In Virginia, an up and coming wine region, Leesburg, makes for the perfect destination for wine lovers and an easy day trip from Washington, DC. This area has a long history that dates back to the foundations of America and was an important spot during the Civil War. Wine tasting in Leesburg makes for a great weekend getaway. Outside of wine tasting, there are plenty of other fun things to do in Loudoun County to mix in.
Disclaimer: Special thanks to the Loudoun County Tourism Board for hosting me at several attractions on my trip to Leesburg! As always, all thoughts and opinions remain my own.
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History of Leesburg
The area Leesburg now sits in once was occupied by various Native American tribes for about 400 years. It changed hands between tribes multiple times throughout that time. In the 1730s, a European settlement popped up in the area. The town of Leesburg dates back to 1740, when early members of Robert E. Lee’s family established the town.
During the War of 1812, Leesburg served as one of the temporary spots of the United States government. The Civil War saw several small battles and the town changed hands between the Union and the Confederates several times. Later, during World War II, Leesburg was home to Goerge Marshall, who helped create the Marshall Plan. This helped give aid to Europe.
Today, wine tasting in Leesburg has become popular and many breweries and delicious restaurants have popped up.
Best Time to Visit Leesburg
Leesburg can get very hot and humid in the summertime and snowy during the winter. Keep this in mind when planning when to visit. If planning on doing a lot of wine tasting in Leesburg, the best time to visit will be late spring, early summer, or fall.
How to Get to Leesburg
Leesburg is about an hour west of Washington, DC. The closest major airport is Dulles International Airport which is about a 20-30 minute drive from Leesburg. To get to Leesburg, you will need a car.
From Washington, DC, take the 66 West to the 267 west. After 37 miles you will arrive in Leesburg.
From Dulles International Airport (DIA), take the 28 North to the 7 West.
Transportation Around Leesburg
To get around and especially to go wine tasting in Leesburg, you will need a car. I recommend using Autoslash as they have the best rates.
Where to Stay in Leesburg
TripAdvisor is a great place to start your hotel search. Search for the best Leesburg hotels here!
Leesburg has quite a few hotels and bed and breakfasts. It is a small town, so no matter where you stay, it will be a good location. We opted to stay at the Hampton Inn and Suites Leesburg as it was a good price, included breakfast, and was about a 5 minute drive to the main street of Leesburg.
Wine Tasting in Leesburg
In total, the Leesburg area contains over 40 wineries. Many of them are newer as the wine scene in Virginia is not as old as California. You could spend several days wine tasting in Leesburg! We were able to sample three different wineries during our time in Leesburg.
Bluemont Vineyard
Cost: $20 for 6 tastes
Hours: Sun-Thurs: 11am-7pm, Fri-Sat: 11am-9pm
Bluemont Vineyards is worth a visit just for the view alone when wine tasting in Leesburg. This winery overlooks the gorgeous area. For $20, you can taste 6 of their wines. You can choose from their seasonal tasting flight or their signature tasting flight. They also serve some light bites to eat if you get hungry. If you plan on visiting on the weekend, you must make a reservation ahead of time.
Right next to Bluemont is also Dirt Farm Brewing and Bear Chase Brewing Company if you would like to break up the wine tasting.
The Vineyards & Winery at Lost Creek
Cost: $20 for 4 tastes
Hours: Mon, Thurs, Fri: 12pm-5pm, Sat: 11am-6pm, Sun: 11am-5pm
The Vineyards & Winery at Lost Creek is definitely worth a visit when wine tasting in Leesburg. This cute little tasting room has a spectacular patio area that is super relaxing. You can opt to do a tasting for $20 with 4 VERY large pours, but I recommend doing the food and wine pairing for $65. This comes with a 4 course meal along with the 4 tastings. The food was all delicious and it was the perfect lunch stop of the day. I really enjoyed their Rose wine.
Three Creeks Winery
Cost: $14 for 3 wines
Hours: Thus-Sun: 11am-5pm
Three Creeks Winery is the winery to go to if you want to relax. It has an impressive property with tons of indoor and outdoor seating areas. We were lucky enough to be helped by the owner PJ and got a great tour of the place. For tastings here, you get three tastes for $14. You can opt to do a white flight, a red flight, or create your own. We opted to do one red and one white flight. My favorite wines were the Cabernet Franc and the Pinot Noir. It is the perfect winery for wine tasting in Leesburg
Other wineries to visit when wine tasting in Leesburg we did not get a chance to try but were recommended to us include Willowcroft Wine Vineyards, The Barns at Hamilton Station, and Stone Tower Winery.
