Itinerary

The cast of Loudoun’s tourism reality-style web series experienced a lot of what Loudoun has to offer visitors. Farm Attractions. Culinary Arts. History. Fine Arts. Outdoor Recreation. “Get Lost” yourself, by visiting some of the same places featured in the series, and participating in some of the same activities.

It was 2-on-2 in the paintball episode, and it was a nail biter! Working together, our cast used a combination of skill, strategy, and pure luck during their competition. And like our cast, a visit to Pev’s Paintball Park in Aldie will bring out your competitive spirit. Go individually or with a group and experience a variety of paintball courses including The Fort, The Town, Rock/Boulder/Cave Field, Scrapyard, Logyard, and Airball on Turf. Games include Attack and Defend, Capture the Flag, and Elimination. No equipment is required – Pev’s can take care of everything.

Keep the blood pumping with an exhilarating trip down the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers on a whitewater rafting experience. Our cast, split into two boats racing to the finish, learned how much fun whitewater can be. BTI Whitewater offers excitement, adventure, and fun. Floating past historic Harpers Ferry, experience the view Thomas Jefferson claimed was “worth a trip across the Atlantic” as you meet the mighty Potomac at the world-renowned gap between Bolivar, West Virginia; Maryland Heights, Maryland; and Loudoun Heights, Virginia. If you’re looking for a more serene trip downriver, grab one of BTI’s tubes and float down, and take a BTI cooler tube with you for your beverages! Back at BTI’s headquarters, cap your day off with a wine tasting or perhaps a zip down their new 500 foot long, 41 feet high zip line.

Few people know that the Appalachian Trail follows Loudoun’s western border, but just as our cast discovered, there are few spots more scenic to “Get Lost.” There are several trail access locations in the park that also offer facilities for camping. Loudoun is a great place to experience the trail, either on a day hike or as a thru-hiker, as the northern portion of Loudoun’s trail is some of the most scenic. Called the “Virginia Rollercoaster” for its quick ups and downs, it’s a workout, but not without immediate rewards.

Long before vineyards sprouted across Loudoun’s bucolic countryside, horses dominated the landscape, grazing, running, training, and competing in Loudoun. Our cast found out that our horse industry continues to thrive today when they learned how to play polo and you can do the same at the Virginia International Polo Club’s Polo School. Hosted on the same fields as our cast played on scenic Llangollen Farm in Upperville, anyone can learn to play polo whether you own a horse or not. There are lots of great experiences for those who prefer to remain spectators including twilight polo games, steeplechase racing, behind-the-scenes stable tours on Memorial Day weekend, horseback riding, and jumping competitions at the oldest horse show in the country. Or just hop in the car and start traveling the scenic byways in Western Loudoun, particularly around the town of Middleburg, and take in the scenic beauty of rolling hills dotted with grazing horses. Enjoying Loudoun’s equine heritage is a year-round opportunity.

Every culinary creation begins at the farm and so did the Get Lost cast when they set off on their culinary exploration of Loudoun. Great Country Farms is an agricultural experience like no other. Our cast raced through the farm in an obstacle course designed to test whether they had what it takes for country living! Feathers were flapping furiously as they chased down a chicken, tried to kiss a pig, and then raced to the finish line, scrambling to the top of Tire Mountain. Put your family to the test (and put smiles on their faces!) as you wind your way through one of Great Country Farms’ numerous mazes, down a 60’ tunnel slide, or gain some elevation on the jumpin’ pillow. In addition to all the fun at Great Country Farms, there’s also a working farm all around you – take time to pet the farm animals, go fishing in the catch-n-release pond, pick-your-own fruits and produce, and shop the prepared goods in the farm market.

From farm-to-table, the culinary journey continued when our cast travelled to the Goodstone Inn & Estate in Middleburg, where they selected fresh ingredients directly from Goodstone’s gardens to prepare under the guidance of Executive Chef William Walden. As with summer’s bounty, the options for experiencing Loudoun’s culinary culture is seemingly endless. Experience farm-to-table dining yourself at any of Loudoun’s nine destination restaurants which includes the restaurant at Goodstone Inn & Estate. Each destination restaurant is selected through a juried process which requires the restaurant to use local produce and encourages featuring Loudoun wines so you’re sure to find a farm-to-table meal at any of these unique restaurants. For those looking to expand their culinary skills in the kitchen, sign up for a cooking class and be sure to pick up some local produce from one of the numerous farm stands or farmers markets throughout Loudoun to recreate the Loudoun culinary experience in your own kitchen.

