Day Trip From DC: Antiques and Beer | A Day in Lucketts, VA

Spending a day in Lucketts, VA felt long overdue for me. It’s probably the town I’m most often asked about when readers are looking for quick day trips from the city and, yet, I’d never been.

Day Trip From DC: A Day in Lucketts, VA and Leesburg, VA

Lucketts is a historic village located within Leesburg, VA, so you’ll see me use the two kind of interchangeably here, but all that is Lucketts is in Leesburg, but Leesburg is not necessarily Lucketts. Got it?

So, while it’s of course surrounded by wineries and breweries, the big draw for spending a day in Lucketts, VA is The Old Lucketts Store, an antique and home shop that bills itself as both vintage and hip. It’s a mecca for DC residents in search of furnishings and decor but, to be totally transparent here, I had never been because I (somewhat incorrectly) assumed it was kind of country chic. Which is great if that’s your thing, but I wasn’t sure it was worth my time since my tastes run a bit more eclectic. I was 100% wrong. I spent probably 3 hours strolling through antique stores throughout the area but, believe me, I could have spent all day.

This is a dream day trip for anyone who loves old furniture, good beer, and rolling Virginia hills.

 

The Logistics: When to Go and How to Get to Lucketts, VA

If you’re going to spend the day in Lucketts, VA, it goes without say that you’ll likely want to choose a day when the weather is nice given that so much of Old Lucketts Store is outside. However, they’re only open Thursday to Sunday, so keep that in mind.

It’s an easy hour or so drive out to Lucketts, with breweries and wineries along the way in Loudoun County. Definitely a great way to spend a fall day.

And, I’ve heard the Old Lucketts Store holiday season is one not to be missed. It runs November 12 through December 20 so, if you’re considering a trip this fall, keep that in mind for two reasons. One, you may want to go. But, two, you may want to make it a Thursday or Friday trip because if a random Saturday taught me anything, this place gets crazy.

 

 

First Stop: The Old Lucketts Store

I already mentioned that my concern was that Old Lucketts Store would be too country chic for me. Well, as Adam sat outside, he texted me “there are so many folks walking around with She Shed signs.” And, yes, there were. But, that’s not the only aesthetic that’s going on here.

The Old Lucketts Store does an incredible job of curating vignettes of every style from traditional to mid-century to industrial and beyond. Their “vintage – hip” tagline truly does suit them. Even the areas that weren’t necessarily something I’d bring into my own home were expertly styled.

I was searching for a nightstand on this particular day and, while I didn’t find one that fit my measurements, I did stumble upon so many cool options that would have worked if I had just a few more inches to play with. From restored antiques to painted vintage pieces to gorgeous framed art and interesting glassware, there was just so much good stuff. Plus, this place is massive, there are rooms upon rooms upon rooms. It’s not like you huge warehouse style antiques mall, but that’s what’s great about it. It’s like going into someone’s well-curated home.

An added bonus: there’s a super cool shop or part of Old Lucketts Store next door that’s way more my style. Dark, library-like. I can’t find the name anywhere but it’s directly to the right as you enter Old Lucketts. Don’t miss it.

A word on social distancing: it wasn’t great. The store was packed and it definitely doesn’t seem like they’re limiting shoppers. I did my best to try to give others plenty of space but it was impossible at times. Fortunately, everyone had their masks on but, if you’re uneasy about it, I’d maybe steer clear on a weekend.

 

Second Stop: A Trio of Loudoun County Antiques Shops

Since I hadn’t found the one item I needed yet (and because I can never get enough digging through old stuff), we stopped at a trio of antiques shops that I’d spotted on our drive in to Lucketts. There are three ~very~ different vibes going on within these three shops, so let’s chat about all of them.

Hummingbird’s Nest

If you love junkin’ (as Anna Weaver Interiors calls it), this is going to be your scene. Hummingbird’s Nest is cram jam packed with stuff. Their whole porch is packed. the inside is packed. There were items I was interested in that I couldn’t get to because they were behind stuff. But there were good finds there! From ornate dressers to beaucoup de glassware, if I had more room for stuff, I could go crazy here.

Rust and Feathers

Significantly more curated, Rust and Feathers has lots of room to breathe — and see exactly what they’re selling. They have a fairly identifiable rustic, artisan style that’s heavy on refinished salvage pieces with some mid-century lines thrown in. I fell in love with a Scandinavian style jewelry box, I believe by an artist in New England, but the $200+ price tag was a bit more than I was looking to spend that day.

On a Whim

On a Whim is a two-story antique shop that is super curated downstairs and a bit more of a hunt upstairs. If you love the white, shabby-chic influenced country look, you’ll be into their downstairs booths. But, there are funkier pieces to be found upstairs. I saw several art deco items that would be awesome…again, if I had room.

Also, if you park at one of these shops, literally these are all within a stone’s throw, facing each other across a parking lot. Easiest antiquing stop you’ll ever make.

 

Pick Up Food at Roots 657 + Grab a Beer at Barnhouse Brewery

The way these day trips out to Virginia or Maryland tend to go, I get to spend the first few hours exploring antique shops or strolling around a quaint downtown. Then, before we head back into the District, we’ll grab food or stop by a brewery — these are typically spots that Adam has researched and added to our itinerary.

Our day in Lucketts, VA was no different. After a busy day hitting every antiques store I could find, we had plans to go to a particular brewery…however it was PACKED. Like line to get into the parking lot packed. You know, there’s still a pandemic going on, so that wasn’t really our scene.

Thankfully, a quick Google search turned up Barnhouse Brewery in nearby Leesburg. Just a bit off the beaten path, Barnhouse Brewery had so much more room to spread out. It was busy, yes. But, unless you were with one of the bigger groups hanging out on the patio, you could easily claim a spot on the lawn and sit 20+ feet from the nearest patron.

Barnhouse Brewery is open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and they have live music on Saturdays at 3 PM through October.

They don’t have food, but we’d looked into that ahead of time and picked sandwiches and chips up at Roots 657, an unassuming spot right on the main road. You could drive right by it and not realize this large building is home to a big, airy gourmet grocery store and cafe. I’d highly recommend the grilled ham and swiss. Not my usual sandwich order, but I opted for it since I’d just had barbecue the night before and, omg, it was melt in your mouth.

Okay, back to the brewery: they move people through the beer line efficiently and quickly. Adam opted for a flight, while I got the Apple Ale. Again going outside my normal comfort zone. I’m usually into dark beers, porters and stouts, but apple felt festive. I would 100% recommend.

My one tip that we didn’t follow: bring a picnic blanket and chairs for the lawn. We normally have them in the car but, since we got the new car, we hadn’t put them in there yet. Womp womp.

 

Want More Day Trips Near DC?

I’ve organized all my DC day trips into one section on the blog now! Since this is basically the extent of most of our travel at this point and it’s definitely 99.9% of the questions I get asked when people are looking for travel recommendations, I wanted to make it super easy for y’all. So, whether you’re looking at Middleburg or the Northern Neck, you’ll find it under DC Day Trips.