EcoVillage is midway between the cities of Leesburg, VA, (the county seat of Loudoun County), and Frederick, MD, (the county seat of Frederick County). By car from EcoVillage, it takes approximately 20 minutes to the outskirts and 30 minutes to the center of the these cities.
Grocery Stores
- Brunswick, MD - SuperFresh (8)
- Purcellville - Food Lion (10)
- Charlestown, WV - Food Lion (11.5)
- Leesburg - Giant, Shopper’s Food Warehouse, Safeway, Food Lion (13 - 15)
- Frederick - Common Market Natural Foods Co-op, Weis Market, Giant, Safeway, Shopper’s Food Warehouse (13 - 15)
- Sterling, VA - Healthway Natural Foods (25)
- Reston, VA - Fresh Fields (31)
- Rockville, MD - Fresh Fields (34)
- plenty of 7-Elevens, Sheetz, MiniMarts, delis, etc. in the area
Shopping VA side
- Dulles Town Center Mall (opened 1999; Hecht’s, Sears, JCPenney, and Lord & Taylor, and over 100 smaller stores) Corner of Rte. 28 and Rte. 7 (22)
- Leesburg Corner Outlet Mall (15)
- Shenandoah Square Shopping Center (Hechinger, WalMart, Kohls) (15)
- Countryside area -- Home Depot, Toys R Us, PetSmart, Circuit City, Target, Michaels, Office Depot (25)
- “Old Town” Leesburg -- quaint shops, antiques, restaurants, etc.
MD side (Frederick)
- Francis Scott Key Mall (Hechts, Sears, Value City and JCPenney)
- Fredericktowne Mall (Bon-Ton, JCPenney and many other stores)
- Golden Mile commercial district (Service Merchandise and other stores) Rte. 40 West
- Frederick area, in general (Sam’s Club discount warehouse, Border's, Michaels, Target, Home Depot, Sports Authority, PetSmart, Bed Bath and Beyond, K Mart, Ames, Staples, CVS, Pier One, Circuit City, Burlington Coat Factory)
- Historic Downtown Frederick restaurants (Orchard, Nido’s, Kyoko’s, Jennifer’s) antique shops and quaint shops of all kinds
Movie Theatres
- Leesburg Tally-Ho Regal Cinemas - 2 screens, center of Leesburg
- Countryside Regal Cinemas - 14 screens, stadium seating, Route 7
- Fredericktowne Mall Hoyt’s Cinemas - 10 screens, Route 40 W, Frederick MD
- Francis Scott Key Hoyt’s Cinemas - 3 screens, Route 85, Frederick MD
- Westridge Hoyt’s Cinemas - 6 screens, Route 40 W, Frederick MD
- Holiday Cinemas - $1.99 movies, Baughmans Lane (off Rte 40 W), Frederick, MD
Other Theatres
- Way Off Broadway Dinner and Children's Theatre, Frederick, MD
- Weinberg Center for the Arts -- beautiful old theater in downtown Frederick
- Maryland Ensemble Theatre at the Cultural Arts Center, Frederick, MD
- Carriage House Theatre at Oatlands, Route 15 south of Leesburg
- Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge -- concert pavilion in Bristow, VA
- Wolf Trap/Filene Center for the Arts – Vienna, VA
Sports Clubs
- Loudoun County Parks and Recreation Youth sports programs include baseball, basketball, football, cheerleading, in-line hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and wrestling
- Frederick County Parks and Recreation has similar programs
- YMCA in both Frederick and Leesburg
- Numerous fitness clubs in Frederick and Leesburg
- Road Runners Club of America chapter, Leesburg
- About ten golf courses within 20 miles of EcoVillage
Nature Trails/Parks
Below is a sampling of the closest parks. There are many other state and national parks within a few hours drive in VA, MD, WV, and PA.
- Numerous city parks in the Leesburg and Frederick areas
- Ida Lee Park, Leesburg -- 138 acres -- recreation center, ball fields, trails
- Morven Park - Route 15 north of Leesburg -- Greek mansion surrounded by 1200 acres, gardens, museum, site of many events (11)
- Ball’s Bluff Regional Park -- 168 acres -- Civil War history, nature trails on the Potomac (close to EcoVillage off Route 15 north of Leesburg)
- Harper’s Ferry, WV -- historic area, nature trails, inner tubing on the Potomac -- Appalachian Trail goes through here (16)
- C&O Canal -- a 180 mile long park which runs along the Maryland side of the Potomac River between Washington, DC and Cumberland, Maryland -- open to hikers, bicyclists and horses (4)
- Shenandoah National Park/Skyline Drive -- northern entrance at Front Royal is 51 miles from EcoVillage -- lots of trails, scenic overlooks, camping
- George Washington National Forest extends along the western border of VA
- Sugarloaf Mountain in MD -- hiking trails, great views from the top (14)
- Seneca Creek State Park, MD -- lake with boat ramp, trails, connects to C&O (24)
- Cunningham Falls State Park, Thurmont MD -- lake with waterfalls, camping, fishing, boat rental, beach, trails, falls (32)
- Gambrill State Park, Frederick, MD -- camping, picnic, fishing, trails (18)
- Greenbrier State Park, Washington County, MD -- lake, beach, fishing, boat rental, picnic, camping (32)
- Frederick County Watershed -- trails, off-road biking and hiking, fish ponds, fishing
Bike Paths
- Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, VA -- paved hike/bike/skate trail extends from Purcellville to Arlington, VA, where it connects with the Mount Vernon Trail, the C&O Canal and Rock Creek Park in MD.
