Cultural Excursions

 Welcome to LLI/NOVA’s Cultural Excursions Program!

West Virginia Train Trip, October 2016
West Virginia Train Trip, October 2016

The mission of the Cultural Excursions Program is to promote and provide access to the educational, cultural, and leisure offerings of this area and the nearby states. Volunteers who plan and often lead these activities strive to provide stimulating, shared experiences for LLI/NOVA members, and their friends and family, at a reasonable cost.

Offerings will include informal Meet-Ups where each participant provides his/her own transportation to and from a location or event that may occupy all or part of a day.  In addition, trips will be offered to locations in the region or to nearby states.  The duration of these trips varies from one to several days and usually includes transportation and overnight lodging.  Most trips are organized and managed by the LLI/NOVA Cultural Excursions Committee. These trips, in addition to longer duration trips provided by commercial tour operators, are contingent upon meeting minimum participation requirements and are thereby subject to cancellation.

Trips will be announced on this page, in the Events calendar, on the Home page, and in the LLI/NOVA Newsletter.  Most activities are open to members and friends and family, but often only an LLI/NOVA member can register someone for a trip.  If an LLI/NOVA member wants to bring a non-LLI/NOVA member, then the LLI/NOVA member may have to fill out the registration both for the member and the non-member.

Each activity has specific registration procedures.  These procedures are included in the activity description and may vary from event to event.  Registration procedures for some trips will require you to fill out and submit an LLI Trip Registration form in order to participate.  A generic version of the form can be found here.  However, frequently a form is tailored for each trip.  See the specific trip announcements below.

