oatlands historic house & garden

Having been a few times, once during the Christmas holidays, once in the summer, and once off-season winter; I can share that no much changes from season to season. Depending on which manor tour director is working the day you visit, one receives a different family historical perspective. A chronological history of the well-do-family in the early 1900's is interesting to hear, but then another tour leader likes to talk about the grounds themselves, the civil war impact and how Oatlands as stopping point in Pres. Washington's day. The surrounding garden and immediate grounds are pretty in the summer, albeit not on par with say "a real southern plantation". Oatlands is strikingly similar to many a James River plantation close to Williamsburg. There is a cute, small shop and snack bar with normal chatzky's and a small food menu. Oatlands sits on top of a small hill so the vista is not actually breathtaking, but sufficient enough to paint a picture of what life was like back then if you can imagine horse drawn carriages making their way along Rt 15 towards Washington, DC. The holiday's offer pretty decorations of the main mansion and family groups seem to abound in summer. There is no catering or banquet hall on the grounds. Not a lot of walking is involved, and the tour only includes the first two floors of the house. There isn't anything worth pursuing in the garden in the winter, is better to see in summer.

Beautiful mansion - great restoration. Very knowledgable guides about the house and era. In warm weather can eat on the grounds at a picnic table. Phenomenal Christmas gift shop.

I took my daughters, ages 16 and 12 for afternoon tea and mansion tour. We all loved it! The tour was so great, really knowledgeable (more thorough than Mt. Vernon) and friendly tour guides. The two families that owned the property were so interesting and involved in so many historical happenings - incredible! Not to be missed if you're doing DC or Manassas battlefields.

This place stands for charm, peace, nature and history. We had a tour with a great lady who explained everything about the family, the business and the house. The house and gardens are lovely and very charming and we felt great wandering on the plantation. We enjoyed four wonderful hours at Oatlands and were sad to leave again.

One of those places, most visited by locals to Virginia. Not well known, but everyone living in Va should see. We visited several days before Christmas. Very nice decorating representing all periods, up to the last occupied period with the large tree light bulbs. This was our second visit and I would say you seem to learn more each visit. We will return in the spring to see the gardens.

We enjoyed a beautiful fall afternoon at Oatlands! Loved exploring the gardens! Fall festival was in full swing too!Worth a stop!

The Carter Greek Revival estate circa 1804 is a large country estate that has seen many a famous visitor. The Corinthian columns are beautiful and the views from the upstairs rooms are memorable. The 15-20 rooms are fairly elegant and spacious. The mansion is accompanied by a carriage house and other outlying buildings. We saw the large and well appointed gardens in December when plants were not in gloom. We can imagine that they are lush and beautiful in April and May. The reason why this place was not a five star attraction is based on the tour guide. She dropped her voice frequently making it difficult to hear. She tried to be cute and lively but her presentation did not come off because her diction was imperfect and she lacked the volume for either of us to hear. The management of the estate needs to put a premium on having guides that are excellent speakers. The tour also needs to be expanded to the upper floors. While you can visit these floors the guide only covers the first floor leaving you to explore the upper floors on your own. This meant that many interesting objects on the upper floors were left unexplained.The tour was also marred by the inability to take photos inside. This policy was unnecessary and may have been aimed at selling books on the mansion in the large but not spectacular gift shop.The manager of the shop is quite friendly and pleasant!There is a restaurant on the premises which we did not try. It is based on a tea theme and coffee is not served. The restaurant is not served in impressive surroundings and the seating looks to be rather uncomfortable. For a much more enjoyable experience, go to Leesburg and try the Tuscarora Inn. We have dined there many times and the food and service are excellent and the ambience is appealing. Bottom line: Though this place is worth visiting, a few simple changes could enhance the experience immensely. We may take another look next May when the garden is full bloom. We would not bother to see the mansion again, however.

