Historic Homes and Gardens Itinerary
Oatlands Historic House and Gardens is a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Take a guided tour of the 22-room Greek revival home that was once the center of a thriving 3,400-acre plantation. Then, continue your tour through four acres of formal gardens and connecting terraces. Don’t miss the Carriage House gift shop!
For lunch, head back to downtown Leesburg and the Market Station complex just south of Rt. 15 (King Street) on Market Street, where you will find three dining options, all owned by the same restaurateur, and offering fabulous food – Fireworks Wood Fired Pizza, South Street Under (bakery, sandwiches, outdoor patio), and Tuscorara Mill Restaurant, a local favorite for more than 20 years. Eat in their more casual café, or sit in the well-lit dining room that features white-clothed tables.
Historic Morven Park is a 1,000 acre historic estate featuring a Greek Revival Mansion that was the home of World War I-era Virginia Governor Westmoreland Davis which recently underwent 4 years of extensive restoration. The home features artifacts collected by Governor Davis from his trips around the world, including a 15th century Persian tapestry and a Tiffany lamp. Also on the property is the Winmill Carriage Collection, which displays more than 50 horse-drawn carriages, the Museum of Hounds and Hunting, and intricate boxwood gardens.
Dodona Manor is the recently restored home and gardens of General George C. Marshall who is best known as the author of the Marshall Plan which laid the groundwork for post World War II European recovery. Marshall was also Special Ambassador to China, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and Nobel Peace Laureate. Ninety percent of the furnishings and memorabilia are original to the Marshall period of residency, from 1941-1959. The home is situated on four acres in downtown Leesburg. Marshall was also an avid gardener; the home’s gardens are currently under restoration.
