The ways you can have fun in NoVA are endless, including concerts, climbing, and Christmas lights. Here are the entertainment places and activities everybody raves about, chosen by our readers in our Best of NoVA poll.
Art Gallery
WINNER: Gallery Underground
With 200-plus members, this visual arts gallery highlights the talents of area artists. It works to inspire others to reach their full artistic potential. The gallery hosts exhibitions, art shows, and has online-only events where you can see and buy original artworks. 2120-A Crystal Plaza Arcade, Arlington
RUNNER-UP: Workhouse Arts Center
9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton
Christmas Lights Display
WINNER: Bull Run Festival of Lights
When you drive through this winter wonderland, you will be mesmerized by the dazzling 2.5 miles of lights. If that doesn’t put you in the holiday spirit, the hot chocolate, Ferris wheel, camel rides, and Santa photos at the Holiday Village and Carnival surely will. 7700 Bull Run Dr., Centreville
RUNNER-UP: Meadowlark’s Winter Walk of Lights
9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct., Vienna
Indoor Kids Entertainment
WINNER: Children’s Science Center Lab
This timed-entry museum shows how much fun STEM is through its hands-on activities. Kids can have birthday parties there or go to one of the lab’s camps. It also hosts special themed events and regular family science nights to get the whole family engaged and excited about STEM. 11948 Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax
RUNNER-UP: Scramble Indoor Play
5412 Eisenhower Ave., Alexandria; 130 E. Fairfax St., Falls Church
Kids Class (Arts, Dance, Music)
WINNER: NOVA Elite Dance Alliance
Kids as young as 3 learn tap, ballet, jazz, and hip-hop here. Classes for older students include those dance forms, as well as tumbling, pointe, and lyrical. The business has four studios and a theater. The competition team competes at the regional and national levels. 4200 Lafayette Center Dr., Chantilly
RUNNER-UP: Potomac Music
9020-G Lorton Station Blvd., Lorton
Kids Party Venue
WINNER: Sportrock Climbing Centers
With locations in Alexandria and Sterling, these indoor rock climbing gyms challenge climbers of all skill levels and aim to make climbing accessible to everyone. Parties include 90 minutes of climbing with an instructor and then another 45 minutes for food. 5308 Eisenhower Ave., Alexandria; 45935 Maries Rd., Sterling
RUNNER-UP: Children’s Science Center Lab
11948 Fair Oaks Mall, Fairfax
DUAL WINNER: Live Music Venue | Outdoor Concert Space
WINNER: Wolf Trap
NoVA loves this venue. It brings friends and families together for outstanding music and performances, whether it’s Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight belting out their hits or the National Symphony Orchestra playing Star Wars tunes. Recent upgrades make Wolf Trap even more accessible to more patrons, and that is something to sing about. 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna
RUNNER-UP (Live Music Venue): Capital One Hall
7750 Capital One Tower Rd., Tysons
RUNNER-UP (Outdoor Concert Space): Jiffy Lube Live
7800 Cellar Door Dr., Bristow
Museum
WINNER: Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
See the world of aviation up close. What’s here? The Enola Gay, the bomber used in World War II; the space shuttle Discovery; and the Concorde, the supersonic plane that used to fly to across the Atlantic in less than four hours, among other fascinating historic aircraft. Plus, simulators let you experience what it’s like in the cockpit, and the Airbus IMAX theater shows movies on a five-story screen. 14390 Air and Space Museum Pkwy., Chantilly
RUNNER-UP: National Museum of The United States Army
1775 Liberty Dr., Fort Belvoir
Pick-Your-Own Farm or Orchard
WINNER: Hartland Orchard
Plan to start making some family memories. You can pick cherries in June, peaches in July and August, and apples in September and October at this family farm right off I-66. Shop for honey and apple cider doughnuts at the farm stand. Fall brings pumpkin patches and a corn maze. 3064 Hartland Ln., Markham
RUNNER-UP: Burnside Farms
11008 Kettle Run Rd., Nokesville
Public Park
WINNER: Great Falls Park
The beauty of the Potomac River sinks in as you watch the rushing rapids. This national park’s 800 acres are full of wildlife, with dozens of bird species, deer, turtles, and more. Hike the trails and see a wide variety of plants and wildflowers. Hint: Arrive early because it can get crowded. 9200 Old Dominion Dr., McLean
RUNNER-UP: Burke Lake Park
7315 Ox Rd., Fairfax Station
Pumpkin Patch
WINNER: Cox Farms
There are so many pumpkins here, the hardest part may be deciding how many you should take home. The farm’s fall festival, with its hayrides and crazy corn maze, is always a hit with the kids. This year it runs from September 14 to November 5. 15621 Braddock Rd., Centreville
RUNNER-UP: Nalls Produce
7310 Beulah St., Alexandria
Theater House
WINNER: Northern Virginia Players
This nonprofit community theater group is passionate about young actors, with a focus on performers who are between the ages of 8 and 18. The Northern Virginia Players specialize in musicals and put on two productions per year. Theater training for homeschooled students is offered. 6206 Lavell Ct., Springfield
RUNNER-UP: Hylton Performing Arts Center
10960 George Mason Cir., Manassas
Water Park
WINNER: The Water Mine Family Swimmin’ Hole
Prepare to get soaked. This family water park has an interactive water playground, slides, flumes, showers, and sprays. You get the idea. You’ll strike gold and wear the kids out as they repeatedly go down the three-story waterslides. For a rest, float down the lazy Rattlesnake River. 1400 Lake Fairfax Dr., Reston
RUNNER-UP: Great Waves Waterpark
4001 Eisenhower Ave., Alexandria
Feature image of Wolf Trap by Carolin Harvey, courtesy Wolf Trap
This story originally ran in our June issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
