Discover 11 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Leesburg (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: George C. Marshall's Dodona Manor, Oatlands Historic House & Gardens, and Ball's Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery. Also, be sure to include Leesburg Historic District in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Leesburg (Virginia).
Table of Contents
George C. Marshall's Dodona Manor
Museum in Leesburg, Virginia. Dodona Manor, the former home of General George Catlett Marshall, is a National Historic Landmark and historic house museum at 312 East Market Street in Leesburg, Virginia. It is owned by the George C. Marshall International Center, which has restored the property to its Marshall-era appearance of the 1950s. It is nationally significant as the home of George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff of the United States Army during World War II, Secretary of State, President of the American Red Cross, and Secretary of Defense.[1]
Address: 312 E Market St, 20176-4100 Leesburg
Oatlands Historic House & Gardens
Oatlands Historic House and Gardens is an estate located in Leesburg, Virginia. Oatlands is operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark. The Oatlands property is composed of the main mansion and 415 acres of farmland and gardens. The house is judged one of the finest Federal period country estate houses in the nation.
On the property, in addition to the Mansion, are a number of outbuildings, including the Carriage House, Bachelor's Cottage, several barns and farm buildings, and a greenhouse, built in 1810, said to be the oldest standing greenhouse in the South.[2]
Address: 20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg
Ball's Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery
Cemetery. Ball's Bluff Battlefield Regional Park and National Cemetery is a battlefield area and a United States National Cemetery, located 2 miles northeast of Leesburg, Virginia. The cemetery is the third smallest national cemetery in the United States. Fifty-four Union Army dead from the Battle of Ball's Bluff are interred in 25 graves in the half-acre plot; the identity of all of the interred except for one, James Allen of the 15th Massachusetts, are unknown. Monuments to fallen Confederate Sergeant Clinton Hatcher and Union brigade commander Edward Dickinson Baker are located next to the cemetery, though neither is buried there. While the stone wall-enclosed cemetery itself is managed through the Culpeper National Cemetery and owned by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the balance of the 223-acre park is managed through the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.[3]
Address: Ball's Bluff Rd NE, 20176 Leesburg
Leesburg Historic District
Historical place in Leesburg, Virginia. The Leesburg Historic District in Leesburg, Virginia is a historic district that includes Classical Revival, Greek Revival, and Georgian architecture and dates back to 1757. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and its boundaries were increased in 2002.
In 2004, the Victorian era Second Empire - Italianate influenced Carlheim Mansion and 16-acre (65,000 m2) grounds (aka "Paxton") were added as a non-contiguous part of the Leesburg Historic District. The property is held in private trust and became the home of the Margaret Paxton Memorial Learning and Resource Campus, which includes the Aurora School, in November 2009.[4]
Fleetwood Farm
Fleetwood Farm, also known as Peggy's Green, is a Federal style house in Loudoun County, Virginia. The house is conjectured to have been built around 1775 by William Ellzey, a lawyer originally from Virginia's Tidewater region. The house is an unusual example of post-and-beam construction in a region where stone or brick construction is more usual.
The house is a 2-1/2 story post-and-beam framed structure on a stone foundation and basement. The frame is infilled with brick nogging and covered with weatherboarding. The weatherboards are covered with stucco. The main block is three bays with a small entry porch supported by Tuscan columns. A one-story frame addition extends to the west. The interior was originally arranged on a side-passage plan, which has since been altered. The house features extensive wainscoting. The main parlor features full-height paneling. A second wing was added in 1984. The stucco is believed to have been installed in the 1930s or 1940s. A dining room is also accessed from the side hall. The second floor of the main house has two bedrooms.
The property includes three contributing outbuildings: a smokehouse, springhouse and barn. The house and outbuildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 1, 1991.[5]
Loudoun Museum
Museum, Specialty museum
Address: 16 Loudoun St SW, 20175-2907 Leesburg
Rust Nature Sanctuary
Park, Relax in park, Nature and wildlife, Garden
Address: 802 Childrens Center Rd SW, 20175-2545 Leesburg
Morven Park
Park in Loudoun County, Virginia. Morven Park is a 1,000-acre historic estate and horse park in Leesburg, Virginia, United States. Located on the grounds are the Morven Park Mansion, the Winmill Carriage Museum, formal boxwood gardens, miles of hiking and riding trails, and athletic fields. The park is also home to the Museum of Hounds and Hunting of North America with displays of art, artifacts and memorabilia about the sport of foxhunting.
The Mansion, once the home of Thomas Swann, Jr. governor of Maryland during the Civil War and Westmoreland Davis, governor of Virginia during World War I, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Virginia Historic Landmark. The Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation operates Morven Park, which is a 501c3 nonprofit organization supported by contributions from donors.
The world-renowned Morven Park International Equestrian Center hosts Olympic equestrians and top-level riders from around the world who come to compete in Horse Trials, Dressage, Hunter/Jumper shows, Pony Club and Carriage Driving events. From 1980 until 2010, Morven Park was the site of the Morven Park Steeplechase Races, one of the most popular race meets in the country.[6]
Address: 17195 Southern Planter Ln, 20176-7132 Leesburg
White's Ferry
White's Ferry was the last remaining cable ferry service that carried cars, bicycles, and pedestrians across the Potomac River between Loudoun County, Virginia and Montgomery County, Maryland. The location offered fishing services and water recreation including canoeing. It transported approximately 600 customers daily until closing in 2020.[7]
Address: 24801 Whites Ferry Rd, 20842 Dickerson
Thomas Balch Library
Public library in Leesburg, Virginia. The Thomas Balch Library is a history and genealogy library located in Leesburg, Virginia. The library, owned and operated by the town of Leesburg, serves as a designated Underground Railroad research site and has an active research program.[8]
Address: Leesburg, 208 West Market Street
Lucketts School
Building in Loudoun County, Virginia. The Lucketts School in Lucketts, Virginia was built in 1913. It is a wood-frame schoolhouse with elements of Colonial Revival and Craftsman style. It was originally known as Lucketts High School and was expanded in 1919 with additional classrooms and in 1929 with a small auditorium. It was one of the first multi-room schools in Loudoun County, and remains one of the best-preserved early 20th century schools in the county. The last high school students graduated from Lucketts in 1938, but the school was used as an elementary school until 1972 when a new Lucketts Elementary School was built on an adjoining site. Education still continues here in the form of certified child care offered to residents of Loudoun County.
In an effort to preserve the old school for community use the first Lucketts Fair was held in 1972, a tradition which continued until 2018 as a means of financing the maintenance of the building. It is now operated as the Lucketts Community Center by the Loudoun County Department of Parks and Recreation.[9]
Address: 42350 Lucketts Rd, 20176-5516 Leesburg