McLean (Virginia)

McLean is a Northern Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. located in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the southern United States of America.

Understand

The primary reason to visit McLean is to go shopping at Tysons Corner. McLean is primarily residential, with major commercial development concentrated in its portion of Tysons Corner. , and McLean is a favored address for many high-ranking government officials and diplomats. McLean encompasses the older settlements of Lewinsville and Langley. Langley is the name of the local high school and as a metonym for the CIA, after the location of its headquarters. McLean is named after John Roll McLean, who owned The Washington Post, and was one of the chief investors in the Washington and Old Dominion Railway.

Get in

By Metrorail

WMATA, which operates the DC Metrorail, has several Metrorail stops in McLean. For more information on riding the Metrorail, see Washington DC#Get_In

By car

The George Washington Parkway runs along the north side of the town. The Chain Bridge connects the George Washington Parkway to Washington, D.C.. McLean is also just off I-495, the Capital Beltway, from the west, with the main exits at the George Washington Parkway and Georgetown Pike.

Get around

See

• 🌍 Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 1000 Colonial Farm Rd, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. The headquarters of the most well-known intelligence agency of the United States government is in a part of McLean that is sometimes still called "Langley". Tours are given only with special arrangement to academic and civic groups, not to the public. Even attempting to drive down the road leading up to the CIA can get you in trouble. However, there is a virtual tour on the CIA's web site.  

Do

• 🌍 Claude Moore Colonial Farm, 6310 Georgetown Pike, ☎ [phone]. W–Su 10AM–4:30PM, Apr 3–Dec 15. Closer, cheaper, and less crowded than the more famous Colonial Williamsburg, the Farm features costumed interpreters who demonstrate the crafts, skills, foods, buildings, and other aspects of life in 1771 on a small farm. The farm produces a variety of traditional foods and crafts and offers programs for children and adults on traditional farming skills and environmental living. $3 adults, $2 seniors and children.  
• 🌍 Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, 7400 Georgetown Pike, ☎ [phone]. Sunrise to sunset daily. Named for the small stream that tumbles over a dramatic waterfall before ending in the Potomac, Scott's Run Nature Preserve is criss-crossed by hiking trails, many of them challenging as they follow the rocky cliffs and sheer bluffs overlooking the river. A section of the Potomac Heritage Trail crosses through the park east to west. Free.  

Buy

Much shopping in nearby Tysons Corner.

Eat

• 🌍 Italian Deli Restaurant, 6813 Elm St, ☎ [phone]. This hole in the wall, located in downtown McLean across from the McDonald's, offers authentic Italian subs, pasta dishes, and assorted fast food-type fare at reasonable prices. 

Drink

Sleep

Rates vary wildly on business/convention demand; weekends are usually cheaper.

• 🌍 Staybridge Suites, 6845 Old Dominion Dr, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. Outdoor pool, free wireless internet, complimentary breakfast. The cheaper rates are generally on the weekends. $100-320. 

Go next

Despite its proximity to Washington DC, nature is close by at Great Falls.

Routes through McLean

Bethesda ← Potomac ←	N  S	→ Tysons Corner → Springfield
Leesburg ← Herndon ←	W  E	→ Falls Church → END
Reston ← Tysons Corner ←	W  E	→ Falls Church → East End