Location: Stafford
Top Things to do in Stafford
What to do and see in Stafford, Virginia (VA): The Best Nature & Parks
Stafford is a census-designated place (listed as Stafford Courthouse) in and the county seat of Stafford County in the northern part of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. The population of Stafford County as of the 2010 United States Census was 142,003. It lies 10 miles (16 km) north of Fredericksburg, approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of metropolitan Washington, D.C., and about 60 miles (97 km) north of Richmond, the Commonwealth capital. The Marine Corps Base Quantico is located north of the community. Stafford Courthouse is located at the intersections of U.S. Highway 1, and Courthouse Road.
Restaurants in Stafford
1. Government Island
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 169 reviews
Reviewed By SmallBusinessesMattr - Stafford, United States
This island was preserved by a local historian. Rock from the quarry was used in construction of the historic buildings in DC. You can see the marks in the rock from where slaves and masons excavated the rock. Then it would be loaded on boats and taken up the Potomac. It's a beautiful place. There's a path/boardwalk out to the island and then a loop trail around it with signs explaining things.
2. Patawomeck Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By SmallBusinessesMattr - Stafford, United States
This is a newer park and has a lot to do. There is a fenced playground for younger kids and across the way a tall playground for older kids. There are soccer and baseball fields and a walk around the pond is always nice. We bring our dogs here multiple times a week. It has the feel of a wide open place, but surrounded by trees, so a sense of nature as well. There is a fenced area where an old homestead used to be, and a path to walk around the outside of it, which is wooded and feels like you're getting away from the world.
3. Widewater State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 7 reviews
On a peninsula where Aquia Creek and the Potomac River meet, Widewater provides access to both bodies of water. The park lies on non-contiguous parcels surrounded by private property. Two parcels are open for access. The park has a visitor center, picnic shelters, playgrounds, restrooms, canoe-kayak launches and a hiking trail.
Reviewed By SmallBusinessesMattr - Stafford, United States
This is a very peaceful place! We walk our dogs there multiple times a week and it always restores my sense of balance and joy. At the Visitor Center area, there is water from Aquia Creek on one side and a pond on the other. I also love to visit the Potomac side, where the water is 'wide' and you can see across to Maryland. Right now there are Tundra Swans wintering over and we almost always see a Bald Eagle. In the summer Osprey are prevalent.
4. Stafford Civil War Park
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 49 reviews
Reviewed By LovesGoodRestaurants - Mineral, United States
This site is representative of many winter quarter sites built in Virginia during the Civil War. Some were better than these, some worse. You'll enjoy the walks and the informative signage, see actual foundations of huts, reproduced cannons, trenches, and other evidence of life here during the winter of 1862. Although there were many such camps, most have been built over or farmed, so this original site is a treasure.
