10 Gorgeous Virginia Towns to Visit
Virginia produced four of the first five US presidents and still preserves their homes in walkable historic downtowns. Abingdon runs a year-round arts scene including the Barter Theatre. Alexandria's Old Town keeps Colonial cobblestone blocks along the Potomac. Chincoteague sits beside Assateague Island's wild pony herd. Monterey hosts the Highland County Maple Festival every March. The ten communities below each carry their own specialty.
Abingdon
Abingdon sits in southwest Virginia at the end of the Virginia Creeper Trail, a 34-mile rail-trail running from the Tennessee border. The Barter Theatre, founded in 1933 as the State Theatre of Virginia, runs year-round professional theater in its historic downtown venue. The Arts Depot in the former railroad depot showcases regional artists in working studios and rotating gallery exhibits. The historic district preserves over 20 blocks of 19th-century buildings including the 1832 Martha Washington Inn and the 1830s Tavern. Bristol Caverns and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area sit within an hour's drive for outdoor extensions.
Alexandria
Alexandria sits across the Potomac River from Washington with one of the country's most intact 18th-century town centers. Old Town's King Street covers a mile of preserved Colonial and Federal-period architecture between the river and the Metro station. The Torpedo Factory Art Center occupies a former World War I munitions plant on the waterfront, housing more than 80 working artist studios and rotating gallery exhibits. The Old Town Farmers Market on Market Square has run continuously since 1753, making it one of the longest-operating markets in the country. The Birchmere Music Hall in the Arlandria neighborhood books touring musicians for intimate seated shows, with past performers including Linda Ronstadt, Lyle Lovett, and Ray Charles. Water taxis run regular service to Georgetown and Mount Vernon along the river.
Cape Charles
Cape Charles sits on Virginia's Eastern Shore peninsula on the Chesapeake Bay, just north of the 17.6-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The town was founded in 1884 as the southern terminus for the New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad ferry service across the Bay. Town Beach is one of the only free public bay beaches on the Eastern Shore with calm waters facing west for sunset views. The Cape Charles Museum and Welcome Center traces the railroad and ferry history through period photographs, artifacts, and a restored Pennsylvania Railroad observation car. Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge just south covers 1,300 acres of maritime forest and salt marsh attracting migrating songbirds, raptors, and monarch butterflies each fall. Bay Creek Resort and Kiptopeke State Park round out the local outdoor calendar.
Chincoteague
Chincoteague sits on Virginia's Eastern Shore as a small fishing village best known for the wild pony herd that lives across the channel on Assateague Island. Marguerite Henry's 1947 children's book Misty of Chincoteague was based on the annual Pony Penning held the last Wednesday and Thursday of July, when local Saltwater Cowboys swim the ponies across the Assateague Channel. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge covers 14,000+ acres of beach, dune, marsh, and maritime forest with the Assateague Lighthouse, completed in 1867, as the area's landmark. The NASA Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center 8 miles north runs free exhibits on rocket science and seasonal launches that are visible from town. Chincoteague's downtown carries fishing boats, oyster bars, and a handful of bed and breakfasts in 19th-century homes.
Clarksville
Clarksville sits on the southern shore of Kerr Lake (also called Buggs Island Lake) along the Roanoke River, with shoreline shared between Virginia and North Carolina. The town was founded in 1818 and ran on tobacco trade through the Roanoke River until the John H. Kerr Dam created the lake in 1952. Occoneechee State Park covers 2,690 acres along the lake with cabins, campsites, and 24 miles of trails. The Clarksville Lakefest each July is one of the largest free festivals on the Virginia-Carolina line with three days of music, food, and boat-show events. Several wineries dot the surrounding county including Three Sisters of Shiney Rock and Hampton Family Farms.
Culpeper
Culpeper sits between Washington and Charlottesville along US-29 with an Amtrak station downtown at the heart of one of the most heavily revitalized small-town main streets in central Virginia. The Museum of Culpeper History runs exhibits from prehistoric Native American artifacts through the Civil War battles fought in the surrounding countryside. The Graffiti House at Brandy Station preserves authentic Union and Confederate soldier graffiti on the walls of a building used as a field hospital during the largest cavalry engagement of the war on June 9, 1863. Cedar Mountain Battlefield 6 miles south marks the August 1862 Confederate victory under Stonewall Jackson. Belmont Farm Distillery on Belmont Farm runs the country's first licensed legal moonshine distillery, restored in 1988 after Prohibition-era family operations.
Gordonsville
Gordonsville sits about 20 miles northeast of Charlottesville in Orange County as a railroad crossroads town founded in the early 1800s. The town transforms its Main Street into a holiday lights display each December for the Gordonsville Christmas Tree Lighting and seasonal markets. Well Hung Vineyard south of town runs tastings and dinner events in a barn setting with vineyard views. Krecek Kakes Bakery & Coffeeshop serves morning pastries and locally roasted coffee on Main Street. Stokes of England specializes in custom blacksmithing alongside the antique and craft shops scattered through downtown. The First Friday Market each month brings vendors, music, and locals out for evening events.
Monterey
Monterey sits in Highland County with a year-round population of just over 100 and the highest mean elevation of any county east of the Mississippi River. Highland County is known locally as Virginia's Little Switzerland for its alpine-feel terrain across 416 square miles of mountain valleys. The Highland County Maple Festival each March draws over 50,000 visitors for sugaring-house tours, pancake breakfasts, and maple syrup tastings during the brief window when the sap runs in mid-winter through early spring. The Battle of McDowell battlefield 9 miles west marks Stonewall Jackson's first victory of the 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign. High's Restaurant downtown runs the Liar's Table at 11 am daily, where regulars compete to tell the most outrageous story over coffee. The Library of Congress recognized Monterey as a Local Legacy for its maple sugaring tradition.
Sperryville
Sperryville sits at the eastern entrance to Shenandoah National Park at the foot of Old Rag Mountain in Rappahannock County. The town's population of about 350 supports an eclectic arts scene with several galleries, the Sperryville Schoolhouse pottery studios, and Central Coffee Roasters. Old Rag Mountain offers one of the most popular and challenging hikes in the park, a 9-mile circuit including a rock scramble through granite outcroppings near the summit. The Sperryville Trading Company occupies a former general store and serves local cheeses, wines, and produce alongside an outdoor patio. Hopkins Ordinary Bed & Breakfast in an 1830s stone-and-frame home runs a craft brewery on the property.
Winchester
Winchester sits in the northern Shenandoah Valley at the gateway between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Allegheny range. The town was the most fought-over city of the Civil War, changing hands more than 70 times between Union and Confederate forces during the four years of conflict. The Patsy Cline Historic House on South Kent Street preserves the country singer's childhood home with original furnishings and memorabilia from her career. Old Town Winchester runs a pedestrian-only mall along three blocks of Loudoun Street with restored 18th- and 19th-century buildings housing restaurants, breweries, and shops. The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival each spring brings parades, marching bands, fireworks, and a 10-day calendar of events celebrating the apple orchards that surround the city.
Virginia's Range
The ten towns above each cover a different corner of Virginia. Abingdon owns the southwestern arts scene. Alexandria keeps the Old Town across the Potomac. Cape Charles holds the Bay. Chincoteague has the ponies. Clarksville sits on the lake. Culpeper covers the Piedmont. Gordonsville lights up December. Monterey runs the maple festival. Sperryville opens Shenandoah. Winchester sits along the orchards.
