If you’re not an East Coast native, chances are you’ve never even heard of Tysons Corner. Prior to my recent trip to Washington DC, I knew nothing about Tysons Corner, or Tysons, as it’s commonly known. But when I had the chance to extend my stay in DC by one day, I chose to venture outside of the nation’s capital and instead explore one of the surrounding cities. Thus, I ended up in Tysons Corner, Virginia, a city located just outside of DC that features a booming business district.
Since Tysons is close to the heart of DC, it was easy for me to travel to Tysons via the subway. While catching the subway to Tysons, I pulled up the HotelTonight app on my phone to book a last-minute hotel in Tysons Corner. Within minutes, I had a hotel waiting for me in the heart of Tysons, and I was ready to see what this edge city had to offer.
Tysons Corner Center is arguably the best-known attraction in this Virginia town, as it draws people from all over DC and other parts of Virginia. Tysons Corner Center is an enormous shopping, dining, and entertainment destination, and it’s a spot that both locals and visitors frequent. Considered one of the best shopping destinations in the DC area, Tysons Corner is always alive with activity, which is why I wanted to make it my first destination in Tysons. Since this center is huge, with over 300 shops in the complex, I could have easily spent most of my day in Tysons Corner Center. I didn’t have a ton of time to spare, though, so I limited my shopping trip to just a couple of hours, then I finally pried myself away from this glamorous shopping complex so I could explore more of Tysons.
Here’s an important fact you should know about me – I love good wine. So when the concierge at my Tysons hotel told me that there are some great wineries in the Northern Virginia area, I immediately knew that I wanted to spend my afternoon wine tasting. I’ve been wine tasting all over California, Oregon and Washington, but I had yet to sample wines from the East Coast, so I booked a last-minute wine tasting tour of the region. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and uniqueness of the wines I tasted, as well as the breathtaking beauty of the rolling hills and picture-perfect vineyards. After an afternoon of wine tasting in Virginia, I understood why this is such a popular weekend activity for DC locals.
When I returned from my wine tasting excursion, I was a bit exhausted. So I went back to my hotel room to rest and wash up before heading back out for the evening. That night, there was an opera performing at the Wolf Trap Center, which is one of the biggest, most renowned performing arts centers on the East Coast. I decided to enjoy a night out like other DC locals, so I purchased tickets to the opera and headed over to the Wolf Trap Center for an evening of fine live entertainment.
The next morning, I packed up my bags and checked out of my hotel. I had to catch my flight back home later that evening, but first I wanted to explore a bit more of my Virginia surroundings, so I headed to the Great Falls National Park. Located on a portion of the Potomac River where the calm waters turn into tumultuous, steep and beautiful waterfalls, this national park site provides breathtaking views and great hiking trails. The Great Falls of the Potomac are awe-inspiring, and they’re definitely a great reminder of the power of nature. I spent the morning hiking through rocky terrain and listening to the rush of the water over the falls, and I’ll be honest – it was a humbling experience. I would recommend anyone staying in DC or Tysons Corner to visit these majestic falls during their trip.
Tysons Corner may not have originally been on my travel “must-visit” list, but I’m glad I was able to explore more of this DC edge city. During my stay in Tysons Corner, I found that most of its residents work in DC and its surrounding areas, which certainly accounted for the city’s non-stop energy. Since Tysons Corner is an easy commute into DC, it’s a great place for visitors to stay if they don’t want to stay in the heart of DC. The next time I visit DC, I might even plan on staying in Tysons Corner, and you can bet I’ll book my accommodations through HotelTonight. When you have a service like HotelTonight at your fingertips, you never have to stress out about last-minute changes to your travel plans again.
