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Photo: User:AlbertHerring, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
An oasis of wilderness in the middle of suburban sprawl, notable for the amount and variety of wildlife that congregates there. Features a large beaver lake with a boardwalk constructed across it. Popular with bird-watchers.
Huntley Meadows Park, the largest park operated by the Fairfax County Park Authority, is located in the Hybla Valley area of Fairfax County, Virginia, south of the city of Alexandria. The park features a visitor center, a beaver-created wetland with boardwalk, wildlife observation platforms, and an interpretative trail system. The park is home to abundant wildlife and is known for attracting many birds, amphibians, and plants that are considered less common in the region. Secondary-growth forest, sprinkled with several small, native-grass and wildflower meadows surround much of the wetland habitat. The main bodies of water that flow through the park are Dogue Creek at the western border of the park; Barnyard Run, the source of the park's Central Wetland; and the headwaters of Little Hunting Creek.
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A 19th-century plantation house
One of the largest remaining pieces of freshwater tidal wetlands left in the DC area, accessible by a short hiking trail
A historic mansion that is headquarters of the American Horticultural Society. The grounds are open to the public, and there is a garden shop.
George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens; has its own article
Popular with joggers and picnickers, the park holds defensive batteries from the former army installation, the exterior of which can be explored.