Lansdowne

Lansdowne is a contemporary planned community with a soft urban ambiance. Located just 4 miles north of Route 7 and south of the Potomac River, Lansdowne is one of Loudoun County’s census-designated communities that shares Leesburg as a county seat.

So what makes Lansdowne a great place to live? There’s certainly plenty of greenery and outdoor space, as many neighborhoods are close to parks and walking trails. With nearby town centers offering abundant amenities, you won’t have to worry about being too removed from the hustle and bustle, either. Residents love shopping at all different kinds of retailers, from antiques to boutiques to outlet malls, and they can also enjoy a wide variety of unique restaurants to suit every palate.

Lansdowne is home to about 12,000 residents, many of which are families. Modern conveniences like grocery stores, restaurants, dry cleaners, and specialty shops are located just a quick drive away — and some residents can even walk there! Lansdowne is also a convenient 12-mile drive from Dulles International Airport, 2 miles from historic downtown Leesburg, and 2.4 miles from Dulles Town Center.

Looking forward to a relaxing spa day? Stop by Lansdowne Resort and Spa, located on 476 gorgeous acres along the banks of the Potomac River. This award-winning resort opened in 1991 and today offers a bevy of beautiful guest rooms and suites. Guests can dine at four different restaurants and bars, hold a meeting in a convenient event space, enjoy 45 holes of championship golf, and relax at the resort’s tranquil oasis, Spa Minerale.

Commuters love how easy it is to travel in and out of Lansdowne. The Loudoun Gateway and Ashburn Stations on DC Metro’s Silver Line has added sleeker transport for those who require easy access to Dulles Airport, DC, and other locations throughout the metro area.

Lansdowne is also home to the nationally recognized INOVA Loudoun Hospital, the Leesburg Outlets, historic sites like George C. Marshall’s Dodona Manor, Morven Park Mansion, and Oatlands House and Gardens.

Thanks to a wide selection of pleasant, well-planned neighborhoods and a wonderful school system, families love raising their children here. Riverside High School and Belmont Middle School are highly rated, boasting a 14-to-one student-to-teacher ratio and a 95 percent graduation rate.

Loudoun County is also home to a new high school called Academies of Loudoun, which was completed in the summer of 2018. The campus is situated on 119 acres of wooded area, and the 315,000 square foot building is home to three divisions: the Academy of Science, Academy of Engineering, and Technology and Monroe Advanced Technical Academy. The three-story building has over 40 labs ranging from culinary arts to various engineering labs. Students can relax in various light-filled sitting areas, congregating and socializing with their classmates. The school serves around 2,500 students from local high schools who are selected during the fall and winter admission cycles.

Additionally, seven colleges and universities are within commutable distance to Lansdowne, including George Mason and Marymount.

When I think of Lansdowne’s best restaurants, the first that comes to mind is the spectacular Restaurant at Patowmack Farm. Nothing else like it anywhere! Known as the first onsite farm-to-table restaurant in the country, this establishment is so elegant and artfully exotic.

The list of excellent restaurants in and around Lansdowne is incredibly extensive. This blog is a great resource to help you sort through the copious selection.

Lansdowne offers a great community feel, with tons of fun events offered on an annual basis. Residents can enjoy community traditions like Leesburg’s Fourth of July Parade, Garden Festival, and Ice Festival and Mega Block Ice Carving Competition. Artistic residents also appreciate living in close proximity to theaters, museums, and art galleries.

If the kids are bored and looking for a fun day out, consider taking them over to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center. Anyone with an interest in flying machines will be fascinated by the more than 250 major air and spacecraft on display in the 760,000 square foot hangar facility.

Sports lovers will have a blast living in Lansdowne! The Ion International Training Center — which boasts a 5,500 seat capacity, a full gym, and two NHL-sized rinks — attracts lots of international figure skating professionals. It’s a great place to play hockey, take figure skating lessons, or watch a curling competition. Of course, there are enormous windows that allow you to watch all the icy fun while you relax with a glass of wine and a delicious meal prepared by their world-class chef.

