Girlfriends Getaway
Need to get away? The ultimate escape from everyday life lies just 25 miles from Washington, DC, in Loudoun’s scenic wine country. Bring along your girlfriends and spend a few days. Enjoy spas, shopping, vineyards, exceptional dining, historic homes, golf, and tubing, and go home feeling completely refreshed.
Day 1
8am Rejuvenate at Lansdowne Resort’s Spa Minerale, a lavish oasis where soothing massages, pampering salon services, and invigorating skin treatments leave you feeling completely renewed. Then, enjoy a leisurely round of golf at Lansdowne Resort’s premier private golf facility in the Mid-Atlantic on the 9-hole Greg Norman course.
12pm Enjoy a spectacular lunch at one of Lansdowne Resort’s superb restaurants, On the Potomac or Riverside Hearth, or head into historic Leesburg and dine at one of the area’s most acclaimed restaurants, Lightfoot Restaurant, situated across from the stately county courthouse. The restaurant is housed in a turn-of-the-century bank, turned polished, exquisite dining space adorned with a rare and striking collection of 1920s original French posters. The food is imaginative and does not disappoint.
2pm Enjoy the afternoon shopping in Leesburg. Start in the historic district which features boutique clothing shops as well as stores that offer unique décor and furnishings. If your preference is bargain shopping, then head to the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets with 110 name-brand outlet stores ranging from Crate and Barrel to Saks Fifth Avenue’s Off 5th. Stop by our Visitors Center in Leesburg’s historic district ahead of time for a VIP coupon voucher that you can redeem for a booklet packed with exclusive discounts at the center.
Dinner For dinner, head back to Leesburg’s historic district to the Wine Kitchen, where you and your girlfriends will end your day with happy voices and hearty laughter. The quaint restaurant is designed knowing that he most comfortable and inviting room in a house is the kitchen and that all good parties inevitably end up there. You can order wines by the taste, glass, flight, or bottle, or pre-paired into flights. Each wine is served with a tasting card that includes a description and suggested food pairings, which de-mystifies wine and makes it fun. The food is local and seasonal and served in tapas-sized portions, perfect for sharing.
Day 2
9am Enjoy a private tour of Loudoun: DC’s Wine Country, chauffeured by one of several private touring companies. With 22 wineries in Loudoun and more on the way, there are plenty of experiences to choose from. Design your tour when you book it, or choose from their pre-set tours. Then, all you need to do is sit back, relax, and let your driver take you on a journey of Loudoun’s most scenic, beautiful wineries.
Dinner End your day with exceptional cuisine and Loudoun culture at any one of Loudoun’s Destination Restaurants. Choose one while you’re out for the day, from the Touring Guide to Loudoun: DC’s Wine Country .
Day 3
On your third and final day, choose your favorite of these options:
Option One:
Tour one or both of Loudoun’s historic homes, Oatlands Historic House & Gardens and Morven Park.
Oatlands Historic House and Gardens is a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Take a guided tour of the 22-room Greek revival home that was once the center of a thriving 3,400-acre plantation. Then, continue your tour through four acres of formal gardens and connecting terraces. Don’t miss the Carriage House gift shop!
Morven Park is a 1,000 acre historic estate featuring a Greek Revival Mansion that was the home of World War I-era Virginia Governor Westmoreland Davis which recently underwent 4 years of extensive restoration. The home features artifacts collected by Governor Davis from his trips around the world, including a 15th century Persian tapestry and a Tiffany lamp. Also on the property is the Winmill Carriage Collection, which displays more than 50 horse-drawn carriages, the Museum of Hounds and Hunting, and intricate boxwood gardens.
For lunch, head back to downtown Leesburg and the Market Station complex just south of Rt. 15 (King Street) on Market Street, where you will find three dining options, all owned by the same restaurateur, and offering fabulous food – Fireworks Wood Fired Pizza, South Street Under (bakery, sandwiches, outdoor patio), and Tuscorara Mill Restaurant, a local favorite for more than 20 years. Eat in their more casual café, or sit in the well-lit dining room that features white-clothed tables.
Option Two:
Take a gentle flatwater (or more exciting whitewater) rafting or tubing ride down the Potomac River with BTI Whitewater. Let the river nudge you downstream as you enjoy the scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Stock up on picnic provisions at South Street Under in Leesburg on your way. Make sure your sandwich is served on the bakery’s almost famous ciabatta bread!
Option Three:
Visit Middleburg, the unofficial capital of horse country in the nation. Upon entering the town, you will immediately see the horse culture reflected in the names of the many shops and restaurants, such as Cuppa Giddy Up where you can get a fresh cup of coffee and a pastry or breakfast sandwich to start your day. Stroll through the historic main street of the town and stop in the many boutique and antique shops. You may see a few locals in riding breeches or in vehicles pulling their horse trailers, and will probably walk past a statesman or writer, or two. Have lunch at Market Salamander, a working chef’s market that offers amazing sandwiches and other gourmet menu items. The market is reminiscent of the village markets scattered throughout the Italian Piedmont, and offers seating in an indoor café or outside under the wisteria covered pergola. Stay for dinner and experience the famous Red Fox Inn, another Loudoun Destination Restaurant, that is also the oldest continually operated inn in the United States. Each of its restaurant’s six dining rooms feature paintings of foxes, hounds, and horses, pointing to the hunt country tradition of the area. Make sure to have the peanut soup!
