<hdr30>Adventure
<ro>Go on the Attack
<lst>Pev's Paintball
20136 Gant Lane
Leesburg, VA 21075
703-491-6505
<bt>Ever feel like shooting someone with exploding balls of paint? In a nutshell, paintball is just that sport, one alive and well in Loudoun County.
One of the top paintball retailers in the country, Pev's has a retail store in Sterling as well as a retail store and paintball field — Pev's at AG — in Leesburg, as well as four others in the Northern Virginia area.
The field in Leesburg is open, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., on the weekends if weather permits.
Group games involving side against side battles are the norm for paintball. Guns, paint, air tanks, masks, clothing/attire and accessories can be purchased for personal use at retail stores or rented/purchased at the field.
For more information on paintball, check out www.pevs.com.
<ro>Get Lost
<lst>Corn MAiZE
15789 Temple Hall Lane
Leesburg, VA 20176
703-779-9372
<bt>This corn maze at Temple Hall Farm Regional Park encompasses 11 acres of land and challenges the minds of explorers to find the one exit. It usually takes people between 40 minutes and an hour to make their way through the 10-foot high walls of corn. It is part of the fall festival, from Sept. 8-Oct. 29.
Go to www.nvrpa.org and click on the link to Temple Hall to find out maze schedules, hours of operation and prices.
<ro>Get a Bird's-Eye View
<lst>Balloons Unlimited
2946-0 Chain Bridge Road
Oakton, VA 22124
703-281-2300
<bt>Its home office in Oakton, Balloons Unlimited offers ballooning in Middleburg — at Flying Horse Farm — and in the Shenandoah Valley. Flights are scheduled twice a day, every day, all year round. The price for adults in $175 per person. Children under 16 are $100 when accompanied by an adult. Hours are 6 a.m.-6:30 p.m. for the summer. Reservations made a couple weeks in advance are recommended.
<ro>Take Flight
<lst>AV-ED Flight School
Leesburg Executive Airport
1001 Sycolin Road, S.E.
Leesburg, VA 20175
703-777-9252
<bt>Believe you can fly? Take a discovery flight at the Leesburg Executive Airport to see if flying is for you. Discovery flights last 30 minutes and cost between $50 and $70, depending on the type of plane. If you like it, enroll in flight training lessons, approximately $179 an hour. The Leesburg Executive Airport also offers courses for experienced pilots, including a GPS seminar, Multiengine basics and Commercial Knowledge Test Prep.
<hdr30>Concerts
<ro>Savor the Sweet Sounds
<lst>Tarara Winery's Sounds of Summer
13648 Tarara Lane
Leesburg, VA 20176
703-771-7100
<bt>This summer concert series is hosted by one of the wineries in the area and runs from early July to
mid-September. Concerts are held Saturday evenings, from 6-9:30 p.m., rain or shine. Picnics, prizes and vacation give-aways are also part of the fun. The price for adults is $10, while children under 12 get in free. Tickets are available at the winery or online at www.tarara.com. Complimentary shuttle service is also available.
<ro>Enjoy the Music
<lst>Bluemont Concert Series
P.O. Box 208
Leesburg, VA 20178
703-777-6306
<bt>This private, nonprofit corporation has arranged more than 5,000 events for Northwest and Central Virginia for more than 25 years. Performances have been held in 68 different communities, offering a selection of music — including, but not limited to — jazz, bluegrass, rock, rhythm and blues, folk, and African dance.
Bluemont events have taken place on courthouse lawns and in public squares, as well as school assemblies and hospitals. While many people bring picnics to enjoy during the show, this family-friendly corporation prohibits smoking and the consumption of alcohol.
Concert schedules can be found at www.bluemont.org.
<ro>Dance on the Lawn
<lst>Loudoun Summer Music Fest
19661 Belmont Manor Lane
Ashburn, VA 20147
<bt>This concert series is put on by The Loudoun Foundation — a nonprofit organization that raises money for Loudoun charities and after-school programs. Attending the concert is an easy way to meet new people, dance by the stage, or simply relax and enjoy the music.
