Mama "Secrets" in Fairfax and Centreville VA

Updated on May 02, 2014
C.T. asks from Chester, NY
5 answers

Hi Mamas-

Effective July 1, my family and I will be leaving NY for Fairfax/Centreville VA area and, I am hoping that you all might share some of your "secrets" about the area. I am looking for things big and small - the things that are not immediately obvious and that take time to learn about.

Let me give you some examples:
1) The Stop and Shop and Shoprite pass out free cookies to little ones who ask. The kids know that if ew have the time and they behave during a shopping trip and we get all done - through checkout too - that we can go back in and get one.
2) Stop and Shop puts out their "second fruits and Veggies" at about 9AM everyday. They are generally gone by Noon.
3) Fish delivery at the SR is 3 days a week. The best fish is available those nights and never buy fish on Sundays! You also can't buy fish at the one closest to me but the other one the next town over has good turn over and stock.
4) "Day Old" bread can be purchased cheap from the bread outlet in town and stashed in the freezer.
5) There is an awesome pick-your-own farm about 1/2 hour away that we can get up early for, pack and lunch and make a nice outing of. If you buy a "box" and then re-use it on a return trip, you get 50 cents off your purchase.
6) The farm down the road sells wonderful fruits, veggies, pumpkins, etc. They open early in June but close after Halloween.
7) The orchard on the other hand, won't open until mid July/August as they wait for their peaches to come in. But, they don't close until February. Oh, and they make the BEST apple pies and apple cider donuts in the fall!
8) The organic farm, while occassionally expensive, is open about the same time as the orchard and they bring in handmade breads from NYC.
9) The Museum Village is a low cost afternoon spent running through a village full of history.
10) If you want to go for a nice walk, the Heritage Trail is "the spot" and if you start at the Goshen end of things, near the church, there is a little homemade ice cream shop. (Sometimes defeats the purpose, but they also sell water for reasonable price if you run out.)
11) Never go to BJs on a Saturday with 4 kiddos. Its just too crowded!
12) The best pizza around is FnJ's.
13) The homemade ice cream shop is in the next town over and is wonderful!

And so on.

These are the "little" things that it has taken me 8 years to learn about this area and its these little things that I'd like to start to gather and learn about before our move. I know there are some things you just need to learn and figure out for yourself when you move to a new area, but it would be so nice not to have to start from scratch.

I really appreciate any insight you can give me, especially since I'll be looking for something to do with my 4 munchkins the first full week we are down there (Daddy will be in training all week!)

Thanks is advance ladies!
~C.

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B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

It's an area that can vary by quite a bit depending in which direction you go.

Harris Teeter often has free cookies similar to your Stop and Shop.

I moved away from Sterling Va 7 years ago.
I miss some things but I'm not missing the traffic at all!

Fun places to check out with the kids:

Frying Pan Park
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/fryingpanpark/visitorc...

Claude Moore Park
(We loved this park - we lived around the corner from it and went there all the time just to take walks - technically in Loudoun county but it's so close it makes no difference).
http://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?nid=1285

Algonkian Regional Park
(Nice way to take a look at the Potomac river - they have a little water park there too)
http://www.nvrpa.org/park/algonkian

Leesburg - check them out for 4th of July and for their Halloween Parade

Reston Zoo
http://www.restonzoo.com/

The Water Mine and Lake Fairfax Park is close to the Reston Zoo:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/volunteer/watermine-vo...

Leesburg Animal Park
http://www.leesburganimalpark.com/

In the fall Temple Hall Farm Park has a great corn maze:
http://templehallfallfest.com/

Don't forget the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum Annex
http://airandspace.si.edu/visit/udvar-hazy-center/

Near Christmas time check out Juniper Street in Sterling Va for some pretty neighborhood light displays.

There's really a lot to do, you won't see it all at once.

3 moms found this helpful

C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

I have lived here for 3 years now. Used to live in Chantilly (borders Centreville and Fairfax) but now I live in Leesburg. Wegmans is THE best grocery store I have ever been in!! I was blown away the first time I went there. I still LOVE it. They have a great food court area with a lot of food for everyone. The wegmans in sterling is the only one with free child care/play areaa (and the manager of the child care is amazing!! Super nice lady) up to age 9 and you get to have them there for 1 1/2 hours while you shop.

My kids love the museums but we are not city people and so we don't really go to DC unless we have to.

Traffic is terrible. Everywhere. Anytime of day.

