These 12 Towns In Virginia Were Ranked Among US Favorites In 2025
The great state of Virginia, one of only four commonwealths in the United States, is home to cities with abundant attractions. Yet some smaller towns draw outsized attention thanks to their natural settings, historic sites, and cultural offerings. From the coastal community of Chincoteague in Accomack County to Christiansburg in Montgomery County, the towns below were included in an aggregated recognition list of U.S. favorites for 2025, based on their popularity with travelers and the experiences they offer. Here are a dozen of the most recognized towns in Virginia in 2025.
Chincoteague
Home to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assateague Island, the town of Chincoteague, between Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, is the perfect place to visit. From stunning wild horses on Assateague Island to majestic bald eagles at the wildlife refuge, the ability to witness the vast array of wildlife around Chincoteague provides an amazing sense of peace and tranquility.
Downtown Chincoteague has its own share of attributes that appeal to visitors from all over America as well. The Museum of Chincoteague Island has spectacular exhibits honoring both Chincoteague Island and Assateague Island, while Maui Jack’s Water Park offers excitement for all members of the family. Maui Jack’s is also quite near Dove Winds Resort, also called the Reef, offering free wi-fi, an indoor pool, and cozy, comfortable rooms.
Front Royal
The town of Front Royal, situated thirty minutes from Winchester, is a well-known gateway to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive’s northern entrance. The park offers everything from cascading waterfalls to over 500 miles of nature trails, including Dark Hollow Falls Trail. It also offers several camping options, including cabins, primitive camping, and R.V. sites.
The area around downtown Front Royal has a plethora of great attractions as well, in case you wish to stay near town. The Belle Boyd Cottage, built in the mid-1800s, and the Balthis House, built in 1787, are two of the oldest buildings in town. There is also the Virginia Beer Museum, located on Chester Street, to visit. It is the only beer museum in the entire state.
Waynesboro
One of the 38 independent cities in Virginia, Waynesboro has several phenomenal attractions that place it firmly on the list of one of the best-ranked towns within the state. Approximately 45 miles from both Roanoke and Richmond, Waynesboro is home to some awesome theaters, including the Wayne Theater, which first opened in 1926 as a vaudeville theater.
Waynesboro is also home to the Augusta County Railroad Museum and the Russell Art Museum. The Russell Art Museum features art from Walter Russell, considered by many to be the Leonardo DaVinci of modern times, while the Augusta County Railroad Museum features 5,000 square feet of trains, model trains, and train-related memorabilia.
Bedford
About 27 miles west of the city of Lynchburg, the small town of Bedford is best known for being home to its National D-Day Memorial. Not only does this memorial honor those who gave their lives on June 6th, 1944, but it is also a museum that features stunning informational tours, including a guided walking tour and an interactive virtual tour.
The town of Bedford is also home to several orchards, including Johnson’s Orchard and A.J. Gross & Sons. Both of these apple orchards offer the ability to spend quality time with family. Falling Creek Park, located just outside of downtown Bedford, is also worth visiting, with amenities including scenic hiking trails, spacious picnic areas, and a complete disc golf course.
Big Stone Gap
Near the eastern border of Kentucky, the small town of Big Stone Gap is home to several great historic attractions. These include the Crooked Road Heritage Music Trail and the Harry W. Meador Jr. Coal Museum, the latter providing an informational outlook on coal and coal mining, an integral part of survival for many families in the Appalachians during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The Crooked Road Heritage Music Trail, an over 300-mile driving trail, offers an understanding of how music affected the shaping of the South. Home Craft Days, one festival related to the Crooked Road, features over four decades of music through the fiddle, guitar, and banjo. It is also quite close to the Quality Inn, for those who wish to spend an evening in Big Stone Gap.
Mathews
Hidden along the eastern coast, a hundred miles north of Newport News, the quaint town of Mathews is home to New Point Comfort Preserve. This scenic area has an abundance of attributes catering to nature and coastal history, including open views of the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding marshland. One of the preserve’s best features is the Observation Walkway, which allows visitors to enjoy the landscape and spot local wildlife.
The town of Mathews is also closely associated with the New Point Comfort Lighthouse, which is the third-oldest lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay. New Point Comfort is also near several great charters, including Chesapeake Charters in Port Haywood.
Williamsburg
Another independent city in Virginia, Williamsburg, is most famous for Colonial Williamsburg, a living-history museum allowing visitors to experience what once was the capital of the Virginia colony. Hundreds of restored and recreated buildings from the 18th century allow for an understanding of what it was like to live before and during the American Revolutionary War.