Announcements

Upcoming Excursions

  • Thursday, March 20, 2025 – David Taylor Model Basin Carderock, MD
    • Guided tour of the David Taylor Model Basin. We will learn how the U.S. Navy tests models of its ships for seaworthiness. David Taylor Model Basin is one of the largest test facilities for the development of ship design in the world. It is a field activity of the Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Note: stamina is required to walk two miles, including stairs, without rest.
    • Cost – no charge
    • Registration: This event is open to members only. Please register on the LLI event calendar.
    • Transportation: This is a meet-up at the venue.
    • Date/Time: Thursday, March 20, 2025 – 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
    • Location: David Taylor Model Basin – Bounded by MacArthur Blvd. and Clara Barton Pkwy., Bethesda, MD (9500 MacArthur Blvd, West Bethesda, MD 20817)
    • Limit: Min – 5; Max – 10
    • LLI Coordinator: Patricia Brennan. – patriciabbrennan@cox.net or 703-425-6738.  
  • Saturday, March 29, 2025 – Chocolate Tasting and Tour Chantilly, VA
    • Taste five samples of chocolate made at River Sea Chocolates in Chantilly, VA. On this public tour, you will get to observe the production and see the machinery for making small-batch bean-to-bar chocolate. This tour is recommended for adults only.
    • Cost: $25 – Purchase your ticket at your earliest convenience on the venue’s website at https://www.riverseachocolates.com/ to ensure it’s not sold out.  On their website, select Tasting Flight and Tour for $25 for March 29 at 2:00 p.m. After purchasing your ticket, register on the LLI website so we may get a head count.
    • Registration: This event is open to members and guests. After purchasing your ticket on the vendor site, register on the LLI website so we may get a head count.
    • Transportation: This is a meet-up at the venue. If you’re interested in carpooling, let the trip leader know so she may connect you with others who are also interested.
    • Date/Time: Saturday, March 29, 2025 – 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
    • Location: 4520 Daly Dr., Suite 100, Chantilly VA 20151 in Chantilly Square Shopping Center. [Hidden between Ono Brewing and Siemens.]
    • Accessibility: The venue is wheelchair accessible.
    • Limit: Min – 10; Max – 16
    • LLI Coordinator: Ellen Soroka – happysoroka@gmail.com or703-455-3341.  
  • Friday, April 25, 2025 – City Nature Challenge – Annandale, VA
    • Join us for this year’s City Nature Challenge, a bio-blitz event scheduled for Friday, April 25 from 2:30 to 4:00 pm at Hidden Oaks Nature Center.  This year members of LLI, their guests and the public are invited to participate in an event organized by the Hidden Oaks Nature Center.   This should be a fun event – simply a walk in the woods enjoying nature!
    • Cost: There is no cost.
    • Registration: If you wish to participate, please register on the LLI website by April 23 for a head count.
    • Transportation: This is a meetup at the Nature Center building.  If you are interested in participating in a car pool, whether as a driver or passenger, contact the trip leader.
    • Date/Time: Friday, April 25, from 2:30pm – 4:00pm.
    • Limit: Minimum 8, maximum unlimited.
    • Coordinator: Mary Alexander, 202-257-5377, or mary@mkalexander.com
  • Wednesday, April 30, 2025 – Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park – Bristow, VA
    • Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park is a 140-acre historic site in western Prince William County. Here, Federal and Confederate soldiers fought the Battle of Kettle Run on August 27, 1862, and the Battle of Bristoe Station on October 14, 1863. For each of the two battles, the corresponding walking trail is about 1.25 miles. This can be shortened if need be.
    • Note: There are no restrooms on site.
    • Cost: There is no cost. However, participants may make a donation if they wish.
    • Registration: This event is open to members and guests. Please register on the LLI event calendar so we know how many will be attending.
    • Transportation: This is a meet-up at the historic site. Carpooling is suggested. Look at the battlefield website for directions. Click Here. The Park is located at the corner of Iron Bridge Unit Avenue and Tenth Alabama Way in Bristow, VA, just off Bristow Road.
