✦ 4 mi · ~7 minutes
Great Meadow Foundation
Steeplechase, polo, and the most beloved event field in Virginia.
About the Area
Great Meadow is a 380-acre nonprofit event field on Old Tavern Road in The Plains, established in 1982 to preserve the open landscape of Fauquier County. It is the permanent home of the Virginia Gold Cup steeplechase (run since 1922) and the International Gold Cup, hosts Twilight Polo every Saturday night through the summer, and welcomes more than 100,000 visitors a year for races, fireworks, concerts, and equestrian events.
What Defines It
Highlights of Great Meadow
- 01
Virginia Gold Cup
Run each spring on the first Saturday in May — Virginia's premier steeplechase event since 1922, drawing tens of thousands of spectators in elegant tailgates.
- 02
International Gold Cup
The autumn counterpart, run each October — sanctioned timber and hurdle races over Great Meadow's championship course.
- 03
Twilight Polo
Arena polo under the lights every Saturday night from June through September, family-friendly with food trucks and a tailgate lawn.
- 04
4th of July Fireworks
Fauquier County's largest Independence Day celebration — live music, food vendors, and a flagship fireworks display over the polo field.
Frequently Asked
Great Meadow, answered.
2675 Halfway Road
See it from the front porch.
Halfway Road sits 4 mi from Great Meadow. Schedule a private tour to walk the grounds yourself.
More Around Halfway Road
Explore the rest of the neighborhood.
0 mi · the village itself
The Plains
A historic village on the edge of Virginia's hunt country.
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8 mi northeast
Middleburg
The historic capital of America's hunt country.
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5–15 mi
Wine Country
Forty vineyards in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge.
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10 mi west
Sky Meadows
Pasture, woodland, and the Appalachian Trail at the foot of the Blue Ridge.
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35 mi to Dulles · 55 mi to D.C.
Dulles & D.C.
Rural privacy. Capital-city access.
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