If you ever find yourself in Leesburg, VA, head south on Route 15. A few miles down the old Algonquin and Iroquois route, turn left into Oatlands House and Gardens. Oatlands, founded in 1798 on 3,408 acres, was once owned by the Carter and Eustis families and is now operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It’s also listed on the National Register for Historic Places. The mansion, which wasn’t completed until 1804, is one of the best examples of Federal estate architecture in the country.
Now claiming 417 acres of farmland and gardens, it’s a refuge in one of the fastest growing counties in Virginia. Besides the mansion which can be toured daily, there’s a carriage house with a gift shop and a wonderful open area where they serve weekend teas. The estate also houses one of the country’s oldest, still-in-use greenhouses and a sunken, walled garden in the Colonial Revival style (including a bowling green, rose garden, kitchen and herb garden, reflecting pool, and numerous dependencies) that rivals anything in Charleston or Savannah.
There’s so much history that I won’t even try to put it into a blog post. But I will say that my favorite things about the property are the interpretive tours and weekend seasonal teas. The annual Witches Brew Tea and the nighttime Paranormal tours are two events my family and I look forward to every year in the fall. And for those who enjoy ghost tours, the house and carriage house are both haunted. If you visit, make sure you wear good walking shoes. The gardens and home are beautifully kept, but there are lots of moss-covered steps and uneven paths through the hidden gardens. So if you’re looking for a fun Fall/Halloween event, sign up for the Halloween tea, visit the autumn gardens, and maybe stay for the ghost tour after dark. You won’t regret it! Since I can’t take you with me on my next trip, I’ve included a photographic tour of our weekend at Oatlands. But before you visit, check the website for opening/closing dates and times. The property’s visiting hours change with the seasons.
