.png)
QUANTICO
Quantico is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, that is home to the Marine Corps Base Quantico and FBI Academy. It's a town that I spent a few months in, in early 2022 when Jarren was at Officer Candidate School (OCS), and where I will live for another 6 months in a few years when he goes back for The Basic School (TBS).​
​
Last updated: December 27, 2022
Attractions
(Points of Interest)
National Museum of the Marine Corps
1775 Semper Fidelis Wy, Triangle, VA 22172
Historical museum of the United States Marine Corps dedicated to the preservation of Marine Corps history, culture and traditions, and the education of all Americans in its virtues.
​
Note: Admission is free and no reservation or ticket is required.
18170 Park Entrance Rd, Triangle, VA 22172
Protected forest adjacent to MCB Quantico.
Bars
I haven't actually been out drinking in Quantico yet. Stay tuned, because the second we move there is the second I start drinking there.
Eateries
246 Potomac Ave, Quantico, VA 22134
Build-your-own burrito & bowl spot in Q-Town. The burritos are good, the portions are heaping, and they have cake, what more could you ask for?
​
Note: You can only visit this restaurant if you have base access.
​
​
18723 Fuller Heights Rd, Triangle, VA 22172
BBQ sandwiches & platters with homestyle sides located right outside of the MCB Quantico main gate. If you're craving bbq, this place will not disappoint.
​
​
324 Potomac Ave, Quantico, VA 22134
Family owned cafe serving average cafe fare, along with Asian cafe delicacies like bubble tea and bahn mi. It's a cute little cafe with friendly staff. The prices are reasonable and the coffee is good, but the bubble tea left something to be desired for me.
​
Note: You can only visit this cafe if you have base access, but I believe they also have a location in nearby Stafford.
​
​
339 Potomac Ave, Quantico, VA 22134
What I assume is a family owned diner, located in Q-Town serving your average diner fare. I have great memories here; it was my meet-up spot with all of my friends every Saturday morning while we waited for the guys to be let out on weekend liberty. The staff are extremely kind and personable.
​
Note: You can only visit this diner if you have base access.
​
​
402 Potomac Ave, Quantico, VA 22134
Japanese restaurant in Q-Town serving full entrees, sushi, and good beer.
​
Note: You can only visit this restaurant if you have base access.
​
​
14900 Potomac Town Pl Suite 150, Woodbridge, VA 22191
Tex-Mex chain serving mesquite-grilled fare & margarita-sangria swirls. A large group of us got together here the night before OCS graduation and, man, was it a blast. The food is quality, the service is good, and they can make just about any drink you'd like. They mainly cater toward marg drinkers, but I can't drink tequila, so they subbed tequila out for vodka on their menu for me and didn't charge extra for any of the drinks I had. They also kept coming back frequently so we were never without drinks at any point in time.
​
Places I've Stayed
3018 Russell Rd, Quantico, VA 22134
​
Length of Stay: 1 night, every weekend for almost 2 full months
Price: $96-$100/night
Do I recommend?: If you are able to, hell yeah.
​
My Review:
This is one of the nicest base hotels I've ever stayed in. The rooms are all clean and well kept, the staff is super friendly, and the complimentary breakfast is fire. The King rooms are only $4 more than a basic Queen room and are basically an apartment. They allow pets if you decide to bring up to two, as well! I enjoyed every weekend I spent here during Jarren's time at OCS.​
​
Here's the catch: As this hotel is located on base, it is only available to be booked by military, dependents, DoD civilians, FBI, DEA, and OCS students. If you are not legally a dependent like I was when I was visiting, the room must be booked by someone who falls into any of the categories above, and they must be present at check-in. Unfortunately, if you do not have access through any of the groups listed above, you will not be able to stay here.
​
Here's a tip: If you can stay here, be aware of the time of year that you are visiting. Depending on the time of year, training, and events that are going on, on base, you may need to reserve your room weeks in advance or risk not getting a room here at all. When Jarren was in OCS, they had liberty every weekend. I'd been doing my due diligence and reserving a room two weeks in advance for each weekend I wanted to stay, which is the only reason we were consistently staying here. There are a large amount of people who did not do this, and ended up having to find other accommodations that were more expensive and definitely lacked convenience.
​
​​​
Woodbridge, VA 22191
Length of Stay: 2 nights
Price: $432.42
Do I recommend?: HELL no. Absolutely not. RUN from this one.
​
The Review I Wrote:
"The landscape? Phenomenal. Literally every other aspect of this house? Not worth the price. The space is big and in a great location, but it is absolutely not clean. There was a wad of gum sitting on top of the lamp in one of the rooms, a wad of hair inside the lamp shade of the lamp in the living room, a rusty earring in the shower, a hair tie left in between the “cleaned” wine glasses, food stains on the inside of the fridge, the floors had very clearly not been mopped or swept, the list is endless. While the home itself and the location is stunning, I’d skip this location when returning to the area."​
This photo does not capture the entire group, but it's a good representation. Although we're all at different points in our lives now, I am forever grateful for this group of friends for helping me get through a challenging time in life.
This photo does not capture the entire group, but it's a good representation. Although we're all at different points in our lives now, I am forever grateful for this group of friends for helping me get through a challenging time in life.