Fairfax County … for Reunions “Above and Beyond” the Ordinary! Why do hundreds of reunion groups


decide to get together in Fairfax County, Virginia every year? It’s not simply the county’s location, directly across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. There’s a lot more to it than that. “There are lots of wonderful reunion


sites across the United States,” notes Dean Miller of Visit Fairfax, the county’s convention and visitors bureau, “but I can’t think of any place that publicly celebrates and embraces America’s veterans the way the Washington area and Fairfax County do.” As an example, Miller mentions


George Washington’s Mount Vernon. “At Mount Vernon, you can stand in the same room where our first Commander- in-Chief received guests. You can visit the new orientation center and learn why Washington was not just a visionary leader and an astute politician, but a brilliant military strategist as well. Reunion groups can arrange to lay a wreath at Washington’s tomb, an activity that is especially meaningful for our Army groups.” Or take the Smithsonian National


Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar- Hazy Center, one of the premier aviation museums in the country. Visitors can walk right up to the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane, or the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped


the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Miller tells a story many veterans will relate to, saying, “My grandfather was on a Navy ship in the Pacific in World War II. Had the war not ended when it did, he would have been a part of the invasion of Japan. The Enola Gay helped make it possible for him to come home safely.” The list of “must see” attractions


located in and around Fairfax County and goes on and on … Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknowns, the World War II, Korean War, and Viet Nam War memorials, the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps memorials, the battlefields of Manassas and Antietam, and many, many more. Miller also mentions the new United States Marine Corps Museum in nearby Quantico as a stop that should be on the itinerary of every group, and not just those who served in the Marine Corps. “You cannot walk out of the Marine Corps Museum and not be proud to be an American.” Groups meeting in Fairfax County


enjoy the best of both worlds. They have easy access to the monuments and museums of Washington, DC, along with the lower room rates and ample free parking typical of suburban locations. “Our Fairfax hotels are blessed with very strong demand for rooms during the


The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC honors the over 58,000 American servicemen and women lost during the Vietnam War.


week from our corporate guests … but those guests go home on the weekends, and they leave a lot of empty rooms. This allows us to provide our reunion attendees with some fantastic deals on hotels.” It really is all about service, Miller


said. “At Visit Fairfax, our goal is to assist reunion planners in any way we can. Whether it’s finding great hotels at great rates, making introductions to staff personnel at our world-famous attractions, providing lists of transportation suppliers, or simply recommending restaurants for group dining, we are here to be of service to those who have served.” When asked about the many


The Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens also features over a dozen outbuildings, four gardens and Forest Trail plus 25 theatres and galleries that take you through George Washington’s life.


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accolades that Visit Fairfax has received from planners, Miller recalled one group in particular. “We were working with an Air Force fighter squadron to help them have their reunion here. The planner was a retired major general. When we were finished, he said to us, ‘Thanks … you really went ‘above and beyond’ for us.’ Coming from a two-star general, that really meant something to us.”


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