Arts Center
Enjoy art, parks and casual fare in Arlington’s Virginia Square neighborhood.
A quieter, mostly residential, neighborhood on Metro between Clarendon and Ballston, Virginia Square is best known for George Mason University’s Arlington Campus and the Arlington Arts Center, a contemporary visual arts venue presenting work by regional artists in the Mid-Atlantic.
Located in the historic Maury School, Arlington Arts Center has nine exhibition galleries and working studios for 13 artists. There, you can see exceptional, cutting-edge art in a variety of media in the annual SOLOS exhibitions featuring artists from Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. The Maury School building itself, featuring Tiffany windows, is a designated an Arlington County Landmark and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Dining in Virginia Square has a bit of everything. Choose from All About Burger, Darna, El Pollo Rico (Peruvian chicken that’s a regular favorite for Washingtonian Magazine’s “Cheap Eats”), Mala Tang, Pulp Juice & Smoothie Bar, Rocklands Barbecue & Grilling Co., Starbucks and more.
Arlington’s Central Library is also in Virginia Square, as well as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, which is right across from the Virginia Square-GMU Metro station.
Quincy Park, the largest of four parks walkable from the Metro station, has baseball fields, a playground and plenty of picnic areas for lunch.