Must see and must do site on the PWC- Fauquier County line. While the site itself was closed on the…read moreday I visited, I walked the nature trail and was able to see the mill and the all the ruins on the trail. The train still runs by and the water from Broad Run make a spectacular scene. Good for families, solo hikes, or a date. Really special place and important historical site.

I was driving down the interstate and all of a sudden I see this massive structure. I knew it was…read morehistoric. I flew on by realizing it would be painful trying to get there when I was on the same side as it was on my way to Shenandoah. On my way back, I managed to figure out what this place was. It was an old 5 story stacked stone structure built in 1742 that had survived several wars and milled food through all of them. in 1998, it was victimized by arson. The roof is gone, and the building has remanence from the fire. Currently, the mill is blocked off from being accessed. According to their website, they are making updates to the road. I accessed it by the railroad that runs behind the building, but as mentioned, the fence does prevent from access. It was really neat to see and I really wish it wasn't blocked off so I could get closer. It's definitely worth a stop if you're in Broad Run and into history.

I lovely place to visit is you are in this area. The grounds are extensive. You can drive around…read morethe perimeter and stop in designated parking areas, which makes it more manageable to explore all the different parts of the Arboretum in one visit. There is a lively garden near the main building, which was so peaceful to walk through. Wonderful groves of all different kinds of David trees and the bamboo forest should not be missed! It was magical to walk through the tall bamboo.

I was late to enjoying the ginkgo garden but it's still beautiful. The facility was clean and…read moreorganize.

While I am not a member of this Country Club (I'm not a member of any CC for that matter!), it is a…read morenice place. I went over here last evening to attend a concert that is part of the "Haymarket Summer Concert Series." The concerts are free, but there is food and beverages available - folks are encouraged to buy tickets for the food - with the funds going to the preservation of the Evergreen Manor House - which is on the grounds of the Evergreen Country Club. The Evergreen Manor House has a history going back to the Civil War and is is on the National Register of Historic Places. It's a very scenic setting, the concert was on the front lawn of the Manor House, the location is right at the foot of Bull Run Mountain, the sun was setting, it was a nice time!

We arrived at Thomas Stone National Historic Site with about 30 minutes before the afternoon tour…read morebegan. The visitor center volunteers greeted us warmly. We spent a few minutes talking with them before watching the park film, which gave a great overview of the site's significance. Afterwards, we walked the grassy path from the visitor center to the historic house, Haberdeventure. The path led us past the family cemetery, where old gravestones marked the resting places of generations. The Stone family lived on this estate from the 1700s to 1936. Their contributions to Maryland and the nation were remarkable. The ranger met us at the house for our tour. As we stepped inside, he explained that this was considered a mansion by colonial standards. He shared stories of the Stone family and pointed out original pieces. His wealth of knowledge enabled him to answer all of our questions. After the tour, we spent some time exploring the grounds and taking photos.

If you're into history, the Thomas Stone National Historic Site is worth visiting, but you need to…read morego into it with the proper mindset- one of mourning. The property is well preserved and managed by the National Park Service. There's a parking lot with a dirt path leading to the actual house dating back to 1771 where Thomas Stone, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, lived with his family. In fact, the property stayed within the family until 1936. However, you must know that the grounds were a plantation and enslaved people. It would be wrong to enter the space without acknowledging that tragic fact and grieve as you visit. It's a sad testimony to why systemic racism still exists and it should push us to fight for justice for all today.

Great opportunity to walk in the footprints of history. Overall, expect your visit to last about an…read morehour and a half. The Visitors Center provides a mini museum with background on Lincoln's life. Across from the Visitor's Center is Lincoln's Cottage where he spent roughly 13 months living in. While the fields and views were picturesque, the cottage was pretty barebones - devoid of furniture, background information, or anything that put you in more of an understanding of Lincoln's life there. The guide did provide some stories and even invoked some voices that came over speakers in a few of the rooms. They do have a number of festivals such as the Bluegrass and Bourbon Festival in May and I'd gladly return for those.

Right away: the people who complain about no furniture in the cottage . . . you have no…read moreimagination and lack vision. I've done almost all the history/nerdy stuff in DC. This is one of my favorites so far. First, I like the fact that there is little furniture in the cottage. For one, The Lincolns didn't furnish the cottage separately; they brought the furniture from the Whitehouse every trip. So the foundation has no idea of knowing how the cottage was set up, even if they wanted to buy reproductions (and really, why are we impressed with reproductions?) Secondly . . . the fact that they cottage is mostly empty, you really get to envision Lincoln, the man . . . you can form a picture in your head of what happened here, who he was . . . ESPECIALLY with the help of the knowledgable, passionate guides. This is not a 20 or 30 minute tour. You're going to be here at least an hour. Our tour was a little over an hour. Our guide, Haley, was enthusiastic and painted Lincoln clearly for us. She relayed multiple anecdotes and examples of how Lincoln was a man of the earth, a man of the people. A man who liked to tell stories and jokes. I was the only American from the US on our tour, and Haley related to everyone. Involved everyone. Challenged everyone to think about the various stories and scenarios she presented. And the house is GORGEOUS. I wish I could live there! I loved my visit. When I headed to the gift shop, the staff there were awesome too! (I wish I had gotten her name, but she had the coolest outfit on--a chunky sweater, a kerchief on her head, a Harriet Tubman tee-shirt, and colorful pants). Aside from her rad style, she was so enthusiastic and engaged with me and another group about area history. This isn't flashy. If you need bells and whistles, this isn't for you. If you really love history and those who have enthusiasm for it . . . this IS for you Again, one of my favorite things so far . . . if not the favorite thing.

