Northern Virginia — "NoVA" to locals — is the sprawl of suburbs, historic towns, and edge cities across the Potomac from Washington DC. For visitors, it offers affordable accommodation within easy Metro reach of the capital, plus attractions of its own that rival anything on the National Mall.
Mount Vernon, George Washington's estate on the Potomac, is the standout. The grounds are beautifully maintained, with the mansion, outbuildings, gardens, and riverside views easily filling half a day. In spring the grounds are ablaze with daffodils and tulips; in December, candlelit tours bring the 18th century to life. A short drive away, George Washington's Distillery and Gristmill shows a lesser-known side of the man — he was one of the largest whiskey producers in the young republic.
Old Town Alexandria is one of the most charming walking districts in the region — King Street runs from the Metro station down to the waterfront, lined with restaurants, taverns, and independent shops. The Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum on Royal Street preserves a remarkable 1792 pharmacy almost untouched, and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial towers above the town in a neoclassical column modelled on the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
Manassas National Battlefield Park preserves the terrain of two Civil War battles, both Confederate victories on the same rolling farmland. Near Dulles Airport, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum's annex, housing the SR-71 Blackbird, the Enola Gay, a Concorde, and the Space Shuttle Discovery — admission free.
In Arlington, Arlington National Cemetery holds over 400,000 veterans and is deeply moving. The Pentagon Memorial is quiet and well-designed. For something less solemn, Gravelly Point Park puts you directly under Reagan Airport's final approach — aircraft at eye level, 30 metres overhead.