    • Date/Time: Wednesday, April 30, at 1 pm.
    • Limit: There are no restrictions on the number of participants.
    • Coordinator: Regina Rogers: r91945@msn.com; 703-323-7341
  • Friday, June 6 – Emergency Operations 911 Call Center Tour – Fairfax, VA
    • The Department of Public Safety Communications (DPSC), also known as Fairfax County 9-1-1, is a nationally recognized public safety communications center, the largest in the Commonwealth of Virginia and one of the ten largest in the United States. DPSC receives approximately 1 million calls requesting public safety service per year and it dispatches units of the Fairfax County Police Department, Fire and Rescue Department and Sheriff’s Office. In addition to Fairfax County, DPSC is the designated 9-1-1 public safety answering point (PSAP) for the towns of Herndon and Vienna and the City of Fairfax located in the County. The employees of DPSC are truly the First of the First Responders and are proud to serve the citizens of Fairfax County and the County’s other public safety departments. The tagline of DPSC is Fairfax County 9-1-1…always there…always ready…24/7/365.
    • Cost: There is no cost.
    • Registration: This event is open to members and guests. Please register on the LLI event calendar so we know how many will be attending.
    • Transportation: This is a meet-up at the venue, independent/carpool.  You can carpool or meet the group there. If you are interested in being a driver or participant in a carpool, contact the Trip Leader, Ellen Wallace.
    • Date/Time: Friday, June 6, from 10:00am – 11:30am.
    • Limit: 50.
    • Coordinator: Ellen Wallace, ephelan80@hotmail.com or 703-785-3824
  • Tuesday, June 10, 2025 – Rippon Lodge Historic Site Tour – Woodbridge, VA
    • Rippon Lodge was built circa 1747 by Richard Blackburn, an immigrant from Ripon, England. His son, Lt. Col. Thomas Blackburn, enlarged the house in 1800. Judge Wade Ellis expanded Rippon Lodge to its current size during the early 1920s. Tour the restored house, visit the 18th-century cemetery, and admire the view of historic Neabsco Creek.
    • Accessibility: Rippon Lodge has ADA walkways from the parking lot to the house and bathroom. Ramps also lead into the house and the first floor.
    • Cost: The cost is $3 per person, payable to the tour director.
    • Registration: This event is open to members and guests. Please register on the LLI event calendar so we know how many will be attending.
    • Transportation: This is a meet-up at the historic site. Carpooling is suggested. Look at the Rippon Lodge website for directions. Click Here. Ripon Lodge Historic site is located at 15520 Blackburn Rd., Woodbridge, VA 22191
    • Date/Time: Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at 1 pm.
    • Limit: Minimum -5; Maximum – 15
    • Coordinator: Regina Rogers: r91945@msn.com; 703-323-7341
  • Thursday, July 10, 2025 – Anderson House Dupont Circle Tour – Washington, DC
    • Anderson House is a National Historic Landmark in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C.  We will learn about the history of the Society of the Cincinnati, the significance of the American Revolution, and the lives and collections of the home’s first owners, Larz and Isabel Anderson. The Andersons were a wealthy couple who devoted their lives to public service, travel, entertaining, collecting, and philanthropy—interests and activities that are reflected in Anderson House, where much of the couple’s art collection and furnishings are still on display.
    • Accessibility: Anderson House is wheelchair accessible.
    • Cost: There is no cost.
    • Registration: This event is open to members and guests.  Please register on the LLI website by June 23rd so we know how many will be attending.  If the group has more than 15 participants, we will need to request additional docents.
    • Transportation: This is a meet-up at the Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, between 21st and 22nd Streets.  There is no on-site parking.  The closest Metro stop is Dupont Circle on the red line (Q Street/North exit.)  See the the Anderson House website https://www.societyofthecincinnati.org/plan-your-visit/ for driving directions and locations of parking garages.
    • Date/Time: Thursday, July 10, 2025, at 1 pm.
    • Limit: Minimum -10; Maximum – 15
    • Coordinator: Regina Rogers: r91945@msn.com; 703-323-7341