Where to Eat in Leesburg
Leesburg has an endless option of delicious places to eat at! The main street of Leesburg, King Street, contains the majority of the restaurants in town. It is the perfect place to go after wine tasting in Leesburg. Although there were so many choices, I did not get the chance to eat at all of them.
Echelon Wine Bar
Cost: $$
Hours: Wed-Sat: 3pm-10pm, Sun: 11am-5pm
Echelon Wine Bar is owned by the same owners as Lost Creek Winery. Therefore, their menu is the same as the winery, if you do not feel like going all the way out to the winery. They offer a ton of delicious dishes and a good assortment of wine.
FireWorks Pizza
Cost: $$
Hours: Sun-Thus: 11am-9:30pm, Fri-Sat: 11am-10:30pm
FireWorks Pizza offers delicious pizzas and salads and over 100 different beers. You can opt to grab the pizza to go and take it with you when wine tasting in Leesburg, or dine in on their awesome patio. I liked that they had a build your own pizza option and different sizes as well.
Goosecup
Cost: $
Hours: 7am-11pm
Goosecup is the place to go to fuel up before wine tasting in Leesburg. This local coffee shop has your typical coffee options as well as a great selection of tea. They also offer a ton of delicious pastry options and a few breakfast entrees. In the evening, the coffee shops into a bar with mixed drinks, beer, and wine offerings as well as a few light bites to eat.
The Wine Kitchen
Cost: $$
Hours: Tues-Thurs: 12pm-9pm, Fri-Sat: 12pm-10pm, Sun: 11am-9pm, Closed Mondays
The Wine Kitchen is a great place to try out some wines while also having a fabulous meal. They have over 40 wines on their menu and partner with many local farms to source their food products. I loved their house made pasta and would love to go back to try some of their other entrees. The Wine Kitchen also offers several different wine tasting flights if you cannot make up your mind.
Other Things to do in Leesburg
Outside of wine tasting in Leesburg, there are a few other things to do in Loudoun County. The area is home to a lot of historical sites, perfect stops for the history lovers.
Balls Bluff Battlefield Regional Park
Cost: Free
Hours: Dawn to Dusk
Balls Bluff Battlefield Regional Park is the site of a small battle of the Civil War that ended in a Confederate victory. Present day, the area is home to a variety of walking/hiking trails, a National Cemetery, and views of the Bluff. Guided tours are available from April to November at 11am and 1pm, Saturdays and Sundays.
George C. Marshall’s Dodona Manor
Cost: $15
Hours: Fri-Sun: 10am-3:30pm
Dodona Manor is the former home to General Goerge Marshall, most widely known for the Marshall Plan, which gave foreign aid to Western Europe at the end of World War II. You can walk around the gardens outside the house for free at any time. If you would like to go on a guided tour of the inside of the house, you can do that on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
Cost: $20/car or free with the America the Beautiful Pass
Hours: 9am-5pm
Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is about a 30 minute drive from Leesburg. It was originally designated as a National Monument in 1944, but was switched to a National Historical Park in 1963. This park preserves the town of Harpers Ferry and commemorates John Brown’s raid of the federal arsenal.
Visitors can walk down the main street and view multiple exhibits about the area and the events that happened there. You can also opt to take a guide tour, go on a hike, or go rock climbing. You can see a list of hikes here. Make sure not to miss the views from Jefferson’s Rock and the Footbridge near The Point.
If you get hungry while visiting, there are several restaurants along one of the main streets.
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Cost: Free
Hours: Dawn to Dusk
About 40 minutes away from Leesburg lies Manassas National Battlefield Park. This National Park site commemorates two Civil War battles. This site is where General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson got his nickname due to his blockade of the Union troops during the battle.
Visitors can stop at the Visitor’s Center and then go on a self-guided 18-mile driving tour of the area. It stops at 12 significant locations from the second battle at Manassas. Make sure not to miss the stop at Battery Heights, Deep Cut, and the Stone Bridge.
There are so many fun things to do in Loudoun County as well as wine tasting in Leesburg. Make sure to add this area to any Virginia road trip, or head to Leesburg as a day trip from Washington, DC or after visiting Richmond. It could also be a great stop on the way to Shenandoah National Park. Interested in other United States wine regions? Check out these posts about the best wine regions in the United States and California.
4 thoughts on “Wine Tasting in Leesburg and 10 Other Fun Things to do in Loudoun County”
Love the views at the wineries. The food looks devine. Would like to tour the historical sites as a historian.
Yes! The wineries were so gorgeous.
I cannot wait to get back down to Virginia this summer. A lot of my college friends are from Loudon County and it is such a beautiful area. The wineries look incredible. Thank you for the inspiration! 🙂
It was such a fun and cute little town!