After a busy week in D.C. you may be coming back to the bedroom suburb of Fairfax, but you're hardly ready to go to bed on a Friday night. There's no need to stray far from this Virginia city for a rich evening, whether you're in the mood for top-notch live entertainment, mouth-watering food or just a scoop of ice cream and a place to stroll.
Old Town
- You'll find an eclectic mix of Friday fun and historical buildings along the narrow streets of Fairfax's downtown. Branching out from Main Street in Old Town, sports bars cater to a Friday night clientele and restaurant choices include Lebanese and Indian, as well as just a good hot bowl of chili along with a game of pool at the Hard Times Cafe on Chain Bridge Road. Many places here feature live music on Friday nights. To add a fine vintage to your Friday repertoire, stop at The Wine House at Old Town Plaza to taste some of more than 500 wines from around the world paired with bistro plates such as mussels or boar sausage.
Fairfax Corner
- Just off Highway 66 and Monument Drive rests a shopping and entertainment enclave where kids splash in an outdoor fountain during hot summer days and adults fill the streets after the sun goes down. Parking will be full most any Friday night at Fairfax Corner though spaces are plentiful. It's a city catch-all for every dining taste, from juicy steaks and sports-bar grub to seafood or Italian, topped off with cupcakes or Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. Shopping ranges from chic clothing to country home decor and outdoor gear, with an Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa overlooking the corner's square. And the Rave Motion Pictures cinema features self-service movie ticket kiosks and something more than just popcorn: Nathan's Hot Dogs, Sbarro and a bar keep your movie munchie options open.
George Mason Center for the Arts
- If you'd like to take in a little theater at the end of a long week, there's no need to drive all the way into DC. George Mason University hosts a wide range of performances throughout the year, including opera, plays, orchestras, dance, soloists, ballet and blues. The university draws top acts from around the globe, such as the Vienna Boys Choir and the Shanghai Ballet, and hometown performers such as the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and Virginia Opera. Subscribers can construct a series of their choice for the season, receive priority seating and save up to 25 percent on tickets.
Wolf Trap
- To rock out to some class acts on a Friday evening underneath the stars, steer eight miles north of Fairfax to Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. This singular park gathers multiple amphitheaters among the woods for dozens of performances from May through September, rain or shine. Past seasons have included legends B.B. King, Diana Ross and Peter Frampton, comedian Bill Cosby, and classic rockers ZZ Top and Chicago. Shows run the gamut from alternative rock to classical soloists and country.