Want to get outdoors? Lansdowne and surrounding areas offer bountiful opportunities to chase beauty, whether you want to ride on it, hike it, picnic at it, photograph it, or stand mesmerized gazing at it. Plan a trip to Harpers Ferry Adventure Center for just about any outdoor adventure you can dream up, whether that’s camping, completing rope courses, ziplining in the trees, tubing, or canoeing! There’s also the golf course at Lansdowne Resort and Spa, canoeing, fishing and kayaking on the Potomac, and biking on the Potomac Heritage Trail.

Some further suggestions include Red Rock Wilderness Overlook Regional Park, Balls Bluff Battlefield Regional Park, Oatlands Historic House and Garden, Elizabeth Mills Riverfront Park, and, of course, the picturesque, historic, and artsy downtown Leesburg. The leesburgva.gov website offers a Tree Walk and Walking Tour App for your smartphone on their website. Be assured, there is no shortage of beauty here.

In general, Loudoun County is known for its stellar wineries and breweries, and Lansdowne is no exception. There are plenty of great places for tastings to enjoy in the area. A local favorite for stunning views, ambiance, and of course, incredible wine, is the Walsh Family Winery. They state on their website that they chose to open a winery because they saw great potential in the area’s “distinctiveness and elegance of the rocky hills of Loudoun County, Virginia.” They’re doing it, and that says it all! As for breweries, the Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery in nearby Waterford, Virginia is beer at its best. A young couple grows and brews on the land and in some of the renovated, still-standing buildings of a 200-year-old farm, living their dream of brewing awesome beers for patrons to enjoy.

From the blue haze of mountains to the cacophony of native rushing rivers, from wine country to your glass, from farm to market to your table, there is something exciting in and around Lansdowne for everyone.

Three residential homeowner associations serve the neighborhoods of Lansdowne. Lansdowne On the Potomac is the largest, representing over 2,000 homes and adjoining with the Potomac Station community to the west. One community highlight is the 30,000 square foot Potomac Club complex, which includes the silo from the historical site’s former plantation. The club is home to both an indoor and outdoor pool, a fitness center, and a ballroom. Lansdowne on the Potomac boasts an array of beautifully designed detached and single-family homes. Residents can easily access the boutique shops, daily conveniences, and chic restaurants at Lansdowne Town Center.

Next is Lansdowne Woods of Virginia, which consists of seven uniquely designed condominium communities set across 91 acres of land near the Potomac River. Lansdowne Woods is a luxury gated community that’s popular with active adults; residents love the 18-hole golf course designed by the acclaimed Robert Trent Jones, the art and woodworking studios, the comfortable library, and the 50,000 square foot multi-level clubhouse. The landscaping is meticulous and beautiful, and the social community is vibrant.

The third Lansdowne homeowner association, Lansdowne Village Green, represents over 500 homes surrounding the Lansdowne Town Center. The neighborhood’s Harper Clubhouse offers residents some incredible amenities, including a gym, pool, and rental facilities.

Algonquin Indians settled along the banks of the Potomac in 600 AD on the land that today comprises Lansdowne. Centuries later and 50 years before the Revolutionary War, Englishman Thomas Lee traveled throughout the Virginia colony in his role as Tidewater Speculator for the British. He was granted over 11,000 acres by the British government. One section of this acreage, Coton, is now Lansdowne. There, Thomas Lee established Coton Manor and farm and later became acting governor of Virginia. The town of Leesburg honored his name by taking it!

Lee’s illustrious family went on to include two signers of the Declaration of Independence, Civil War General Robert E. Lee, and numerous other individuals of note. By 1860, the establishment of a railroad depot nearby gave the area’s dairy farms streamlined access to the big city via ice-cooled railway cars. For years, the Lansdowne area remained thinly populated, but the building boom of the 1960s caused a dramatic population increase.

Want to learn more about Lansdowne’s captivating history? Visit the Heritage Farm Museum, where you can educate yourself on Loudoun County’s agricultural heritage. You’ll also want to stop by the historic Morven Park, which features three educational museums in addition to an equestrian center and athletic field complex. For research purposes, check out the Thomas Balch Library, home to a wide range of historical and genealogical information that will tell you all you want to know.