Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts — Attraction in Tysons

(I'm just gonna put this here at the top because this is important; if you haven't seen the gardens, which can be easy to miss, you really should. A few can be found all around the ticket booth area, including the basin in front of the booth which you can walk through, as well as the fenced garden behind the main theater which is easy to miss. Don't be intimidated by the gate either, you're more than allowed to enter and explore just make sure to close it behind you. The gardens are taken care of and shaped by volunteer Master Gardeners and Park Rangers to both be beautiful and beneficial to the native wildlife; their hard work more than deserves recognition and appreciation.)

Wolf Trap National Park is absolutely amazing. Even though most people come for the entertainment venue which is no doubt incredible, it's not the best part because in my opinion the truly best part of Wolf Trap is the entirety of the National Park, theaters included.

Wolf Trap's size is not comparable to most other National Parks by a long shot, but that's what really makes it special. Most parks are HUGE and cover entire forests and mountains and glaciers, etc etc. Which is certainly awe striking but that kind of scale really hampers their accessibility. Wolf Trap on the other hand gives us a genuine National Park of which to explore in full within a single trip. I can't tell you how many times I've been to Great Falls National Park which isn't super grand in its own right but I've still yet to explore a lot of it because of its size and somewhat difficult terrain which can render areas inaccessible to many.

Wolf Trap doesn't have any of those issues and is easy to traverse, loop around the lake, go see the river, and visit the many gardens which are some of it's most unbeatable features. You may see a turtle or two, maybe even stop and listen to what birds you might hear. I would even suggest stopping by some of the flowers swarming with bees and try to count how many different types you see (hint: it's a lot). There are even snakes too, which are very cool to see but remember to keep your distance, as some of them are extremely venomous. However, either with the bees, most of which are non-aggressive, or the snakes, etc; remember that as long as you don't mess with them, they won't mess with you.

So enjoy yourself and go on a relaxing hike around Wolf Trap National Park before or after the concert, or better yet, come take a tour or volunteer. It's super appreciated and the Rangers are always working hard to improve and expand the park far beyond just a pretty concert venue. It's a living breathing natural landscape with endless biodiversity and incredible wonders to behold.

All you have to do is take a look, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised by what's hidden just...

Beautiful theater in a natural setting. I was excited to visit a new National Park on our first visit to Wolf Trap. We saw Steve Martin and Martin Short and had a great time. We arrived 3 hours before the start of the show and we were one of the first cars there. A parking attendant told us to move our car forward onto the grass so that it would be easier to leave. Sure enough, after the show we could drive straight out while everyone else was stuck on the packed parking lot, so we were very lucky. We brought food to have prior to the show and there were some nice picnic tables next to Ovations restaurant. We sat there for a while until it was time to go in. The gates opened 90 minutes before the show, but the seating area didn't open until 30 minutes before! We learned that you couldn't bring food into the Filene Center itself, which is a bit disappointing. It's fine when you sit on the lawn, and lots of people had coolers and wine and all sorts of things to have on the lawn, but when you paid for a seat in the theatre itself you cannot bring in any food. I got some popcorn ($7), which I had to finish before we went to our seats. Even drinks from the concessions stand have to be in a $6 reusable cup. I bought a beer for $18.50 ($12.50 for the beer + $6 for the cup so that I could bring it inside), which I thought was a pretty steep price. My wife bought a coke ($5.50) in the special cup and went back later for a refill (another $5.50, but in the same cup). To our surprise they poured it into a hard plastic cup, which you yourself then have to transfer into the reusable cup 2 seconds later, and then throw the plastic cup away. What a waste. If they don't want to touch the used reusable cup for Covid reasons, they could at least use a paper cup to transfer the drink. I can't believe they do this in a National Park of all places. Plastic doesn't get more single use than that. There was a nice variety of food for sale, from burgers and hot dogs to a hummus platter, mango lime quinoa salad and artisan salami charcuterie board, with some vegetarian options. I am glad that we bought seats, but it looked fun to sit on the lawn. We did notice though that the lawn was completely full and some people had to resort to sitting on the side where they did not have a view of the stage (or even the screen), so it is important to...

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts was the dream of Catherine Filene Shouse. She felt strongly about the performing arts being accessible to people of all incomes and ages. So to that end, in 1966 she gifted 100 acres to be protected as a Park. Along with the land she donated the funds that would be needed not only build a Performing Arts Center but also create a Foundation to steward it into the future. The Foundation was set up in 1968 and the inaugural season was in 1971.

Born in 1896, Mrs. Shouse was “a keen believer in the power of the arts to help create a stronger society, and a pioneer in creating career opportunities for women. She was the first woman to earn a master’s degree in education from Harvard University and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 for her global philanthropic and educational endeavors.”

Even though the project began in her early 70’s, Mrs. Shouse remained very much involved in leading the Foundation for 25 years, until she passed in 1994.

Her list of accolades, appointments, and honors speak volumes about how much she put her money where you heart was in terms of the Arts. I’ll show a list here because they’re too numerous to name, but let's just say that when you visit, you must take in all the wonderful information about her philanthropy, passion, and legacy.

I think this quote by Mrs. Shouse actually captures her vision the best, “Wolf Trap has a destiny. It reaches out for people asking that they restore their spirits at its theatre, on its hillsides, in the woods, or by the stream. And it can grow in scope and meaningfulness to the extent of man’s imagination and support.”

Named for the farm that Mrs. Shouse purchased in 1930, Wolf Trap is a successful partnership between the Foundation and the National Park Service that brings programming to the Filene Center, Children’s Theatre-In-The-Woods and spaces in between. In fact this partnership was the first co-management of its type between the National Park Service and private management of the over 400 sites in the NPS system.

The Park can be visited any time of year, but if you’re looking to see a performance, you’ll need to check the schedule from May to September.

Go and Support our National Parks AND our Performing Arts! Thank you,...