Posted on July 11, 2022 by Miller and Smith Blog Team
Chantilly, Virginia: an area that started as farms and grew up along with our country.
It’s also the perfect location for your family to grow up, providing many unique opportunities and experiences in Northern Virginia.
And there’s no better place to call home in Chantilly than The Retreat at Westfields, where we’re proud to offer impeccably designed townhomes.
Each home beats from a signature Miller & Smith kitchen at its heart, giving your family a connected hub from which to venture outwards and explore all the area has to offer.
But what adventures does Chantilly have for your family? Something for every age, from kids to adults!
Things Young Kids Love About Chantilly
The outdoors is where kids love to live, so let them experience local history and majesty at the Ellanor C Lawrence Park and Walney Visitor Center. This 650-acre park is just waiting to be explored by young eyes. There are many educational and recreational opportunities and programs, including live animal exhibits, historic exhibits, children’s touch table area, greenhouse, classroom, amphitheater, a playground, and sports fields. There’s even a converted farmhouse from 1780! And even better, you can hire a personal naturalist or historian guide to take your family on a private tour through the park and its nature and history.
When they’re not running around outside, the one thing most kids want is candy—and a lot of them love chocolate. So, take them to River-Sea Chocolates. This local chocolate maker uses only the best single-origin cacao and other organic and ethically sourced ingredients. And parents will like that River-Sea uses less sugar than most other chocolates. River-Sea Chocolates offers tours and tastings, too, so you can learn more about their production process, the small-scale sustainable farms they work with, and even their use of sail cargo ships (something that hasn’t been done in almost 100 years). Plus, every purchase helps support Amazon River cleanup. So much to learn, so much to taste!
Things Older Kids Love About Chantilly
Kids of all ages like aviation, but it takes an older child to fully appreciate the grandeur and importance of what is available at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. This local extension of the National Air and Space Museum offers exhibits focusing on aviation and space flight history, artifacts, and technology. With multiple hangers to explore (including a restoration hanger where you can sometimes see preservationists hard at work), you’ll get an up-close look at the Space Shuttle Discovery and a Concorde! Plus, older kids will love the flight simulators, IMAX theater, and observation tower where you can watch all sorts of private and commercial aircraft take off and land at Washington Dulles International Airport.
Most kids enjoy mini golf, too, but only older kids will truly make the most of all the fun available at Monster Mini Golf. Here, there are 18 holes of black-lit mini golf full of interactive and animated monsters. There’s also a laser maze, laser tag, a virtual reality experience, bowling, and of course a state-of-the-art arcade. It’s fun of days gone by mixed with a monstrous dose of everything that glows for many an entertaining afternoon with friends.
Things Adults Love About Chantilly
When adults want to have fun, it often involves getting a drink or hitting the links. And Chantilly has both! Multiple delicious opportunities await you for sampling some of the area’s local brews. Ono Brewing Company is a veteran- and family-owned business featuring a unique self-serve beer wall with 12 craft beers and hard seltzers on tap. Every beer is brewed at Ono Brewing, and you’ll quickly agree how apt the name is: “Ono” means “delicious” in Hawaiian. But there’s also Mustang Sally Brewing Company, another local independent and local craft brewery. With a large open tasting room and exceptional flavors, you will never leave thirsty. Plus, both Ono Brewing and Mustang Sally Brewing have food on site that perfectly complements their beers.
And when you want to get some tee time in, check out Pleasant Valley Golf Club. This 18-championship-hole course was designed by award-winning Tom Clark of Ault, Clark & Associates. Nestled amongst rolling hills, hardwood trees, and native grass meadows, Pleasant Valley features golf in a park-like setting. You’ll also enjoy their practice facilities and modern clubhouse complete with Pro Shop. Take lessons to improve your swing or enjoy a snack for the full Pleasant Valley experience.
Things Families Love About Chantilly
Of course, all the things younger and older kids love are things the whole family will love. But here are two more! Ox Hill Battlefield Park sits on the site of the only major Civil War battle in Fairfax County. Learn as you stroll the now-tranquil grounds discovering interpretive kiosks around the park that illustrate the events and significance of the battle. Read about some of the soldiers who fought and stand in the middle of where it all happened. Visit the granite monuments that honor the two Union generals who lost their lives. Also, Ox Hill Battlefield Park is a place occasionally frequented by reenactors and living history groups, bringing the past even more alive for your family.
And finally, right up Route 28, the Dulles Expo & Convention Center hosts a little bit of everything. There are antique shows and craft festivals. There’s the BrickFair LEGO expo and Fairfax Comic Con. Super Smash Con lets you celebrate video games and is billed as the “ultimate fan event.” The International Gem & Jewelry Show will let you peruse (and purchase) all sorts of costume and fine jewelry. The Dino & Dragon Stroll will let your family get up close and personal with life-sized (and life-like!) animatronic dinosaurs and dragons—some over 28 feet tall. These are just a few of the amazing things that will be at the Dulles Expo Center in the next few months. It’s family fun all year round.
Chantilly is a great place to raise your family, full of fun, educational, and exciting things for kids of all ages. And there’s no better place for your family to live than The Retreat at Westfields in a new townhome by Miller & Smith.