- C&O Canal -- See above under Nature Trails/Parks.
Schools
Public schools that serve EcoVillage:
Advantages of Loudoun County Schools (collected from conversations with teachers and parents)
Programs and facilities that enhance the educational experience
- New Lovettsville Library is near Lovettsville Elementary
- Special Education Parent Resource Center – parents can get help with kids’ needs (from LD/HD to gifted) and parenting information, too. For information, call 703-771-6765.
- Before and after school programs are available for public schools. Call 703-777-0343. (Lovettsville Elementary before and after school care is at Lovettsville Community Center, 540-822-5284.)
Private schools located within a reasonable commute from EcoVillage
- The Banner School (Frederick, MD) K through 8th grade – 301-695-9320
- The Barnsville School (Barnsville, MD) Preschool through 8th grade – 301- 972-0341
- Loudoun Country Day (Leesburg, VA) Pre-K through 8th grade – 703-777-3841
- Friends Meeting School (Ijamsville, MD) Pre-K through 7th grade – 301-798-0288
- Claymont Children’s School (Charles Town, WV) Toddler through 6th grade -- 304-725-8889
- Country Day School of Jefferson County (Charles Town, WV) K thru 9th – 304-725-1438
- Montessori School of Leesburg (Leesburg, VA)–Pre-K through 3rd grade -- 703-779-7791
Medical/Emergency Services
- Frederick Memorial Hospital, Frederick, MD (16)
- Loudoun Hospital, Route 7 just east of Leesburg (18)
- Lovettsville Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company 12 -- Emergency Medical Technicians based out of here would respond to 911 calls from EcoVillage. They work with Loudoun Hospital which is approximately 20-30 minutes, depending on traffic. For major traumas, helicopter to Fairfax Hospital is available. (There are also three companies in Leesburg, two in Purcellville, and one in Lucketts.)
- County Sheriff’s office located in Leesburg
- Urgent Care Center in Purcellville (12)
- Pharmacies located in Brunswick, MD (Rite Aid), Purcellville (Rite Aid) and Leesburg and Frederick (CVS, Rite-Aid and others)
Libraries
- Lovettsville Library in the center of Lovettsville (4.5)
- Rust Library, Old Waterford Road in Leesburg
- Events such as adult/teen book discussions and workshops, school-age reading clubs and pre-school/toddler story hours are regularly held at both of these libraries.
- Brunswick, MD Library (8)
Community and Recreation Centers
- Lovettsville (4)
- Lucketts
- Douglass Community Center, Leesburg*
- Franklin Park Community Center, Purcellville
- Loudoun Valley Community Center, Purcellville*
- Ida Lee Park Recreation Center*
- Licensed Preschool Programs for ages two and up; other preschool-age programs such as sports, art, music, tumbling, science, etc.; elementary and teen programs such as art, sports, nature; art and gym for homeschoolers; adult aerobics, sports drop-ins, arts and crafts classes, dance instruction, gardening, etc.; senior programs such as shuffleboard, exercise/walking clubs, driver improvement, art, luncheons
Transportation
- MARC Train -- Point of Rocks, MD
- Stops in WV: Martinsburg, Duffields, Harper’s Ferry
- Stops in MD: Brunswick, Point of Rocks, Dickerson, Barnesville, Boyds, Germantown, Metropolitan Grove, Gaithersburg, Washington Grove, Rockville (w/access to Metro), Garrett Park, Kensington, Silver Spring
- Stop in DC: Union Station (with access to Metro)
Commuter bus and ridesharing
- To Rosslyn, Pentagon and D.C. leaves from stops in Purcellville, Leesburg, Hamilton and Sterling
- Loudoun County Rideshare Program assists with joining or forming vanpools and carpools
- Airports
- Dulles International Airport in Dulles, VA
- BWI in MD
- Reagan Intl. Airport (formerly National Airport) in D.C.
- Leesburg and Frederick both have small municipal airports
Churches
The Greater D.C. area probably has any type of spiritual home you are looking for. There are churches of most denominations within 10 to 15 miles of EcoVillage.
Synagogues
Community Colleges/Adult Ed
- Strayer College -- Virginia Campus (18)
- Northern Virginia Community College (22)
- George Washington University -- Virginina campus (18)
- Hood College, MD -- 4-year co-ed liberal arts
- Frederick Community College
- Frederick County Adult Education (many offerings)
- ABI Business Institute
Festivals and Events
There are many, many local events and festivals of all types and sizes in both Loudoun and Frederick counties, from the Lovettsville Oktoberfest to the Waterford Arts and Crafts Show. A sampling of events would include antique shows, wine tastings, arts and craft shows, equestrian events, steeplechases, garden shows, dog shows, town pride days, Celtic festivals, farm tours, historic homes tours, free summer music concerts, and holiday parades and festivals. Details can be found on the counties’ web sites.
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