Sully Historic Site Chantilly, Va.

The fact that Sully has survived to be shown today I find to be quite amazing. It is located in a very developed area of Northern Virginia and right off a major highway. It survived the Civil War and while it is no longer the massive farm that it once was, enough remains for you to get a fair picture of the life that began here more than 200 years ago. 

Sully was built on a piece of land that Richard Bland Lee inherited from his father Henry Lee II. He lived in the house he had built from 1784 to 1811. He and his wife Elizabeth Collins raised a family here and some of their infants are buried in the cemetery on the property. They have also been reinterred here. 

Today what remains is the main house and outbuildings.  You can tour the outbuildings at your leisure, they include the kitchen smokehouse, laundry,  and dairy. 

You begin your visit at the visitor center and then proceed to walk toward the house. The reconstructed slave cabin is along the way. 

Once at the house, you are allowed in at your tour time, tours are offered on the hour.  You will be encouraged to spend some time in the small museum and will then tour the house with a docent. 

Little of the house furnishing actually belonged to the Lees but the furnishings are to that period. 

You will be visiting both floors of Sully so you do need to be able to climb stairs. 

The gift shop is located in the visitor center and is one that I particularly enjoyed. They sell almost exclusively things that are sourced in the local area. 

Sully hosts a variety of events throughout the year and I highly recommend that if you are going to be in northern Virginia you stop in for a visit, you won't be disappointed.