5 Charming Towns in Northern Virginia

Northern Virginia is full of charming historic towns to explore, along with natural beauty and fun family activities. These are a few towns that are worth exploring in NoVA, and what to see in them.

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Charming Northern Virginia Town #1: Old Town Winchester

Near the northern border of Virginia and West Virginia sits Winchester, a city with an inviting historic district that we really enjoyed visiting. There is also some interesting history to be found there. In the mid-1700’s, George Washington arrived there at the age of sixteen to survey the area. Additionally, prisoners were housed in Winchester and the neighboring countryside during the French and Indian War.

Now, you can see George Washington’s headquarters there. You can also find the ruins of an old church used as barracks during the Revolutionary War. In addition to the Revolutionary War history, the area includes historic points of interest related to the Civil War. These include several civil war battlefields, Stonewall Jackson’s Headquarters, and the Shenandoah Valley’s Civil War Museum.

Old Town Winchester is also a shopping and dining hub with a very charming and unique vibe. You can find many unusual boutiques and cafes, and crowds of shoppers along the wide, walkable stone streets. We especially loved revisiting our childhood favorites at Time Travelers Toys and Collectibles.

Charming town #2: Front Royal

Front Royal is another of the charming towns to explore in Northern Virginia. It has grown up around the northern gateway into Shenandoah National Park. Shenandoah offers stunning vistas in any season, and family friendly hikes (along with more challenging hikes!). Try the Fox Hollow Trail or Fort Windham Rocks for a fun walk and beautiful views. Be sure to watch the sunset at one of the many west facing overlooks. Here are our recommendations for the best family hikes in Shenandoah.

But when you visit, make sure you check out Dinosaur Land. This is a wonky, fun walk through prehistoric times full of huge, homemade dinosaurs and other creatures, some of which you can climb on or through. It also has a great gift shop!

Charming town #3: Historic Occoquan

The historic district of Occoquan, VA is small and a very charming town to explore in Northern Virginia. The town sits along the Occoquan River and includes a historic mill. Visit the tiny Occoquan Mill House Museum for friendly and knowledgeable staff who can tell you all about the mill and house, the river, and the goods that were provided to the world through this tiny town.

Behind and beyond the Mill Museum where the town ends, there is a small park. This includes a walking trail, bridge, and a LOVE sign for family photos. There are many fun boutiques, cafés and such throughout the town, and plenty of dock to walk along the river. We really enjoyed Puzzle Palooza Etc where we purchased some very unique puzzles. We also loved Nazbro Chocolates where we got a mini history lesson on fudge and a ton of free samples. At Madigan’s Waterfront, we had a tasty seafood lunch on their enclosed and heated outdoor patio on the river – definitely a great ambiance here. Secret Garden Café also had a really romantic vibe, but it was a little too popular for us when we tried to enter and encountered the long line! All in all, a charming little town.

From the town, there are also several beautiful parks to explore. These include Pohick Bay Regional Park, which has a playground, a lovely Bay view, clean restrooms, vending machines, boat rentals, camp ground, fishing docks, and more. Another nearby park is Neabsco Creek Regional Park, which has a unique boardwalk trail that goes out over the wetlands, as well as a playground.

Charming town in Northern Virginia #4: Old Town Manassas

Old Town Manassas is another of the charming towns to explore in Northern Virginia, with its pretty old churches and the old Town Hall. It also has quite a few interesting boutiques. We warmed up in a cozy café called Grounds Central with hot chocolate, cappuccinos, and yummy baked snacks and played a couple games on the little arcade.

If you’re a history buff, visit Manassas National Battlefield Park, which includes a small but interesting museum. Our kids enjoyed listening to the interactive touch screen descriptions of the battles. They also loved running through the fields to check out the cannons. The park memorializes the beginning of the Civil War with the battle of Bull Run, where “heavy fighting swept away any notion of a quick war,” according to the NPS website.

Around the museum are various points of interest, and you can explore 12 of them through a driving tour. One of these points is the Brawner Farmhouse. This was the farm where Stonewall Jackson hid his troops before they open fired on union troops as they passed through. Others include the monument built in memory of the fallen union soldiers and the monument to Stonewall Jackson.

Charming town #5: Old Town Alexandria

When driving through Virginia, we sometimes stop in old town Alexandria, VA. We like to walk up to the water front where the kids play on the green and toss pebbles in the water. The area is usually blocked off on weekends so that families can walk safely along the riverside area, and there are many restaurants where you can enjoy a meal. We like to go to Urbano 116, a Mexican Restaurant on Kings St.

Visit the free Torpedo Factory Art Center, a former munitions plant which is now a unique art gallery and studio center. Or, jump on the free King St. trolley to take in the eighteenth century architecture of the town or go from shop to shop. The trolley runs every fifteen minutes and stops every two or three blocks. It makes for a fun way to explore another of the charming towns in Northern Virginia.