Historic trail from Washington D.C. to Prince William County, Virginia

Patriotic skies and rolling country sides
An historic trail from Washington D.C. to Prince William County, Virginia
By Deborah Burst

A faint whistle and stream of light pierce the early morning darkness as the Virginia Railway Express slowly pulls into the Manassas station. The daily commuter train offers the small town charm of Virginia suburbs and a scenic ride (less than an hour) to Washington DC, a beehive of commerce and historic museums. I grab a window seat but find myself drawn to people watching, men and women in blue suits and leather briefcases mixed with students in jeans and tattered bookbags. Some tune into their iPods and laptops while others bury their heads in newspapers.

I pop in my ear buds and listen to Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel and gaze at life along the railway stations watching the sun skipping the treetops in a blur of green and gold highlights. A vignette of backyard gardens filled with children’s toys rumble past commuter towns to the final destination--Union Station in D.C.

Inside the station I wander wide-eyed glued to the dynasty of architecture in massive arches and jeweled domed ceilings with three stories of food, shopping and travel vistas.




Washington D.C.

A vibrant energy permeates the city. Grab a cab or walk to the National Mall, a one mile outdoor corridor lined with museums flanked by the Capitol and the Washington Monument.

Make your first stop the Smithsonian Information Center, known as the castle, with information specialists, the Castle Café and coffee shop. After lunch at the Café, I mingle outdoors with the “lunch hour execs” on the clay track of the National Mall. It’s a midday workout with ladies in tennis shoes and business suits alongside shirtless men in jogging shorts joined by teams of young men and women playing Frisbee football. On the perimeter, a more sedate crowd relaxes on park benches shaded by cherry trees set against the patriotic skies of the nation’s Capitol.

One of my favorite museums, the newly renovated American History Museum, presents more than 3 million objects from the cultural, social, technological and political history of the United States. Teary-eyed exhibits such as the Abraham Lincoln’s Legacy brings to life the hardships and triumphs of a president, inventor and orator. The Star-Spangled Banner exhibit captures the Fort McHenry battle scene which moved Frances Scott Key to pen the national anthem. Then the original 30 by 34-foot flag glows inside a stage dressed in dark colors and minimal light preserving the fragile wool and cotton fibers. Exiting the exhibit, multiple versions of the anthem follow walls of patriotic photos.


Foodies will enjoy the Julia Child’s Kitchen along with videos of Emeril Lagasse introducing the finer art of peeling crawfish. And children have fun learning engaged in science experiments at the Spark!Lab, a hands-on science and invention center. Mansion doll houses, Kermit the frog, Dumbo the flying elephant and countless characters are located throughout the museum.



Back in Prince William County (PWC)

The county is a blueprint for urban and historic renewal where residents have embraced historic towns preserving the architectural heritage and landscapes. Downtown Manassas brings together the charm of an old fashioned rail town grown during the late Victorian era. Many of the town’s houses and buildings reflect this style and now serve as museums, boutiques, art galleries, antique shops, and restaurants.

For a taste of Creole cooking, Okra is the local favorite, and for the best Tapas in town, La Capilla restaurant offers top notch South American cuisine inside the romance of an historic church. In nearby Woodridge set your sights on Dixie Bones for the best southern style fall-off-the-bone barbeque, and an old-fashioned burger and malt at Silver Diner.

Wooden rail fences and grazing thoroughbreds line country roads while highways roll through waves of forested mountains. The region owns two national parks, two state parks, and more than 50 county and municipal parks, wildlife refuges and preserved wetlands. Follow the North Valley Trail inside Prince William Forest Park. Blessed with peak fall colors, I walk along a russet colored trail showered by cool breezes and a storm of leaves. Hikers appear dwarfed by a ceiling of towering trees in a 17,000-acre park filled with multiple varieties of native plants and animals.

The beating heart of Civil War legacies

The Prince William County Civil War Heritage Trail brings to life some of the war’s most infamous battles at forts, museums, state parks, national battlefields, and historic farmhouses. Educational events along with lectures and reenactments follow the tour which is detailed in a colorful brochure with historic sites and a travel map.

To honor some of our more recent veterans, the newly built National Museum of the Marine Corps captures both the personal and technical side of war in a timeline of battle exhibits featuring everything from fighting gear to enduring inclement weather. The slanted triangle design resembles a silhouette of the flag-raising heroes of Iwo Jima set inside 135 acres of forests.

Closing

A region rich in history and landscapes, Prince William County offers travelers a peek into the past, present and future. More than two centuries of military heroes are honored in museums and battlefields. Shopping mixes the old with the new in miles of antique corridors and the Potomac Mills Mall with more than a square mile of shopping. And enjoy the outdoors in open fields, rolling country sides and 12 public golf courses.

Travel Info
Prince William County, www.visitpwc.com, 1-800-432-1792
Virginia Railway Express (VRE), www.vre.org, 703-684-1001
Smithsonian, www.smithsonian.org, 202-633-1000
National Museum of American History, www.americanhistory.si.edu, 202-633-3129
Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, www.marineheritage.org, 800-397-7585
Prince William Forest Park, www.nps.gov/prwi
Journey Through Hallowed Ground, www.hallowedground.org, 540-882-4929

Restaurants:
Okra’s restaurant, www.okras.com, Dixie Bones, www.dixiebones.com, Silver Diner, www.silverdiner.com, La Capilla, www.lachapelleva.com