What if you could combine the beauty of nature with an amusement park ride? That’s where mountain coasters come into play, merging the thrill of roller coasters with the beauty of outdoor landscapes.  Ride on mountainside tracks as you manually control the speed of your cars. Go fast during twists and turns or go slow to embrace the breathtaking views. These coasters are typically found at resorts, which also host other activities like chairlift rides and zip lines.  Massanutten Family Adventure Park  Drive time from Dulles: About 2 hours  Opening Summer 2024  Launchi ..read more

You may have heard of a rare huge crop of cicadas coming out in the U.S. this year, but a local entomologist says that in Northern Virginia it’ll be business as usual. Douglas Pfeiffer, a professor of entomology at Virginia Tech, says other areas of the country will get hit with a double whammy of periodic cicadas: a brood of 13-year cicadas that’s emerging in the deep South into part of Illinois, and another brood of 17-year cicadas known as the Northern Illinois brood. “It’s called that for a reason,” Pfeiffer cracks. A brood of 13-year cicadas will show up in southern Virginia, moving up t ..read more

Step into the warm embrace of Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12, with a culinary journey through the region’s most desirable brunch spots. From quaint cafés to luxurious restaurants, consider Northern Virginia Magazine’s list of Mother’s Day brunch offerings while creating cherished moments. Your best bet is to make reservations. Here’s wishing all moms an unforgettable Mother’s Day experience.  Alexandria  Ada’s On The River  10 a.m.–4 p.m.  This popular waterfront restaurant is known for its selection of wood-fired prime steaks, fresh seafood, and vegetarian dishes centered a ..read more

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney on Tuesday dropped out of the race to be Virginia’s next governor and instead will run for lieutenant governor. “After careful consideration with my family, I believe that the best way to ensure that all Virginia families do get the change they deserve is for our party to come together, avoid a costly and damaging primary and, for me to run instead for Lieutenant Governor,” Stoney said in a statement. “This was not an easy decision – especially given that my campaign has received a lot of support from all corners of the Commonwealth and I am so appreciative of ..read more

As summer approaches, you may find yourself wanting to spend more time outdoors at home. With that in mind, a change in your exterior’s hardscaping may be needed. “Ask five people what hardscaping is and you’ll likely get four different answers,” says Joseph Richardson of Richardson & Associates Landscape Architecture, a boutique firm based in Washington, DC. “I consider hardscaping to be all the non-living elements that are designed, built, and connected to the landscape surrounding a given house. Softscaping is all the plants.” Richardson offers tips for when you plan to build an outdoo ..read more

The owners of Stone Tower Winery have purchased a historic bank building in downtown Leesburg and plan to turn the space into a new tasting room.   The Huber family, which owns both Stone Tower Winery and Belfort Furniture, purchased the 1901 building last week, Loudoun Now reported. The owners hosted a pop-up shop featuring both the winery and the furniture store during the Leesburg Flower & Garden Festival to introduce the new space to the community.  Located at the corner of Market and King streets in downtown Leesburg, the building previously held the Loudoun National Bank ..read more

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