Expressnews
LEESBURG, Va – Twenty-five miles and a world away from the U.S. Capitol, Loudoun County – DC’s Wine Country® – is a gorgeous destination filled with world-class wineries, craft breweries, distilleries and a rich agricultural tradition that drives a dynamic farm-to-table culinary scene. Nestled between the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the banks of the Potomac River, the county is home to picture-postcard villages that predate the Revolution and modern urban tech hubs that house the data centers that power the world’s Internet. Add in a famous stretch of the Appalachian Trail and an equestrian scene, – racing, polo, show jumping, fox hunting – and this is a destination worth pouring into. Here are five reasons to visit Loudoun now.
The Next Napa
Known as DC’s Wine Country®, Loudoun is America’s next great wine region. Forty-plus years after bottling its first vintage, the county is now home to more than 50 wineries. Varied topography and well-drained soils deliver terroir suited to many grapes and styles: French-style Bordeaux; Nebbiolo reminiscent of Italy’s Piedmont, Spanish-style Albariño and acres of Norton, the distinctive Virginia grape. While national accolades and awards pour in, there’s a warmth and authenticity to the scene reminiscent of Napa in the 1970s. Here, a winemaker will join you for a tasting or an owner will recommend a neighboring estate or vintage. Add in talks, pairings, picnics, concerts in the vines, story-driven curated visits with local wine tour companies and those spectacular views, and small wonder Loudoun is the wine world’s hottest new ticket. With Dulles International Airport in the county, visitors can sip wine soon after landing.
Leesburg’s Renaissance: Virginia’s Coolest Town
As America celebrates its 250th birthday, Loudoun’s county seat Leesburg, Virginia’s largest incorporated town, is having a moment. Established in 1758, the town’s Colonial, red-brick and Federal-era brownstone architecture and shady, tree-lined streets are reminiscent of New York’s West Village. The Ralph Lauren-inspired boutique Hotel Burg with its rooftop bar and fine-dining restaurant The Huntōn, helmed by a Michelin-recognized chef, debuted in late 2025 in the heart of the historic district. Three doors up, Shutters on King just opened in a renovated 19th-century building – modern American dishes served in a banquette-lined dining room of exposed brick, leather couches and stone hearth fireplaces. The new restaurant also sits just blocks from the house of General George C Marshall of Marshall Plan fame. Add in scores of artisanal coffee shops, cocktail lounges, public art displays and several museums, galleries and independently owned boutiques, and you’ll soon discover why Leesburg is the coolest town in the South.
Historic Loudoun
In commemoration of America’s 250th Anniversary, seven Loudoun museums and cultural destinations have joined to launch the Loudoun Heritage Pass, a multi-site ticket offering discounted admission to some of the region’s most venerated landmarks. Among the sites: Morven Park, an estate of a former Virginia Governor and equestrian hub; Oatlands Historic House & Gardens, an 1804-built Greek Revival mansion and English terraced garden established in 1798 and Aldie Mill Historic Park, a restored roadside grist mill once frequented by President James Monroe who farmed at Oak Hill just a few miles north after his presidency. While here, don’t miss the 1728-built Red Fox Inn & Tavern, one of the longest continually operating inns in the nation that has hosted the likes of Jackie Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Duvall and – back in the day – George Washington himself.
A Global Dine Around
Loudoun is an epicurean melting pot with tastes and traditions from all corners of the globe. The Latin food scene has welcomed upscale new Mexican restaurants Mancha Cocina and El Pitayo in Lovettsville owned by a family with roots in the tequila capital Jalisco. At cozy Farm & Fork Kitchen in Ashburn, chef-owner Jorge Chicas, an alum of José Andrés, creates seasonal farm-to-table inspired by Spanish tapas. Indian transplants are upping the spice game. Stylish new local chain Biryani Grill serves cilantro-infused Hariyali Chicken and Goan-style shrimp Pulav at three opulent Loudoun locations, while female chef Rupa Vira’s The Signature does an authentic Gujarati vegetarian tali once a week. On top of all the Thai, Japanese and Korean cuisine, the unassuming Asian Noodles House in Leesburg wins fans for its hearty Vietnamese Boat Soup and Brisket Pho. Ford’s Fish Shack and King Street Oyster Bar set the standard for seafood, but devotees of Giacomo Galimberti’s classy new Gvino Wine Barswear by his lemon-rich Mediterranean-style Branzino. For classic French bistro fare, Brasserie Royale in Sterling does an impeccable vanilla-bean-infused crème brûlée in a setting straight out of Paris. The world sets its table in Loudoun.
The Great Outdoors
While eastern Loudoun is dynamically urban, the west is an outdoor paradise – a lush green expanse of working farms and soaring mountains – gravel roads, hiking trails, bike paths and stone-fenced country lanes linking them all. From ziplining forest canopies at Forbes Five Star Salamander Middleburg resort to cycling the 45-mile Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park or hiking “The Rollercoaster” – an infamous 13-mile Loudoun stretch of the world-famous Appalachian Trail – there’s something for every outdoor enthusiast. And if you need to cool down from it all, enjoy kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding or fly-fishing on the Potomac River. Then there are the links: Algonkian Golf Course – 18 holes of immaculately maintained Bermuda grass close to the Potomac – and Lansdowne Resort, which features 45 holes of championship golf on courses by Robert Trent Jones and Greg Norman.
