NoVA Parks: Occoquan Regional Park and The Turning Point Suffragist Memorial
9751 Ox Road, Lorton, Virginia 22079
by Tracey Barrett September 2024
Located at almost the southern-most point of Fairfax County, right on the Occoquan River is one of Northern Virginia’s hidden gems. Whether you enjoy hiking, kayaking, boating, picnicking, playing baseball or softball, immersing yourself in history, or looking for a bit of peace, the Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton and home of The Turning Point Suffragist Memorial is the place to be.
Enjoy 350 acres of outdoor recreation at Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton, Virginia.
According to the NOVA Parks website, “the park’s crown jewel is the brand new River View at the Jean R. Packard Center – A premier event space for up to 300 seated guests, featuring the 1608 room, and interpretive foyer depicting John Smith’s voyage on the Chesapeake Bay.”
Continued from the NOVA Parks website, “take a stroll along the waterfront plaza, and pop into Brickmakers Café for lunch or rent out our large group pavilion.”
NOVA Parks continues, “Looking for a little fun and exercise? Our 5k loop trail is a perfect walking tour of the park. Meanwhile, get in a few hacks at our batting cages or rent a kayak and enjoy a day on the water!”
For all you history buffs, across the main road from the River View at the Jean R. Packard Center, is the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial. Per the Turning Point Memorial website, the memorial “commemorates the millions of little-known women who engaged in the suffragist movement primarily from 1848 through passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920 that allowed most women to vote. This memorial is both a visual symbol and educational tool that elevates them to their proper place in history. You will learn their stories and how they sacrificed, organized and in some cases endured torture for their cause. The suffragists’ decades-long persistence resulted in the greatest expansion of democracy the country had ever witnessed when twenty-five million women won the right to vote with the stroke of a pen on August 26, 1920, now known as Women’s Equality Day.” To cap off the day, enjoy not only this memorial, but also the Lucy Burns Museum right up the road at the Workhouse Arts Center at Lorton.
