On Saturday, December 5, both of Fairfax Station's trains start their holiday runs. The Fairfax Station Railroad Museum opens its 35th Annual Holiday Train Show at 11200 Fairfax Station Road that morning. A few miles away, Burke Lake Park's Winter Wonderland opens at 11 a.m. with the Holiday Express. The two events share an opening weekend and differ in length. The museum show runs two days and then it's over. Burke Lake's version comes back for two more weekends. Plan December around the event with the shorter run.
The Depot Has Handled a Crowd Before
The museum building is the reason the holiday show feels like it belongs here. The original station went up in 1852 on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. By 1860 that line ran from Alexandria to Lynchburg, carrying farm goods and serving Fairfax Court House.
In August and September of 1862, after the battles of Second Manassas and Chantilly, the station served as an evacuation point for wounded Union soldiers. According to the museum's Civil War Trails marker page, more than 3,000 wounded men arrived during those weeks. Clara Barton was among the civilians who cared for them until trains took them on to Alexandria and Washington.
The line became part of the Southern Railway in 1894. Double-tracking in 1903 led to the station being moved to its final spot, and the depot closed in 1973. Friends of Fairfax Station, Inc., a nonprofit, saved it and turned it into the museum it still runs today, as the museum's local history page explains. The Holiday Train Show has now run for 35 years in a building that started out carrying real freight.
November Is the Lead-Up
Before December, the museum has two November dates. Both are coming up soon.
- Saturday, November 7, 12:30 to 5 p.m.: The Annual Fall Festival brings Bavarian dancing, live music, German food sold with meal tickets, and an outdoor market of German crafts.
- Sunday, November 15, 1 to 4 p.m.: The monthly model-train showcase.
- November 22 through December 4: The museum closes for Thanksgiving.
That closure ends the day before the Holiday Train Show opens. So November 15 is your last chance to see trains running inside the depot until December 5. The museum's event calendar also lists a craft day on Sunday, December 20, from 1 to 4 p.m. After that, the museum closes again from December 21 through January 2, 2027.
On a regular weekend, the museum is usually open Sunday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m., with some Saturday or Monday openings. General admission is $6 for ages 13 and up and $4 for ages 5 to 12. Seniors 65 and over, military, first responders and teachers with ID pay $5, and children 4 and under get in free, according to the museum's admission page. The Holiday Train Show listing says only that "Special Rates Apply."
Two Days Versus Six
| Holiday Train Show | Winter Wonderland | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Fairfax Station Railroad Museum, 11200 Fairfax Station Road | Burke Lake Park |
| Dates | December 5 and 6 only | December 5–6, 12–13 and 19–20 |
| Hours | Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday noon to 4 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day |
| The train | Model layouts in N, HO, G and LEGO, plus European displays | Holiday Express ride on the park's railroad |
| Also there | Santa and holiday shopping | Santa, Carolers Carousel, Gingerbread Man Golf, s'mores, hot chocolate |
| Cost | "Special Rates Apply" | $20 online by the Thursday before, $25 day-of |
The model layouts come from several groups, each running its own scale. The show's event page lists N scale by NTRAK, HO by PMC, G by WVMGRS, a LEGO layout, and exhibits from the European Train Enthusiasts. The show runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, so Sunday is the shorter day. You can reach the museum at (703) 425-9225.
Burke Lake's train has its own history. The regular ride uses a one-third-scale replica of the C. P. Huntington on a 1.75-mile loop through the woods and along the lakeshore, reaching up to 12 miles per hour. For Winter Wonderland it runs as the Holiday Express. A 2016 Patch preview used the same Holiday Express, Carolers Carousel and Gingerbread Man Golf names, so the event has been running since at least 2016.
Pass sales for Winter Wonderland opened October 27 on the Park Authority's registration site. As of October 28, each of the six days still showed between 776 and 797 open spots. Miss Burke Lake on December 5 or 6 and you still have two more weekends. Miss the museum show and it's gone until next year.
Fitting Both Into December 5
The price change and the different opening times decide most of the plan.
- Buy Burke Lake passes by Thursday, December 3. Online registration closes the Thursday before each event day. The $20 pass costs $25 after that. Kids under 2 get in free with a paying adult.
- Start at the depot on Saturday. The museum opens at 10 a.m., an hour before Burke Lake. That hour is the one stretch on December 5 when only one of the two events is open.
- Head to Burke Lake for the afternoon. Winter Wonderland runs until 5 p.m. Children under 12 need an adult with them on the train. Kids shorter than 42 inches need their own carousel ticket and an adult rider, and the adult riding with them doesn't need a ticket.
- Save Burke Lake for later if Saturday fills up. Visit the depot on December 5 or 6 and book Winter Wonderland for December 12–13 or 19–20. The registration deadlines for those weekends are December 10 and December 17.
Where to Pick Up Passes at Burke Lake
Winter Wonderland passes are picked up at the ice cream parlor on event day. According to the Park Authority's October 28 park alerts, the playground next to the Ice Cream Parlor is closed for renovation and expected to reopen in February 2027. The playground at Shelter A is also closed, with completion expected in December 2026. If the renovation stays on that schedule, the Ice Cream Parlor playground will still be closed during all three Winter Wonderland weekends.
The same alert covers trail work on South Run Stream Valley Park. Two pedestrian bridges are going in between Hooes Road and Rushing Creek Drive, with construction expected to finish by the end of December 2026, weather permitting. The South Run Rec Center fitness center is also replacing its flooring. The upper level closes November 2–12 and the lower level November 13–23.
At Fountainhead Regional Park, the boat ramp closed for the season on November 2 and stays closed through December. NOVA Parks lists the park's November hours as 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and December hours as 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., so trail walks still work through December 5 and beyond.
The full calendar runs from the Fall Festival this Saturday through the craft day on December 20, with the museum's two-day show in the middle. December 5 is the one day when both holiday train events open together.
If you take your family to the depot this December, we'd love to hear which layout won them over. When you're ready to talk about your own home, whether it's near the museum or next to Burke Lake, The Hoban Real Estate Group knows Fairfax Station by its calendar as well as its streets. Book a white‑glove consultation and let's start with what you love about living here.
