Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts—Shouse Village enjoys a special relationship with its neighbor, Wolf Trap National Park, the only national park dedicated to the performing arts. Almost every night between May and mid-September, residents can take advantage of musicals, opera, jazz, rock, country, and classical music concerts or dance performances at the Filene Center, a covered outdoor amphitheater.
- During the fall and winter, many more performances are offered at the Wolf Trap Barns, an intimate indoor venue.
- Another feature of Wolf Trap is the Theater-in-the-Woods, an outdoor amphitheater offering children’s programs during the summer.
- Shouse residents are especially fond of the free U.S. Marine Band concert and fireworks display that launch the season every Memorial Day weekend and Christmas Sing-a-Long in early December.
- Because Wolf Trap is within walking distance of Shouse Village, we enjoy the park year round.
With trails for hiking, hills for winter sledding, and shady spots for picnicking, the beauty and history of this former Virginia farm can be enjoyed long after summer ends. http://www.wolftrap.org
Great Falls National Park is an 800-acre park with fantastic views of the falls on the Potomac River, fifteen miles of hiking trails, and five miles of trails for horseback and biking, ranger guided walks, and picnic facilities. For a listing of other federal parks in the DC metro area go to the National Park Service website at: http://www.nps.gov/grfa/
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, on Beulah Road, Vienna, is a 97-acre horticultural park that is designed as a living museum of plant life. It hosts numerous tours, workshops, field trips, and has a Visitors Center that is used for weddings, receptions and meetings.
https://www.novaparks.com/parks/meadowlark-botanical-gardens
The Washington and Old Dominion Trail is a multi-use rail trail operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Its 45-paved miles begin in Arlington County and end in rural Purcellville, Virginia. The trail passes through Falls Church, Vienna, Herndon, Reston, Leesburg, and many communities in between.
http://www.wodfriends.org/
Riverbend Park in Great Falls is Fairfax County Park Authority’s only riverfront park with more than 400 acres of fields, forest, and ponds and a 2.5-mile hiking trail. Riverbend is a perfect spot for kayaking, canoeing and fishing. The Visitors Center offers a snack bar, picnic areas, as well as boat and kayak rentals. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/riverbend/
The Watermine at Lake Fairfax in Reston is a county water park with more than an acre of water slides, flumes, sprays and more circled by the Rattlesnake River for a lazy, water-tube float around the park. The Watermine is operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/watermine/
shousevillagevienna.com 