Williamsburg is also home to Water Country U.S.A. and Merchant’s Square. Water Country U.S.A. offers excitement for everyone in the family through waterslides, like the Colossal Curl and the Cutback Water Coaster, as well as through Virginia’s largest wave pool, the Surfer’s Bay Wave Pool. Merchant’s Square offers over forty different shops and dining options, including the Pepper Palace and Blue Talon Bistro.
Abingdon
The town of Abingdon is home to the Virginia Creeper Trail, a 34-mile trail that traverses from the top of Whitetop Mountain to Abingdon. It presents users with the ability to bike, hike, walk, horseback ride, and cross-country ski, depending on the season. They can even fish at several spots along the way, including the Whitetop Laurel Creek.
Abingdon is also home to several historic sites, including White’s Mill, which was first built in the mid-1800s, and Barter Theater, which was founded in 1933 and became the state theater in 1946. This amazing theater, first opened during the Great Depression, got its name because it was normal for a majority of the people to “barter” their home-grown produce for tickets to the show.
Onancock
On the eastern bank of Chesapeake Bay between Chincoteague and Virginia Beach, the tiny town of Onancock has several awesome attractions, encouraging visitors to return over and over. From Tangier Onancock Ferry, which journeys from Onancock to Tangier Island and back in two hours, to an abundance of art galleries, including Crockett Gallery, Danny Doughty Gallery, and Eastern Shore Art League Gallery, the town of Onancock is dedicated to its guests.
Downtown Onancock is also home to Ker Place. This magnificent specialty museum, catering to history detailing the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay, was built at the turn of the 19th century. Ker Place is also in close proximity to several great dining choices, like Mallards at the Wharf, which features delicious seafood cuisine with an upscale ambiance.
Farmville
Halfway between Lynchburg and Richmond, the quaint town of Farmville is best known for being home to the Robert Russa Moton Museum. This great specialty museum features valuable information on the 1951 Moton Student Strike, as the building it is in, the former Robert Russa Moton High School, is considered the birthplace of America’s student-led civil-rights revolution.
The small town of Farmville is also home to a plethora of natural attractions, like Wilck’s Lake Park, which includes Wilck’s Pond, a 55-acre lake featuring great amenities like a skateboard park, a playground, a picnic area, and an almost two-mile scenic hiking trail. Wilck’s Lake Park is also near the Town Motel and Farmville Motel, in case you wish to spend the night in Farmville.
Bristol
The town of Bristol, Virginia, is another of Virginia’s 38 independent cities. It is also located right across the border from Bristol, Tennessee. Best known for the Birthplace of Country Music specialty museum, an affiliate of the Smithsonian, which features the 1927 Bristol Sessions, known as the first of many such sessions and labeling it the “big bang” of country music, Bristol is the perfect place to visit.
Bristol, Virginia, is also home to Downtown State Street. This phenomenal street, used most commonly as the border between the two cities, has a wealth of great attractions along both sides that are ideal, especially in regard to shopping. Along the Virginia side, guests can check out one of several antique stores, including Willow Creek Antiques and Grand Antiques.
Christiansburg
Home to the Montgomery Museum and Wonder Universe: a Children’s Museum, Christiansburg has several historic attractions worth visiting for every member of the family. While the Montgomery Museum, housed in a 1964 building, showcases art and history, including an antique Model-T car, Wonder Universe offers a whole new world to children of all ages through several interactive exhibits, including Farm-to-Table, Build It Toolbox, and Motor Mile Raceway.
There are also a variety of natural attractions in the town of Christiansburg, like the Huckleberry Trail. It is an asphalt-paved trail that connects Christiansburg with the neighboring town of Blacksburg. Plum Creek Park is also in Christiansburg. This small park includes a frog pond pool and offers several great outdoor events, including the Rowdy Dawg mountain bike race and Kids’ Fishing Day.
Why These Virginia Towns Stood Out in 2025
From quaint towns like Farmville, home of Wilck’s Lake Park, to much larger towns like Waynesboro, home to the Augusta County Railroad Museum, towns within the commonwealth state of Virginia earned wide recognition in 2025 for the experiences they offer visitors. Whether you want peace and tranquility in a park or informational knowledge in a museum, these twelve towns in Virginia represent some of the places that continued to stand out with travelers in the past year.