General Information

More details on excursions will be provided as it is available and be included here and in the class and event calendar.  Information will also often be published in the Class Catalog and the Newsletter.

  • Most reservations will be made using the LLI/NOVA class and event registration calendar for members and for non-members/guests when they are included on the excursion.
  • Payment will often be accepted online, but by credit card only.
  • The ticket price will often not include transportation, parking, or food/snacks/drinks (i.e., meet ups).  We will encourage and facilitate carpooling or ridesharing.
  • Cancellation policies and refunds will vary from excursion to excursion and will be explicitly stated for each excursion.  LLI/NOVA will often need to meet minimum group ticket purchase requirements for each event.  If the minimum is not met prior to the registration cut-off for each event, we will have to cancel our participation in that event.  Once event tickets have been purchased by LLI/NOVA from the venue, the tickets will be non-refundable.  

Tentative Excursions for 2024/2025

  • National Museum of the Marine Corps, Quantico
  • Library of Congress and Supreme Court, D.C.
  • Planet Word, D.C.
  • National Museum of Women in the Arts, D.C.

Past Day Trips

  • A Holiday Afternoon Tea at The Cherry Hill Farmhouse – Falls Church – December 10
  • A Fall Afternoon Tea at The Things I Love – Manassas, VA – October 24
  • Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument Tour – October 17
  • Explore the O St Mansion Museum & More – September 17, 2024
  • American Cryptologic History Tour – August 19, 2024
  • Afternoon Tea at Mazadar Restaurant – Fairfax, VA – August 15, 2024
  • Opportunity to Witness Open-Heart Surgery at Inova Fairfax – August 2, 2024
  • Tour National Inventors Hall of Fame – Alexandria, VA – July 15m 2024
  • Tour Ivy Hill Cemetery, Alexandria, VA – April 19, 2024
  • Spring Wildflower Walk at the Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area – April 6, 2024
  • 61st Annual Woodlawn Needlework Show, Alexandria, VA – March 13, 2024
  • Frederick Douglass Home & Portrait Gallery – Anacostia, DC – February 20, 2024
  • Hike along the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal – October 14, 2023
  • Ben Lomond Historic Site – Prince William County, VA – October 12, 2023
  • Afternoon Tea at Cafe Renaissance – Vienna, VA – September 28, 2023
  • Hike and Wine Tasting in Fauquier County – September 27, 2023. We did a naturalist (Mary Alexander) led hike at Sky Meadows State Park followed by a visit to nearby Delaplane Cellars, for wine tasting and lunch.
  • National Museum of the Marine Corps – Triangle, VA – August 24, 2023
  • Afternoon Tea at Mazadar Renaissance – August 16, 2023
  • Gari Melchers Home & Studio, Falmouth, VA – June 29, 2023
  • Tudor Place and Dumbarton Oaks – May 31, 2023
  • Afternoon Tea at Cafe Renaissance – April 29, 2023
  • Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Tour – April 19, 2023
  • Hillwood Museum Tour – December 13, 2022
  • George Washington Masonic Memorial Tour – October 7, 2022
  • Afternoon Tea with Mrs. B – September 15, 2022
  • US Army Museum. On August 30, 2022, we visited the National Museum of the US Army, near Fort Belvoir, to walk-through history from the founding of our nation’s militia through major wars and battles, to today’s Army.
  • Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. On July 15, 2022, we visited Kenilworth National Park, and had a ranger-led tour of the gardens. We learned the park’s history, about the wildlife found along the Anacostia River, and the flowers blooming.
  • Cruise on the Potomac & Occoquan – We had a delightful day cruising the rivers on the “Miss Rivershore” with Captain Mark Perry.  Capt. Perry was a wealth of information from current news to old historical stories.
  • Spy Tour of Washington – Led by Gary Powers, Jr., the tour visited locations in the Washington area that have been the scenes of international intrigue, espionage, and intelligence activities, and The Cold War Museum in Vint Hill, Virginia. 
  • Fredericksburg Garden Week Tour, including visits to six homes/gardens and lunch at a local restaurant.
  • National Gallery of Art “meet up” to see “Glimpses of the 17th Century” and a special exhibit on “Power and Pathos.”
  • Tour of the Evergreen Museum and Library in Baltimore and the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion for a buffet lunch and a tour of the home.
  • Tours of Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob, homes in Southwestern PA designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and lunch at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.
  • Library of Congress “meet up” which included a behind the scenes tour of the Geography and Map Division.
  • Annual LLI/NOVA trip to a Washington Nationals baseball game.
  • Tour of the Brandywine River Valley Museum and the studio of artist Andrew Wyeth in Chadds Ford, PA, followed by a Longwood Gardens tour and lunch at the Gardens.
  • State Department Diplomatic Reception Rooms meet up tour.

Past Overnight Trips

  • Spring Trip to Staunton, VA – Two days/1 night.  A visit to one of the 20 Best Small Towns in America.  Stops included Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum, a stay at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel, a play at the famous American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriar’s Playhouse, and English High Tea at the thatched cottage of Anne Hathaway.
  • West Virginia Train Ride – Three days / two nights. Two exciting train rides: Durbin Rocket Train along Greenbrier River and Cheat Mountain Salamander Train, motor coach transportation and two shows at American Mountain Theater.
  • Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous – Four days / three nights touring the Hamptons and Long Island.
  • Hudson Valley – Four days / three nights. Tour Culinary Institute of America, FDR’s home, Val-Kill, Vanderbilt Mansion, West Point, Sunnyside.
  • Charleston, SC – Five days / four nights. Boat to Fort Sumter, tour of two plantations, city tour, tour of houses on King Street.
  • Norfolk, VA – Three days / two nights. Tour of Naval Station, boat ride, Nauticus Lights at Gardens, Chrysler Museum, and two historic houses.
  • Battles, Belles, Heroes & Rogues (Richmond, VA) – Two days / one night. Pamplin Historic Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier, St. John’s Church and the White House of Confederacy.
  • Princeton and Trenton, NJ – Three days / two nights. Tour Princeton campus and town, the Governor’s Mansion, Princeton Battle Ground, the Sculpture Garden in Trenton and the NJ Capitol Building.
  • Brandywine Valley, DE – Three days / two nights. Including holiday illuminations at Longwood Gardens, Winterthur, Hagley Museum, Brandywine Battlefield and Brandywine River Museum.

Volunteers Are Needed

Putting together a winning trip depends on having a willing band of volunteers to plan trips, research sites and facilities, and potentially, become a Trip Assistant or Trip Leader. We’ve generally worked in teams, with more experienced members working with new members and providing support throughout the trip planning process. Remember, “more experienced trip planners” were once new too!

If you’re an LLI/NOVA member and believe you would enjoy working with others to plan and/or lead trips to fascinating and stimulating destinations, please email the LLI/NOVA Cultural Excursions Committee Chairperson, Carol Fagnani. Don’t forget to include your full name, any special qualifications and your contact information (telephone number and/or email address).

Back to top