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.

Interesting historic house and grounds. Highly recommend a stop. Interesting info about the…read morearcheological digs. Nice gift shop.

The Shenandoah Sips event, an annual fundraiser, is lame. For 40 bucks, you get to taste a very…read moresmall amount of wine, cider or whatever, but no beer. The bands are not good and seating (only on the ground) is first come first serve. Security will not allow you to bring in your own water bottle and they do not exercise common sense. Ok, it's a fundraiser, but bring in decent vendors please. I was just trying to find a Chardonnay, but could not find a decent bottle of wine. And not any beer!? Geez, was I even in America? I will not return.

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.

Where as the Manassas National Park Visitors Center is focused on the First Battle of Manassas,…read morethis building is dedicated to Second Manassas (aka, Second Battle of Bull Run). Like the main visitors center, Brawner Farm has a terrain map with lights that depict the flow of the battle, but is much smaller. There are also numerous hiking trails in the area, with various historical plaques where the action occurred. The battle is hard to imagine. While the plaques try to explain things, the thick forest conceals the main avenues of the Confederate advance (just as it did during the battle). Unless you watch the show in the farm house, you are unlikely to understand the disposition of forces any more than poor General Pope did (which is why he was beaten back).

Don't miss a stop at this spot when visiting the battlefield. Tucked away North of 29 on Pageland…read moreLane (just a short drive up off of 29) to the right. There is limited parking here but if you snag a spot you will be close to nice quiet trails. Very scenic. There is a bathroom in the parking lot here. A kick walk on a cement path abutted by nature will bring you to the Brawner Farm House. Inside, you will find a park volunteer to provide information and displays about the Second Battle of Manassas. If you go further on the trails be aware that the area has ticks and copperhead snakes. Be prepared.

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!

You should visit even if you are not a history or Civil War enthusiast Very accessible location…read moreand beautiful views of an important event in US history

It's bigger than you think. 18 miles for the car tour and a ton more hiking paths. It was also…read morehillier than I thought. Once you're there you'll understand how prominent Henry and Matthews's hills are. Well worth the visit.

The post-Civil War residence of Confederate Colonel John Mosby, leader of "Mosby Raiders", has been…read moreclosed since November 2014. According to the Warrenton tourism office, the foundation running it apparently ran out of money, and there is no information regarding what is going to happen next. It's a shame, because it's a neat piece of history in the middle of a quaint historical town. All you can do (for now) is look at the house from the outside. But for those who need their Mosby "fix", his grave is in the Warrenton Cemetery, only a few blocks away. You can find it next to the Confederate memorial.

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.

Probably one of the more interesting hikes that I have done in awhile. The hike will be quite…read moreshort, but you got hills and steps to get your work out on. I think the feel of the place is supposed to be spooky, unfortunately, I picked a spring break day to do it and there were enough teenagers running around here like savages (just kidding, they were all really sweet) it doesn't really have a scary feel to it at all. To explain the ruins, it was Roman Catholic school in Ilchester, Maryland. The ruins are near Ilchester and Bonnie Branch roads (so the Yelp location is pretty straight on). It was called hell house in the 70s after it was abandoned and vandalized and rumors have it a strange cult started living there. It also had an over zealous caretaker who had a gun and some dogs and would assault vandals. He was displaced after the school was set ablaze by arsonists. Hell House altar structure that most people take pictures of is at the top of a very steep hill, about a mile in. It used to have a large metal cross, and it is a very unique place for a photoshoot. For easy access, park in the lot for patapsco state park (right past the train tracks) where the trailhead is and start coming up to the left of the train tracks.

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.

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.