Tickets are $15 at the gate or $12.50 online and if purchased at Manhattan Pizza in Ashburn, Kirkpatrick's Irish Pub in Ashburn or Loudoun Motorsports in Leesburg. Children under 12 can attend the concerts for free if they come with an adult. The gates open at 5 p.m. with the headliner on stage by 7 p.m.
Schedules can be found at www.liveatbelmont.com.
<ro>Go Unplugged
<lst>Acoustic on the Green
<25 W. Market St.
Leesburg, VA 20178
703-737-7084
<bt>Now in its third year, this annual summer concert series offers residents the chance to listen to a variety of acoustic music every Saturday, from 7-9 p.m. Held on the green of Leesburg's Town Hall, each of these free concerts features acoustic solo, duo or trio performers in classic rock, blues, pop and bluegrass. Series creators Stilson Greene and Pat McKinney raise money each year to present the series to the public. So come out, bring your family, a blanket and enjoy the show.
For more information and the concert schedule visit www.leesburgva.com
<ro>Listen to the Classics
<lst>Loudoun Symphony
P.O. Box 4478
Leesburg, VA 20177
703-771-8287
<bt>No need to travel to Washington, D.C., to hear a symphony perform, the Loudoun Symphony holds a season every year between October and May. Season tickets are $55 if purchased before Oct. 1 and $60 after that date. All performances are held at local high schools where audiences will be treated to music from Beethoven to Gershwin. In addition to the regular season, the symphony holds a fund-raising gala every June and a connoisseurs' concert in November, both of which are open to the public. For more information visit www.loudounsymphony.org
<ro>Let Imagination Take Flight
<lst>National Air and Space Museum
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, VA 20151
202-633-1000
<bt>Located minutes from Washington Dulles International Airport, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center opened in December 2003 and is the companion facility to the Smithsonian Institution's museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Among the planes on display are the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird — the fastest jet in the world — and the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay. The centerpiece of the museum's space hangar is the space shuttle Enterprise.
The center also offers an IMAX Theater, flight simulators, food service, a museum store, free tours, daily educational programs and school group tours and activities.
The center is open daily, from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. The price to park at the facility is $12. Admission is free. Visit the center online, www.nasm.si.edu/museum/udvarhazy.
<ro>Follow the Grapevine
<lst>Loudoun Wine Trail
Loudoun County Department of Economic Development
1 Harrison St., SE
Fifth Floor, P.O. Box 7000
Leesburg, VA 20177
<bt>These easily-accessible wineries are the primary producers of vinifera and New World grape wines. Families gather here for afternoon lunches and friends spend the day visiting with one another. It is a great place to relax, taste the award-winning wines and take in Loudoun's reputation as being a "Wine Country."
For a list of special events, visit www.loudounfarms.org.
The 12 different wineries include Breaux Vineyards, Chrysalis Vineyards, Hidden Brook Winery, Hillsborough Vineyards, Lost Creek Winery, Loudoun Valley Vineyards, Swedenburg Estate Vineyards, Tarara Winery, Village Winery, Waterford Vineyards, Willowcroft Farm Vineyards and Windham Winery.
<ro>Make Friends with a Squirrel Monkey
<lst>Leesburg Animal Park
19270 James Monroe Highway
Leesburg, VA 20175
703-433-0002
<bt>This park offers spectators a chance to get up-close and personal with a variety of resident animals, including giant tortoises, squirrel monkeys, boa constrictors and llamas. From the exotic to the everyday, the park is home to a plethora of animal friends.
During the summer, the park is open Tuesdays-Thursdays, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. and Fridays-Sundays, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The price is $9.95 for adults and $7.95 for children 2-12 and seniors over 55; children under 2 are free.
Ride passes, $12, and pony rides, $3, are also available.
For a list of animals at the park, check out www.leesburganimalpark.com.