Graffiti on the interior walls of Historic Blenheim House give Fairfax’s history a tangible anchor: Union soldiers left them in 1862–63. Other highlights include a museum in a former school, a garden, a chocolate festival and trails for self-guided exploration. These different points of interest offer options for travelers looking to explore history, gardens or outdoor activities.
Historic Sites and Houses
Historic Blenheim is also a site on the Civil War Trails and the Northern Virginia Graffiti Trail. The Ratcliffe-Allison-Pozer House offers a different historical focus: it is the oldest residence in Fairfax City. Together, these sites provide different perspectives—a trace dating to 1862–63 and membership in two trails at Historic Blenheim, and a focus on the oldest residence at the Ratcliffe-Allison-Pozer House.
Museum and City History
The Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center is a Virginia-certified tourist information center. Its exhibit, The Fairfax Story, traces history from Indigenous cultures to a local astronaut who orbited Earth on three Space Shuttle missions. The exhibit thus spans a broad sweep of history.
The museum is housed in the former Fairfax Elementary School, built in 1873. It was the first two-story brick school in Fairfax County and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The exhibit and building offer different perspectives on the city’s history: one tells the story of different eras, while the other connects them to a specific school building and its place in the county’s history.
Garden and Walking Tour
Carefully selected plantings, winding paths and benches beneath a dense tree canopy are all part of the scene at Kitty Pozer Garden. For visitors interested in landscaped outdoor spaces as well as historic buildings, the garden offers a different focus from the museum: here, the emphasis is on plants and the layout of the paths.
A self-guided walking tour through Historic Old Town Fairfax passes buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries. This also distinguishes it from the garden: the focus here is on architecture from different periods. When deciding what to explore, it helps to consider whether you’d prefer to focus on plants and paths or on historic buildings.
Festival and Trails
The first Chocolate Lovers Festival took place in February 1993; since then, it has become a tradition. Taste of Chocolate features gourmet chocolate fudge, pastries, truffles and sweets. The Chocolate Stroll includes 11 participating locations and a passport activity where visitors collect stamps. Offerings and participating locations may change from year to year. The events have different focuses: Taste of Chocolate centers on sweets, while the Chocolate Stroll focuses on collecting stamps at participating locations.
There is another way to find your bearings on hiking and biking trails. According to the City of Fairfax webpage, accessed on September 6, 2026, the City of Fairfax Trails Map shows all major trails and paths throughout the city. Daniels Run Park has detailed routes for hiking and biking. The map provides a citywide overview, while the park routes cover specific hiking and biking options there. If you’re considering trails as part of your trip, you can use this distinction to choose between an overview of the entire city and more detailed information for Daniels Run Park.
For a broader travel overview: Fairfax City.