To round out their culinary exploration in Loudoun, the Get Lost cast visited Sunset Hills Vineyard where they worked with Loudoun winemakers Lori Corcoran and Nate Walsh to blend their own wines. The wineries of Loudoun consist primarily of small production boutique wineries where visitors often have the opportunity to interact directly with the winemakers during wine tastings, winery tours, and special events throughout the year, including home winemaking seminars, barrel tastings, and seasonal festivals. Pick up a copy of our Touring Guide to DC’s Wine Country to begin your exploration of Loudoun’s wineries and unlock your inner oenophile.

Follow in the footsteps of our cast as they trailed the Grey Ghost, Colonel John S. Mosby, along the route named for him, John Mosby Highway (Route 50). The area along Route 50 in Loudoun is where Mosby and his Rangers’ raids against Union troops became legendary. Begin at Mt. Zion Old School Baptist Church - a meeting place for Mosby and his Rangers prior to their raids. Mt. Zion served as a battlefield, hospital, barracks, prison, and burial ground during the Civil War. Today, the graveyard has markers for 12 Union cavalrymen killed in action there; there also are two Mosby Rangers and other Confederates buried at Mt. Zion. Outside the cemetery walls is an area where slaves and free blacks are buried.

From Mt. Zion, continue west on Route 50 to the nearby Aldie Mill. Built in 1809, Aldie Mill is still operational and features Virginia’s only tandem water wheels. During the Civil War, the mill provided grain for both Federal and Confederate troops. Mosby captured several Union soldiers at the mill during the course of the war. In season (April through November) Aldie Mill is open to the public for milling demonstrations on weekends. There are also several Civil War Markers both at the mill and just outside of town on Snickersville Turnpike to help guide you through the Civil War history that touched this small town.

Continue your journey along John Mosby Highway to the charming town of Middleburg, home to the country’s oldest continually operating inn, The Red Fox Inn. Originally built in 1728 and known as Chinn’s Ordinary, the Red Fox has offer uninterrupted hospitality to travelers for more than 275 years. During the Civil War, while Mosby and his Rangers planned daring raids in the upstairs rooms, injured soldiers were cared for in the rooms below. The inn’s pine service bar, still in use, served as an operating table for a field surgeon during the war. The Red Fox Inn continues to greet travelers today with warm hunt country hospitality. Their tavern menu features comfort foods, sourced locally, and served in dining rooms that exude history. Stop in for a meal or spend the night in one of their 15 overnight rooms.

After chasing down the Grey Ghost, it was time for our cast to explore Loudoun’s “other” side and investigate whether ghosts still indeed haunt Loudoun’s hallowed grounds. Oatlands Historic House and Gardens was formed in 1798 and has seen history unfold outside and inside its walls. Do former residents still reside in the mansion? Find out for yourself during Oatlands’ annual paranormal tours, which are held at the end of October, near Halloween of course! Oatlands offers daily tours April through December for those who prefer to tour by the light of day, which will also afford you the opportunity to explore their exquisite tiered gardens and beautifully manicured grounds.

From the historic to the modern day, the Get Lost cast dived right into all aspects of Loudoun’s culture - getting their hands a little dirty along the way! At Glenfiddich Farm Pottery, studio of local potter Richard Busch, Busch and fellow potter and Washington Redskin Chris Cooley taught the cast how to throw clay and let them loose on the wheel to create their own works of ceramic art. As you can see from the cast’s experience, the process can be a little messy and a lot trickier than you may initially think! Keep your hands clean and your frustration levels low by visiting the galleries yourself to take home a piece of finished pottery and hopefully see one of the artists at work on the wheel. Glenfiddich is open to visitors by appointment, for seasonal shows, and on Saturdays in December. The Cooley Gallery is located in Historic Downtown Leesburg and features works by Cooley as well as several local potters including Richard Busch. For those feeling more creative, there are pottery classes in Loudoun for all experience levels. Check out the Round Hill Arts Center and The Old Furniture Factory for their latest schedule of classes.