The Best Small Town In Virginia For A 3-Day Weekend
Abingdon is located in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Highlands and may just be the best small town in the state to spend a three-day weekend. This resort town in southwest Virginia is a popular basecamp for both indoor and outdoor opportunities. The town boasts a thriving arts scene, a 22-block historic district, a diverse culinary scene, and its accessibility to the Appalachian Mountains provides numerous outdoor-based activities.
Historic Hotels
Martha Washington Inn and Spa is a historic hotel from 1832 which is conveniently located in the center of downtown Abingdon. The hotel features 49 guest rooms which range from double, queen, and king beds to one of their 14 suites which features a mix of beds. Although the rooms are decorated with their own unique antiques, the hotel is equipped with modern amenities such as a swimming pool, jacuzzi, fitness center, and bicycle rentals.
Shepherd’s Joy is a distinctive bed-and-breakfast that also operates as a working sheep farm, located just steps from Abingdon’s historic downtown. The house dates back to 1892, but has since been restored, with each of the four rooms decorated with family heirlooms and memorabilia. Each room has a queen bed and private bathroom, as well as a communal wrap-around porch on the premises.
Local Favorites
The Girl and the Raven is a café which is housed in a historic building from 1886. The building has seen modern renovations including a drive-thru, spacious outdoor patio, and modern bar. Their menu includes high quality coffee, handmade pastries, and classic southern dishes. Additionally, as a small batch coffee roaster, their coffee is available to purchase and take home with you at the end of your weekend. The Antique Barn is a mall that specializes in a variety of one-of-a-kind vintage collectibles including antique furniture, glassware, lighting, jewelry, clocks, art, and stained glass pieces.
The Arts Depot showcases the works of seven resident artists through educational workshops, events, and displays within their three galleries. The artists’ work appears in many mediums including acrylic, clay, folk art, jewelry, mixed media, oil, portraiture, textiles, and watercolor. If you like what you see, many of the pieces are available to purchase, and, there is the possibility of getting to meet the artist behind the work depending on the event or exhibit on at the time.
Barter Theatre
The Barter Theatre opened its doors for the first time in 1933 and has since become the longest running professional theatre in the United States. The theatre started during the Great Depression when Appalachian farmers were unable to sell their produce, prompting the opportunity for local residents to barter produce to gain entry to see a play. This tradition lives on today with “Barter Days” when residents can barter for tickets with a donation of canned goods for a local food bank.
The theatre draws in over 160,000 visitors per year between February and December with performances on Tuesday through to Sunday. Visitors come to enjoy productions of comedy, drama, musicals, and plays, as well as live music performances, galleries, and artists’ studios. Barter Theatre has its own parking lot accessible via Main Street, as well as street parking on Main Street and on Valley Street.
Appalachian Outdoors
Channels State Forest comprises 4,836 acres and is only eight miles north of Abingdon. The park is open year round and has multiple different parking areas. One of the park’s key features are the Great Channels of Virginia which are sandstone outcroppings which are deep crevices in between large boulders that are over 400 million years old. Due to the popularity of the Great Channels of Virginia, hiking is among one of the most popular recreational activities in the park. Other permitted activities include wildlife observation, fishing, and hunting, with biking and horseback riding allowed on designated roads and trails.
Avid hikers will appreciate Abingdon’s close proximity to Mount Rogers, the highest mountain in Virginia standing at 5,729 feet. The hike to Mount Rogers spans nine miles, out and back, and rewards hikers with views of George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. Although there is no technical skill required to reach the top of Mount Rogers, it is a long and challenging day hike. It can be summitted throughout the entire year, however late spring until autumn is the best time to attempt hiking it. Snow is common on the trail during winter and early spring, and, since it is the highest point within a 40-mile radius, it is prone to wind, cold temperatures, and storms in winter months.
Recharge in Abingdon
Regardless of what your three-day weekend looks like, Abingdon has something that can appeal to every type of personality. Whether that be relaxing and unwinding in a historic inn and eating gourmet food, catching a show in a historic feature, or getting outdoors and recharging in nature on hiking trails of varying difficulty, Abingdon is the best small town for a three-day weekend in Virginia.
