Escapes From Home While Social Distancing During COVID-19

Laura Schwartz is a licensed Realtor in VA, D.C. and MD with McEnearney Associates in McLean. Reach the office at 703-790-9090.

This past week was one of the hardest for me during this pandemic.

It seems no matter how many times we took my kids outside to play, or activities we tried, the walls just seemed to cave in on me. I decided it was time to venture out of our home for a safe adventure. While not everyone will feel safe leaving their homes, for my family, my kids wore masks and we stayed far apart from everyone else we saw on our recent adventure to pick strawberries.

It was a really small piece of normalcy for my kids (who yelled “this is the best day ever!” when we told them the deal — masks for berry picking), and a nice change of scenery for the adults. There’s a great website that lists all of the farms in the area that allow for a “pick your own” experience, but I wanted to highlight a few favorites that are an easy drive from Northern Virginia.

Messick’s Farm in Bealton, Virginia. Check their Facebook page for updates on the availability of u-pick. There are so many rows of strawberries, we were far away from other people. While Messick’s has their own custard and availability of treats, we drove about 3 miles down the road to the famous Moo Thru — an ice cream drive through which was so good (coffee ice cream was delicious).

Wegmeyer Farms has 3 locations in Hamilton, Aldie and Leesburg, Virginia. They have strawberry picking by appointment, which opens up the night before and fills up fast. Make sure you follow them on Facebook as well for the most up to date information. Don’t miss their donuts!

Leesburg Animal Park has reopened as a drive thru experience where you get to stay in your car to maintain social distancing — Friday through Sunday. Tickets must be purchased online ahead of time.

Roer’s Zoofari in Reston also has opened as a safari drive thru and they are open daily.

Remember things might have a line, but really, where else do you need to be right now?

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