fairfax County operates 23 city parks, including Baron Cameron Park with an 18-hole disc golf course.
Public Transit: Connections to Washington and Beyond
Vienna Metro Station provides Orange Line service to downtown Washington, with trains departing every 8 minutes during rush hour. CUE Bus Route 401 runs between George Mason University and Fair Oaks Mall every 15 minutes on weekdays. Burke Centre VRE Station links to Alexandria’s King Street station in 22 minutes via the Manassas Line. Dulles International Airport remains 12 miles west via Route 50, accessible by Silver Line Metro from Ashburn. Bright orange Capital Bikeshare stations stand outside the courthouse and near University Drive.
Day Trips: Museums and Shopping Near Fairfax
The CIA Museum at Langley exhibits Cold War-era spy cameras and an Enigma machine, open weekdays by appointment. Wolf Trap’s outdoor amphitheater presents evening concerts from June to September, with lawn tickets starting at $30. Tysons Corner Center mall contains 300 stores across four floors, including the region’s largest Barnes & Noble. Mount Vernon displays George Washington’s dentures and a reconstruction of his 16-sided treading barn. Reston Town Center installs an ice rink each November and hosts Friday night concerts near its central fountain.