Virginia is dotted with so many historic mansions that they become a blur, but Oatlands stands out. Not only is it connected to a descendent of land baron Robert "King" Carter (a facet of national history that is not typically well-covered), the Eustis family, and the Corcoran family, but it was one of the first National Trust for Historic Preservation properties--it was bought nearly a hundred years ago with preservation in mind. The glorious specimen trees and view from the entrance porch of miles of unspoiled land (a rarity in Loudoun County!) pull one into reverie about life there in the historic past. The sheepdog (border collies) trials, sighthound (greyhound) lure coursing, high school cross country meets, antique festivals, weddings, etc. are lovely summer attractions, but my favorite time of year is the month before Christmas, when the splendid gift shop (free to shop without touring the mansion!)--always stocked full of unique and tasteful trinkets and gifts--takes on a holiday twinkle, adding decorations and ornaments. And the adjacent afternoon tea--surrounded by local artists' paintings and replete with delicious finger sandwiches and attentive servers--is also accompanied that time of year by local a cappella carolers in period garb! [Before rounding up the grandfolks, note that the mansion tour is difficult for those with delicate knees, as it involves a walk to the house, a staircase entrance, long periods of standing, and a large staircase to the 2nd floor.]

Four of us toured Oatlands Plantation opting for the Ensalved Community tour. The guide was very nice but there was very LITTLE information about the Enslaved Community. The only information shared pertained to the number of slaves at Oatlands at different times. Plus, if you want to tour the house you have to pay for an additional tour. You can continue to walk the grounds and view the gardens but based on what we got at $12.00 per person for the Enslaved Community tour, I wasn't willing to spend another 12 to see the inside do the house. I have a fee.ing thehousentour would have been much more informative, but it's only a guess. You must be able to walk on uneven ground and up or down steps on this tour. The garden is very pretty.

Lovely location. Fun scavanger hunt for the kids too. Best in the spring of course. Wedding coordinators were very helpful.

Took a tour and learned about the history of the house which was very interesting. Beautiful setting

We live just down from here and have driven by this many times not even knowing what it was. We recently bought tickets and decided to check it out and we are so glad that we did. This is a property rich in history. The mansion is a beautiful collection of treasures, paintings and family memorabilia and there are beautiful views of the Leesburg area while standing in the meticulously manicured gardens. For a moment you are quickly transported back to the early 1800's.....well until an airplane passes by. Highly recommended for something local to enjoy.

Although we chose not to visit the 1804 mansion, we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the lovely gardens of this historic plantation. The formal gardens are terraced and include a pond and statues. The grounds include one of the oldest greenhouses in America. We were amazed by the old specimen trees on the hillside--especially one giant Gingko that was ablaze with golden fall color. There is a lovely gift shop where knowledgeable volunteers were busy decorating for Christmas and were available to answer our questions about the plants we wanted to identify. Quite a nice way to spend a gorgeous fall day.

It was a beautiful day when we visited Oatlands with friends who live in the area. The surrounding countryside and exterior of the house were very pleasant because of the sunshine. If you have visited major plantations, this one could be skipped. The gardens show signs of having been spectacular, but need a major renovation. The interior of the house is fully furnished in pieces of the time, including many photos of the families who lived there. Our guide was mostly interested in sharing stories about the photos and how great the house is for having them than much else about the house. He went on and on, too long for most people in our group, especially those with children. The upstairs is self guided and most people spent only a few minutes passing by the five or six rooms up there. There is a greenhouse on the grounds, billed as the "second oldest greenhouse in America". It was recently restored, but aside from a few plants, there is little to see there, except a couple of panels that tell a bit about the slave life of the plantation and a tiny bit of history. While we were there, there were two family groups on the grounds with professional photographers, and it is a great setting for park-like photographs, but the tour is not really worth the cost, especially if you've seen other plantations. There is a fee for the tour, and a lower charge just to walk on the grounds. If you have a beautiful day on your hands and want to explore a nice park, you could do better with other options in the area.

We visited Oatland as part of the Fall color tour. What a disappointment! They advertise park open Free. We walked to the mansion and were rudely told you need TICKETS! and the tour guide slammed the door in our face,. They obviously advertise this event as free to lure you there so they can collect some money..Very unethical for a historical society. Just so it wasn't a total waste of time I wandered into the gift shop. The women behind the counter grunted at me and the girl out on the floor just looked at me with disdain. What an awful place save your money and go somewhere else!