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NOVA Parks facts for kids

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NOVA Parks (which used to be called the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority) is a group that owns and takes care of more than 10,000 acres of land in Northern Virginia in the United States. This land includes woodlands, streams, parks, trails, nature reserves, countryside, and historic sites. The organization was created in 1959. Today, NOVA Parks runs 33 regional parks.

A 12-member Board helps guide NOVA Parks. Each city or county that is part of NOVA Parks chooses two people for this Board. Currently, three counties (Arlington, Fairfax, and Loudoun) and three cities (Alexandria, Falls Church, and Fairfax) have members on the Board.

The Story of NOVA Parks

NOVA Parks started in 1959. Arlington and Fairfax Counties, along with the City of Falls Church, wanted to protect their drinking water. They also wanted to create places for people to relax and enjoy nature.

Soon after, NOVA Parks bought its first parkland in Centreville, VA. This land became part of Bull Run Regional Park. Later, Gardiner Means and his wife Caroline F. Ware gave their farm home in Vienna, VA to NOVA Parks. This farm eventually became Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.

In its first ten years, NOVA Parks saved over 3,000 acres of land. Over the next ten years, this grew to about 8,000 acres.

NOVA Parks added more places in the 1960s. These included sites in Clifton, VA, the City of Fairfax, VA, Fairfax County, Arlington, and Alexandria, VA. In the 1970s, Loudoun County, VA joined the group. This led to adding important places like Algonkian Regional Park on the Potomac River. Other additions included Red Rock Overlook, Temple Hall Farm, and Ball's Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery.

NOVA Parks kept growing through the 1990s. They added Brambleton Golf Course in Ashburn, VA. Then, in 2006, they added Aldie Mill Historic Park. More recently, a new building was added at Occoquan Regional Park. It is named after Jean Packard, a former board member and leader from Fairfax County.

Historic Places to Explore

NOVA Parks takes care of many parks with important history. You can find an old mansion from the 1700s, a Civil War battlefield, and a mill from the 1800s. There's also a working farm that is 200 years old, and a church from the Civil War era.

Some major historic spots include:

Other historic places include a kiln used by female prisoners from the Lorton Reformatory. They used it during the Women's suffrage Movement. There's also Temple Hall Farm and White’s Ford Regional Park. This park is on a farm that used to belong to Elijah V. White.

In 2018, NOVA Parks added land near Middleburg, VA. This area is now called the Battle of Upperville | Goose Creek Regional Park. It has hiking trails and information about its history. It also features the Goose Creek Stone Bridge, which was built before the Civil War.

Fun Waterparks

NOVA Parks has five waterparks with different sizes and features. These are great places to cool off and have fun!

The waterparks include:

  • Atlantis Waterpark at Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville.
  • Great Waves Waterpark at Cameron Run Regional Park in Alexandria.
  • Pirate’s Cove Waterpark at Pohick Bay Regional Park in Lorton, VA.
  • Ocean Dunes Waterpark at Upton Hill Regional Park in Arlington.
  • Volcano Island Waterpark at Algonkian Regional Park in Sterling, VA.

Golf Courses

NOVA Parks owns three 18-hole golf courses. These are Algonkian, Brambleton, and Pohick Bay. Each course has a different design and is certified by Audubon International. This means they are managed in a way that protects the environment.

Parks You Can Visit

NOVA Parks manages many different regional parks and other attractions. Here are some of them:

Images for kids

  • Kayakers at Occoquan

    Kayakers explore the waters at Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton, VA. Occoquan is one of 33 parks currently owned and operated by NOVA Parks.

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