Frying Pan park is awesome. My kids love it and it's free

Lots of fun little water parks

A couple of nice botanical gardens like Meadowlark and Green Springs

We will be going strawberry picking soon for the first time in Hamilton at wegmeyer farms. I don't know how much they are, but I feel it's worth it for the experience and fun with my kids

3 moms found this helpful

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

ETA: Oh yeah - Wegmans!! Dah!! And oh yeah...Harris Teeter and Wegman's offer samples of food (cookies, fruit, salads, meat).

Reston Zoo - depending upon where you are in Fairfax or Centreville - you can come up Fairfax County Parkway (or Route 28 to Dulles Toll Road) and then Exit at Baron Cameron....it's NOT cheap....it's a SMALL zoo..and it's $12.95 for adults and $9.95 for kids.
http://www.restonzoo.com/VisitorInfo/TicketsandHours.aspx

There are plenty of water parks - Groupon has a deal going for several now...http://www.groupon.com/deals/great-waves-waterpark-camero...

Anything "free" is in DC...if you tell me the dates you are here - I'd be happy to drive you around.

C.,

There's a big difference between Fairfax and Centreville. At least to me there is...Fairfax is VERY urban - there are locations like Fairfax Station that has more of a suburban feel...Centreville is caught between country, suburbia and city....Route 29 goes right down the middle of it...

Where will your husband be working?

I don't know of a Stop 'n Shop in Fairfax or Centreville. Local grocery stores around here are:

Giant/Giant Eagle
Harris Teeter
Aldi (few and far between unless you go to the low income neighborhoods)
Safeway
Food Lion
Whole Foods

Centreville is right next to Manassas and is considered an historic area...

It would help if you tell us WHAT you want to do...what you LIKE to do... what you are looking for...

2 moms found this helpful
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L.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Wild Woman, you forgot about Wegmans!!! Best grocery store ever.

C. T, good luck to you. Maybe if you can fall in with a local mommy group, you can get good insider info that way. Some of the best bargains you will ever find are at church sales.

There are so many fun and free things to do in the D.C. area. You'll have plenty of things to keep you occupied while you are discovering your new secrets. Good luck with the move!

1 mom found this helpful

P.L.

answers from Washington DC on

Fairfax Corner; yummy cupcake place Cupcake Actually. Has free fountains you can take kids to that are fun to run around in & if u have lil kids had a choochoo train(not free though). You just missed free cone day so save date for next year, April 7th! Ben & Jerrys has Free Cone Day every year to sort of welcome the warm
weather etc., Fairfax Corner has a mini fair(free) with face painters, balloon artists & bounce house. Fairfax Corner also is a fun date night with redtaurants & $5 movie Wednesdays.
Visit "old town" Fairfax, theres a free Fsirfax Museum on Main St/route 236 & a great playground past the parking garage behind the museum with two playground & sandbox & couple picnic tables.
Depending on kids ages there is a PB & Jacks nearby Main St, been there twice since I have s toddler. You go & drop off young ones to play while you have mommy time to drink coffee & snack & use their wifi.
Yes there is Wegmans, you probably have been? They are originated in NY. There is also a Trader Joe's in Fairfax City by Chuck E Cheese. I like TJ, give out organic lollipops to kids, healthier snack items, they are a heathier store in general & not too pricey, have samples everday.
Not all of Fairfax is urban, some neighborhoods you can get a great home with land & no HOA.
University Mall across from GMU(George Mason University) has a yummy hibachi grill restaurant & has a cheap movie theater. $4 for afults, $3 for kids and $2 Tuesdays, plays older movies, they play ollder family friendly movies @ 10am for their kids summer special, www.universitymalltheatres.com Great for when you need to take the kids somewhere with AC during summer & want to get out of the house!
You got a lot of good links already. There is tons if info to bombard you with :) A great kids consignment shop is Kid to Kid in Centreville on route 28. Centreville also has free fun family outdoor movies during the summer played on two outdoor screens. A bunch of places have free outdoor concerts & movies during the summer too. For some other kid friendly shops & a listing of day trips to pick U farms etc., www.our-kids.com and a great book for mons new to NoVA is Kids Trips Northern Virginia Edition www.GoKisTrips.com
Yup there once was a "set" rush hour but it seems like 95, 495, and sometimes 395, 66 have traffic anytime of the day. Sigh. The mixing bowl can be stress inducing. If you don't have a smartphone get a reliable GPS.
There are all the fun things to do in DC, my hubby recommends taking metro in but I don't mind the drive to certain spots like the zoo is easy to get to. Honestly can't even begin with all the fun insider stuff & the amount of history all surrounding this area!
Good luck
P

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