Why visit Lorton
Townapedia lists 13 museums and landmarks, 15 parks and trails, 38 places to eat and 1 place to stay in and around town.
Highlights include Fairfax Arms, Gunston Hall, Occoquan Regional Park and Pohick Bay Regional Park.
Weather in Lorton
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Lorton
Lorton is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 20,072 as of the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Lorton, Virginia (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Museums and landmarks13
Fairfax Arms
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.3 mi
Place in Virginia listed on National Register of Historic Places
Gunston Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.9 mi
Plantation
Lexington
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.9 mi
18th-century plantation on Mason's Neck in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States
Lorton Reformatory
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.1 mi
Historic prison in Virginia, United States
Occoquan Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.6 mi
Historic district in Virginia, United States
Rockledge
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.7 mi
Building in Virginia, United States
Sydenstricker School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.1 mi
Place in Virginia listed on National Register of Historic Places
Taft Archeological Site No. 029-5411
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
Place in Virginia listed on National Register of Historic Places
1 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds15
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Pohick Bay Regional Park
Park · 2.7 mi
Protected area in northeastern Virginia
3 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes38
Tokyo One
Restaurant · Japanese
9443 Lorton Market Street, Lorton
Mo, We-Sa 11:00-14:30; Mo, We-Th 16:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 16:00-22:30;...
26 more on the map.
Where to stay1
Holiday Inn Express Lorton
Motel and hotel · 0.7 mi
8180 Silverbrook Road, Lorton
History
Lorton is named for a village in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria, in England. Joseph Plaskett of the Cumbrian village settled in southern Fairfax County, running a general store and opening the Lorton Valley Post Office on November 11, 1875.
Before the identity of Lorton, the commercial center was Colchester, and the spiritual and historical center of the community around which the leading citizens of the time revolved was Pohick Church, where George Washington and George Mason were at times members of the vestry.
From the early 20th century until November 2001, Lorton was the site of a District of Columbia correctional facility called the Lorton Reformatory which, among other things, detained approximately 168 women from the women's suffrage movement from the Washington, D.C. area from June to December 1917. For the 2010 census, the area around the former Lorton Reformatory was assigned to the Laurel Hill census-designated place, reducing the area and population of the Lorton CDP.
A Nike missile site was built at Lorton in 1955, and remained until 1973.
Lorton is one of the two stations that serve Amtrak's Auto Train which carries passengers and their vehicles non-stop to Sanford, Florida, in the Orlando area. The Lorton and Occoquan Railroad once operated between the Lorton Reformatory and Occoquan, with connection to the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad.
From the History section of Lorton, Virginia on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship9
Pohick Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Silverbook Methodist Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 2.3 mi
Woodlawn Quaker Meetinghouse
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 4.1 mi
Shopping3
Gas and EV charging5
Schools, colleges and libraries47
Healthcare2
Map of Lorton
133 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Fairfax County has had 14 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2026-01-23: Severe Winter Storm (Winter Storm)
- 2020-04-02: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2018-09-11: Hurricane Florence (Hurricane)
- 2016-03-07: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm (Snowstorm)
- 2012-10-29: Hurricane Sandy (Hurricane)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Davison Army Airfield (DAA) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 miles away.
- Lake Ridge 5 mi west, about 8 min by car
- Burke 6 mi northwest, about 10 min by car
- Franconia 6 mi northeast, about 9 min by car
- Kingstowne 6 mi northeast, about 10 min by car
- Groveton 7 mi northeast, about 11 min by car
- Leesylvania 7 mi southwest, about 12 min by car
- Dale City 8 mi southwest, about 12 min by car
- Burke Centre 8 mi northwest, about 13 min by car
- Hybla Valley 8 mi northeast, about 13 min by car
- Lincolnia 9 mi northeast, about 14 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Houses in Lorton (2), User:AlbertHerring, CC BY 3.0
- TAFT ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE, FAIRFAX COUNTY, Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lexington cellar hole 2018, Ser_Amantio_di_Nicolao, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Silverbrook-methodist005, Slowking4, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Fairfax-arms016, Slowking4, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Woodlawn-friends004, Slowking4, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Pohick Church - November, 2009, User:AlbertHerring, CC BY 3.0
- OCCOQUAN HISTORIC DISTRICT, JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lorton Reformatory - from the quad4, User:AlbertHerring, CC BY 3.0
- Gunston hall loc tree, Unknown author, Public domain
- SYDENSTRICKER SCHOOL, JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Rockledge, Occoquan, VA, Skvely, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Occoquan Regional Park Shelter, Quidster4040 at English Wikipedia, CC0
- Pohick Bay, Camp Wilson facilities - panoramio, Baglog, CC BY-SA 3.0
Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.