Community Corner

Manassas, Prince William County Take Spotlight In New TV Episode.

Key sites in Manassas and Prince William County took the spotlight in a TV show broadcast on the Discovery Channel.

MANASSAS, VA — Top sites in Manassas and Prince William County were spotlighted in a new episode of "RV There Yet?"

"RV There Yet?" is a Discovery Channel series that features road trip destinations around the U.S. It is hosted by producer Kevin McCabe and his wife, Patrice, who is a "self-proclaimed RV culinary expert." The couple does hikes, camping, sightseeing and dining in their RV adventures.

The show, in its fourth season, debuted an episode focused on Prince William County, Virginia on Saturday. The couple started their Prince William County trip by heading to the RV campground at the Prince William Forest Park, which is a national park with about 15,000 acres of forest. 37 miles of hiking trails, 21 miles of unpaved and paved biking routes, a visitor center with rangers, exhibits, camp sites.

Find out what's happening in Manassasfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

On the TV show, Ranger Joshua Stringer said entering Prince William Forest Park is an escape amid close proximity to Interstate 95 and Marine Corps Base Quantico.

"The value of having Prince William Forest Park as a National Park Service unit is that families are using the space in the same way that it was intended: to get back with nature, to experience the outdoors," said Stringer. "This is a great space to sort of reground yourself in the environment because the urban sprawl that is the D.C. area and Northern Virginia, this is a protected space for everybody to use."

Find out what's happening in Manassasfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

The next day of filming focused on the National Museum of the Marine Corps, which focused on the military branch whose base is close by in Quantico. Home to the tall spire visible from I-95, the museum has been open since 2006 and tells the history of the Marine Corps through exhibits and programming. The museum has free admission.

"It's where we honor those who served selflessly, we revitalize the spirit of those currently serving, and we inspire young men and women to become the next generation of Marines," said Keil Gentry, director of the National Museum of the Marine Corps, in the episode. "We also help build that bridge between the civilian world and the military world, so hopefully everybody walks out of here having a better sense of who we are as Marines."

The next stop was Manassas National Battlefield Park, which was the site of two battles known as the First and Second Battle of Manassas (or Bull Run). The First Battle of Manassas/Bull Run was the Civil War's first major battle and included the Civil War's first civilian casuality with the death of Judith Henry.

"A lot of people come here, and they come for recreation, and I hope that people don't forget that while this place is so quiet and peaceful and beautiful today that it was once an awful place to be over the course of four days in 1861 and 1862," said Kevin Pawlak with Prince William Historic Preservation, on the show.

After the battlefield visit, the couple headed to downtown Manassas for shopping and a visit to Sinistral Brewing Company. The City of Manassas confirmed it hosted the TV show for filming in May. Manassas Mayor Michelle Davis-Younger and Historic Manassas Executive Director Kristen Kiefer participated in the filming.

"We always say shop local because we are such a tight-knit community," Davis-Younger said of the city's small business climate. "These are the mom-and-pop shops you don't see much anymore, so we're just proud to stick together and make us successful."

The last stop on the episode was NOVA Live, an entertainment complex that recently rebranded from Farm Brew Live and announced new concepts Proof Kitchen + Bar, Murlarkey Distilled Spirits, Everyone Eats Catering and the future Tempo by Hilton. The 11-acre complex also features restaurants, a wedding and event space, a brewing company and live entertainment at The Yard. The episode highlighted tastings at the new Murlarkey Distilled Spirits

See the full episode below.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

Support These Local Businesses

+ List My Business