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Old 11-01-2008, 02:22 PM
 
38 posts, read 227,925 times
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What are some of your favorite places to go/things to do near Ashburn? We have a 2 yr. old little boy and enjoy outdoor parks, museums, shopping- we are always on the go and are looking at things to do once we move up there.

Last week when we visited we went to the Air & Space Museum and downtown Leesburg which we loved!

Are there any neat places/parks near the Potomac River? What about local farms with petting zoo, large playgrounds, etc? Also, how far of a drive is it to Snowshoe, WV? What's the closest place to ski in the winter? What about outdoor ice skating rinks? Is there a nearby paved trail for bike riding/walking/in-line skating? And lastly, is there a good healthfood/organic super market like a Trader Joe's or Wholefoods near by?

Thanks so very much!!!
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Old 11-01-2008, 06:16 PM
 
Location: Ashburn, VA
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Wow, lots of questions. We have been in Ashburn for over 8 years and love it. There are tons of fun things to do nearby. I'll start by answering your specific questions.

Places near the Potomac River: Great Falls park in Great Falls (about 25 minutes), Balls Bluff Battlefield in Leesburg, Algonkian Park in Sterling.

Petting zoos: Leesburg Animal Park and Reston Zoo. There are also a few farms you can go check out the farm animals: Frying Pan Park in Herndon, Temple Hill or Hall Farm in Leesburg, Great Country Farms in Bluemont (about 30 minutes).

Playground areas in Ashburn: Trailside Park (Claiborne Parkway and the W&OD trail) and Dinosaur Park (at the end of Partlow Road off Ashburn Road near old Ashburn).

Don't know how far it is to Snowshoe, WV. Ski Liberty in PA is about 1 hour away, Whitetail PA is about 1 hour 15 minutes. Bryce Resort in Shenandoah Valley is about 1 and a half hours. Wisp in western MD is about 2 and a half hours.

Reston Town Center has an outdoor skating rink and Ashburn Icehouse has year round indoor skating.

There are walking/ hiking/ biking trails all over almost all of the communities in Ashburn. The longest and most popular trail is the W&OD but most communities have trails.

Closest Trader Joes is in Reston. Ashburn has Wegmans and Harris Teeter for your healthier grocery stores.

Hope this info helps.
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Old 11-01-2008, 09:47 PM
 
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wow! that's perfect and so helpful. i'm copying and pasting all that info into a document that we will take with us when we relocate! any more info from others welcome! thanks again!!!!!
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Old 11-03-2008, 07:03 AM
 
Location: Reston, VA
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I know it is a good ways from Ashburn but you really must check out this fantastic park.
Clemyjontri Park, Clemy Park, Fairfax County Park Authority
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Old 01-03-2010, 03:54 PM
 
Location: Virginia
18,717 posts, read 30,954,453 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JfromReston View Post
I know it is a good ways from Ashburn but you really must check out this fantastic park.
Clemyjontri Park, Clemy Park, Fairfax County Park Authority
That's one of my favorite parks. I always wondered if there was a story behind it. Actually, maybe this is worth making a new thread.
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Old 01-03-2010, 07:47 PM
 
Location: Richmond, VA
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We moved here (Ashburn) 2 years ago. I have 3 year old twins. Some of the things we have done/do:

Claude Moore Park has tons of activities. It is in Sterling. They usually send out a catalog with different classes and such. I have also done classes in Leesburg at the Parks and Rec. Look up local Parks and Rec and you will find a lot of choices. (we have done everything from the indoor play "farm" they have at Claude Moore in Sterling to a class in Leesburg making snowmen and other crafts.
Ashburn has several Moms Club groups. I am in Ashburn Farm and was a member until I went back to work. They do about 3 activities a WEEK. They also meet for lunch once or twice a month at kid friendly places
Ashburn library has weekly classes...singing, plays, etc.
Trailside and Dinosar park are good.
Loudoun Sports Bounces and Jumping Jack Sports are good indoor places to burn some energy. Loudoun Sports Bounce has all inflatable stuff from slides to just jumpers.
Little Kickers soccer is in Sterling
We go to Dulles Town Center and ride the train and horse carosel (sp?) There is a play structure there as well but too germy for me!
JW Tumbles and The Little Gym are all in Ashburn. My Gym is in Leesburg.
Pump it up is in Leesburg.
We have also done Reston Zoo and Leesburg petting zoo
We have taken the Metro from Vienna to the DC Zoo as well (good trip with another adult!)

Good luck!
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Old 01-03-2010, 07:50 PM
 
Location: Richmond, VA
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Oh, and the W&D trail runs through Ashburn so good for walking or bike riding.
Oh, and Lansdowne has a water sprinkler thing in the summer that the kids can run through...then you can visit Go Bananas (toy store) and grab some lunch
Wegmans is GREAT for shopping. I think you will find it almost as good as Whole Foods. They have a kids club once your child is 3 and potty trained and they will watch your child while you shop if you want. AND Target is next door AND there is an outdoor play structure that we often go to while my husband shops...we play!
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Old 12-19-2010, 03:37 PM
 
Location: Virginia
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I finally made it over to the Ashburn Ice House. I don't know why I'd never been over there, it was actually a pretty cool place.
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Old 12-19-2010, 04:06 PM
 
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Quote:
it was actually a pretty cool place
Rimshot! Remember to tip your waiters...
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Old 12-20-2010, 08:35 AM
 
Location: Loudoun Cty, Virginia
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Snowshoe, WV is roughly 4-5 hours from Ashburn, depending on traffic. It is the best resort in the mid-Atlantic area, but there are some other decent options for daytrips.

Ski Liberty, Roundtop and White Tail have decent offerings and you can get to them in under 90 minutes usually. I like the trails and options that Liberty and Roundtop have for classes, I learned at Roundtop ~13 years ago when I was a teen.

Massanutten is in Harrisonburg, approximately 2 hours from here. I go back and forth on this resort, and find that I get bored with their trails pretty quickly. The trails can get icy here and it's doesnt have quite the variety that other places have. Their resort as a whole is very nice though. They have a lot of other activities to do outside of skiiing, including snow tubing which could be fun for the kids.

Snowshoe really is the "mecca" for skiing in this region. It's the largest resort by far, has a lot of terrain offerings, and the only thing that comes remotely close to what you find up north or out west. It's part of the Intrawest resort group, which operates big resorts like Tremblant, Steamboat and Winterpark. If you're taking a multi-day trip for snow sports, this is the only place I'd recommend short of driving to Vermont or Canada.

That's my run-down of the snow resorts in the region, I've been to a good number in the area and liked Liberty/Roundtop best for quick one-day trips from around here.
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