The Hilltop Village Center is more than a shopping mall. It’s an experience that is waiting for you. Stretching over 30 acres, the place is a premier shopping destination in Alexandria, Virginia.
Built by Michael Gailliot and other stakeholders including Weingarten Realty, the site is a magnet for activity.
The Hilltop Village Center in All Its Glory!
This plot has of land has belonged to the Michael Gailliot family for generations. The legacy started in 1917, however, much has changed in the last 100 years. The first business operation began in 1917 as a chicken farm and continued until the early 1950s. The Gailiot’s second venture on this land was to convert their chicken farm into a sand and gravel company that operated through 1982. Between 1978-2012, a construction debris landfill was created as a reclamation project for all of the land that had been quarried. In 1997, the Gailliot’s established the Hilltop Golf Club and were able to open a 9-hole course in 2003. To make room for their most recent venture, the golf course was closed in 2015. This action made way for the behemoth of a shopping center and landmark we call The Hilltop Village Center.
The site was built using modern techniques, such as 3D modeling that renders engineering models. This allowed public input into the “new” design of the landmark. The capping and closure of the active landfill also created an open space. This has allowed there to be more space for recreation fields for the public.
The Village Hilltop Center today contains a pond for stormwater management, low impact development rain garden, signage and marking, and additional turn lanes to improve access.
What is the Hilltop Village Center?
The Hilltop Village Center is a giant landmark that includes restaurants, shopping centers, and various recreational facilities. It was built with the help of Michael Gailliot Homes and various other stakeholders over a period of several years. However, it’s not meant to be just a collection of shopping centers in Alexandria VA, it’s meant to be a space for communal harmony.
The process began in 2011, with the new of the Wegmans-anchored Hilltop Village Center near the intersection of the Telegraph Road and Beulah Street.
The groundbreaking of the site began in April of 2012. It was led by Michael Gailliot himself, then the current Chairman of Mount Vernon Lee Chamber of Commerce, and the President of Hilltop Sand and Gravel.
The site was to contain over 250,000 square feet of retail stores and 100,000 square feet of office space. The space was to feature a friendly main street with stores, restaurants, professional office spaces, etc.
Hence, it was meant to be a place dedicated to communal living, enterprise, and recreation.
This is not the first time that the property has been reinvented or repurposed. As mentioned before, it’s been the site of a chicken farm, and also an award-winning golf course.
The Most Exciting Things to Do at the Hilltop Village Center
Wegmans
Wegmans opened at the Hilltop Village Center in 2015. It’s one of the largest supermarkets in the area stretching to about 126,000 square feet. It has hundreds of employees and everything you could possibly need including a pharmacy, a bakery, catering, and pizza.
The store is open from 6 AM to midnight 7 days a week and is the place to be if you need anything at all. This includes flowers, wine and beer, coffee at the local market café, and even sushi. You can basically wander the entire store and find whatever you’re looking for.
If you’re heading to the Hilltop Village Center, this is one place that you must check out Wegmans Alexandria, VA.
Burtons
If you’re headed to the Hilltop Village Center and you don’t check out Burtons, then you’ve truly missed out. This is a grill restaurant that serves some of the choicest pieces of meat that you’ll ever have in your life.
The place is nearly always bustling with activity and is busiest in the evening. You can come here for anything from lunch, dinner, and even brunch. The best part is that you can choose to be served outdoors or indoors and it has a beautiful setting to make you feel pampered.
You can make reservations online or join a waitlist. That’s right, there’s a waitlist for this place. That should tell you everything you need to know about how popular it is.
It’s open Sunday to Thursday from 11:30 am to 9 pm and from Friday to Saturday from 11:30 am to 10 pm.
Sports Fields
To accommodate the new Hilltop Village Center, the existing baseball field on the property was moved to the plateau created above the debris landfill. This baseball field can be located by navigating to the corner of Telegraph Road and Beulah Street behind the shopping center. Moving the field to the plateau created additional access to sports fields and will make way for a new, official Fairfax County Park Authority recreation center.
Not only will the community be getting a new baseball field, but several new amenities as well. These amenities will include an adult soccer field, a practice field, a tot-lot for ages 2-5, a playground for ages 5-12, and a pavilion. These recreational facilities are intended to be used by all Fairfax County Residents and are projected to become available to the public by the Fall of 2023.
LA Fitness
If you’re looking to get fit for the new year, then you should get a membership at LA Fitness. It occupies 35000 sq feet at the Hilltop Village Center and is essentially one huge gym that can satisfy any fitness need.
LA Fitness is essentially the perfect gym for you if you’re a frequenter of the Hilltop Village Center. You can swing by up after you’re morning coffee or have had a full day at work.
Greene Turtle Sports Bar and G
The Greene Turtle Bar has been an establishment for dining and hanging out since 1976. Its outlet at the Hilltop Village Center simply makes it the latest addition to the ultimate communal living space.
It’s the ultimate hang-out spot after a hard day’s work or during the afternoon. This spot is ideal for discussing the latest football or basketball games while watching them. You should see this place during the Superbowl… It’s packed to the brim, and everyone loves it here!
And of course, we can’t not talk about the food and the drinks here. You have everything from tacos to burgers to the best alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that you can find.
The strawberry mojito and the watermelon mule are favorites here. The pain chiller and the lavender cosmo are also great treats.
DonutChew
DonutChew is an outstanding donut shop. If you’re looking for an afternoon snack, something to have with your coffee, or just a sweet treat, this is it. You’ve never seen donuts like this anywhere else. And the number of flavors at this place is just ridiculous. However, you won’t soon forget the names after you’ve sampled them.
Dickey’s Barbeque Pit
Dickey’s Barbeque pit has everything that a meat lover will ever need. They only serve choice cuts of meat, and some of the best barbeque sauces ever. Whether you’re a ribs man, a turkey lover, or a classic beef buff, you’ll love the taste here.
Sports Clip Haircuts
Looking for a place to get that perfect cut. Then Sports Clips Haircut at Hilltop Village Center will give you exactly what you need.
The center has an outlet that will give you everything you need to keep your cut fresh and neat throughout the year. They offer the MVP haircut experience which is the signature haircut service. They also offer other services like massaging and shampoo, neck and shoulder treatment with special massagers, etc. All of this is going on while you get a front-row seat to watch ESPN news and events live.
You can’t go wrong with a haircut here. They employ the precision haircut technique which is administered by stylists trained specifically for men and boys.
Elite Martial Arts Center
Are you waiting to unlock the martial arts master within? Then come to the Elite Martial Arts center at the Hilltop Village Center. This dojo opened in 2016 and has been giving physical education on how to defend yourself ever since.
They offer classes for kids as young as 4 years old. So, you can enroll your toddlers here and watch them become fine young men and women karate chopping the competition.
Classes run from 2:15 to 8 pm on weekdays and from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm on Saturdays. The dojo remains closed on Friday and Sunday.
Visit The Hilltop Village Center Today!
The Hilltop Village Center is a center for communal living and harmony. It’s not meant to be a place where people just shop or buy things. It’s meant to be a place where people engage and communicate with each other toward the goal of a stronger community.
Hence, it’s a place that fosters activity and gives recreational options to the citizens of Fairfax County and Alexandria, Virginia.
So, come down to Hilltop Village Center and get ready for an experience.