Love this park and glad it's back open! We had a nice hike doing the green to red trail loop. Check…read moreAlltrails for exact routes. However, I believe that the overlook remains fully closed, which is a huge bummer. It was a great view. That said, you can never go wrong with a walk in the woods! We saw lots of great scaly critter friends along the route. We took pictures, said hello, and left them alone. I think some of the concern about the overlook was that it was disturbing wildlife? So maybe with time we can prove we are worthy of this beautiful natural landscape.

I really do love this hiking system. The mountain has several colored trails, all are fun and none…read moreare overly difficult. They have some good historic markers and water features to enjoy. My only issue is they have restricted access to Friday-Sunday. Not sure why this was done, hopefully no one was abusing the trail during the week, but it causes the trails to be pretty crowded on the weekends.

Our group of six enjoyed the visit to Belle Grove Plantation which is a well cared for property…read morelisted on the National Trust of historic buildings. The history of the Hite Family and its prominence in this community was well relayed by our enthusiastic tour docent who was a wealth of good information. She also gave a fair amount of discussion about the enslaved people who ran the day to day domestic activities in the home. Unfortunately there are few first hand records from that group so I suppose much of their history is conjecture. The gift shop has some nice crafts by local artisans and the surrounding fields are interesting as the site of civil war battles. Belle Grove is a nice place to examine several centuries of history that relate to this property and deserves a visit by those visiting the Shenandoah Valley.

My husband and I were looking for a place to engage in a low key hike and enjoy the majestic…read moremountain views. We started out GPSing to one intended destination and fortunately ended up here. It's on an absolutely gorgeous estate and the gentleman in the welcome center is an absolute pleasure. Zach was so helpful and hospitable. He honestly helped make my day.

**As of February 2018** This place is not easily accessible anymore. First off, you cannot LEGALLY…read morepark under the railroad tracks/bridge area. It is clearly marked "No Standing Fire Lane". You can get a ticket or probably towed. There is no other parking for miles. We drove to the Patapsco State Park Avalon Entrance ($4 entry fee), then to "Lost Lake", where there is a trail called Grist Mill Trail. This trail will take you 2.5 miles into the park where it eventually meets Ilchester Rd (right near the hidden staircase to the ruins). After walking 2.5 miles there, we ran into construction signs and a closure near the Bloede's Dam. Because of the closure blocking the rest of the trail, the only way to get across is to travel down the steep woods and walk across the railroad bridge (cross at your own risk- there are active trains passing through that could kill you) to the other side where the ruins are. There is a scenic overlook in the trails near the Dam where you can get a better idea of how steep the woods are to get to the road. Other options may include crossing at the suspension walking bridge (called the Grist Mill Walking Bridge) which is about a mile from the ruins. I haven't seen anyone go this route, but the hiking is more difficult on the other side of the suspension bridge. It appears until the Dam construction is over, this place is going to continue to be very difficult to get to (unless you want to risk getting ticketed or towed). I hope once the construction clears up I will have another opportunity to see this place!

This is my favorite area in Patapsco state park, I've brought many friends and family here over the…read moreyears. It's beautiful, you can find the ruins of an old mining camp and religious boarding school here. There's even a decent spot to jump off the train tracks into the water below, although take care because the water can be shallow in spots.

On the side of the road near where Greenbelt Road crosses the Beltway is this historical marker…read moresign denoting the Taoping Castle (circa 1750). It is on Walker Road. It reads: On this site, Isaac Charles and Nathan Walker erected a large white oak log house named for their ancestral stronghold in Scotland which the three brothers had fled after the failure of attempts to unseat George I, King of England, as ruler of Scotland. Isaac permanently settled here and obtained land grants for 188 acres. He and his three sons served in the Revolutionary War. The graves of Isaac and his son Nathan are north of here. Taoping Castle was the birthplace of Samuel Hamilton Walker (February 24, 1817 - October 9, 1847). Lt. Colonel of the Texas Rangers and Captain of the US Cavalry, he left home at age 19 to fight Indians and later became a leader and hero of the Rangers. His suggested changes to Samuel Colt's revolver resulted in Colt's success as an arms manufacturer. 1000 Colt-Walker pistols - the first, heaviest and longest revolvers ever issued to American forces - were purchased for the Texas Rangers during the Mexican war. Walker was killed in that war at the Battle of Hua Mantla, Mexico. The family cemetery is all that remains of the Taoping Castle estate.