Sights in Virginia
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Loft Mountain
The landscape of Loft Mountain ranges from bucolic grassland to challenging hills and is home to a variety of wildlife, especially deer and bears. Here you'll find a wayside, camp store, gas station, picnic area and campground that's much less crowded and more secluded than Big Meadows. A 4.4km (2.7mi) nature hike loops around the northeast summit of Loft Mountain and makes for an enjoyable family excursion.
Getting to the trailhead takes a bit of doing, however. Park at the Loft Mountain wayside lot and walk north on Skyline Drive. After passing the Patterson Ridge Trail on the left, look for a dirt road on the right. Take that road past the PATC maintenance building to …
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Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation opens around 40 authentic 17th- and 18th-century buildings to ticket holders in the restored historic district, staffed with all the friendly townsfolk you'd expect to meet back then, all sharing the tricks of their various trades and breaking character only long enough to snap a family photo for you.
Walking around the historic district and patronizing the shops and taverns is free, but entry to the building tours is restricted to ticket holders. Expect crowds, lines and petulant children, (particularly in summer) and plenty of three-cornered hats.
To park and purchase tickets, follow signs to the visitor center (btwn Hwy 132 & Coloni…
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Riprap Trail
A most enjoyable 2-day obstacle course to scamper along. There's no chance of encountering lions and tigers here, but bears? Absolutely. Along with the Riprap Trail, hikers will trek along a portion of the Applachian Trail, as well as the Wildcat Ridge Trail. If you have two cars, you might want to leave one at the Wildcat Ridge parking area in order to shorten the hike.
This trail could be tackled in one day, but if you had to choose just one overnight adventure in Shenandoah, this hike is the one. Pull those backpack straps tight and hold on.
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George Washington’s Distillery & Gristmill
Three miles south of his estate Mount Vernon, on Rte 235, you’ll find George Washington’s Distillery & Gristmill, which was also part of the president’s estate. Although Washington’s leadership skills were well known, his prowess at farming and making whiskey were less discussed. He also patented a milling system – and you can purchase stone-ground cornmeal from the shop. The museum has exhibits, a film on Washington’s whiskey, and actors in period costume demonstrating how it all worked.
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Gunston Hall
Southwest of Mount Vernon, on a bend in the Potomac River, is the 1775 brick mansion Gunston Hall, which belonged to a statesman and contemporary of George Washington, George Mason. Mason penned the lines ‘all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights’ – words adapted by Thomas Jefferson for the Declaration of Independence. Dating from 1755, the mansion is an architectural masterpiece, with elegantly carved wooden interiors and meticulously kept formal gardens.
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Fort Story
Fort Story, an active army base at Cape Henry, is home to several attractions including the First Landing Site, where 1607 colonists first touched land after their voyage from London, and the 1791 Old Cape Henry Lighthouse, offering spectacular views of the surrounding area from its observation deck. All adults must have a photo ID to enter the base.
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Yorktown Battlefield
Yorktown Battlefield, run by the NPS, is the site of the last major battle of the American Revolution. Start your tour at the visitor center and check out the orientation film and the display of Washington's original tent. The 7-mile Battlefield Rd Tour takes you past the major highlights. Don't miss a walk through the last British defensive sites, Redoubts 9 and 10.
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Siege Museum
About 25 miles south of Richmond, the little town of Petersburg played a big role in the Civil War. It was a major railway junction, providing Confederate troops and supplies. Union troops laid a 10-month siege of Petersburg in 1864-65, the longest on American soil. The Siege Museum relates the plight of civilians during the siege.
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A
Museum & White House of the Confederacy
Museum & White House of the Confederacy traces the history of the Confederate States of America with the country's largest collection of Confederate civilian and military artifacts. It's a must-see for any history and Civil War buff. The adjacent 1818 White House mansion was the home of CSA President Jefferson Davis.
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Ocean Breeze Waterpark
Kids will go nuts at the Ocean Breeze Waterpark. It has 16 long, brightly coloured waterslides, all called things like 'Grape Escape', 'Toucan Tunnel' and 'Bahama Mamma'. Some rides are slower and more gentle, others promise 'shut-your-eyes excitement'. If the kids haven't had enough there's also a '1 million-gallon' wave pool.
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Shirley
Shirley, situated picturesquely on the river, is Virginia's oldest plantation (1613) and is perhaps the best example of how a British-model plantation actually appeared, with its tidy row of brick service and trade houses - tool barn, ice house, laundry etc - leading up to the big house.
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Nauticus National Maritime Center
Nauticus is the biggest attraction here, overshadowed only by the USS Wisconsin battleship (a 'Desert Storm' veteran) docked alongside. This comprehensive naval museum has ingenious interactive exhibits and entertaining shows, including submarine rides, multimedia naval battles and flight simulators.
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Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
If you want to see an aquarium done right, come to the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, one of the country's best. Get up close and personal with marine life on one of the aquarium's dolphin- ($19, April to October) or whale-watching ($28, January to March) boat trips.
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B
Maymont Park
This former private estate is now a 100-acre public park, containing the fully furnished Maymont House, Japanese and Italian gardens, an arboreum and a small zoo. It's the most visited attraction in Richmond, and it's easy to see why: Maymont Park is a lovely place to while away a warm afternoon.
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Uss Monitor Center
TheUSS Monitor Center houses the dredged carcass of the Monitor, one of the world's first ironclad warships, as well as a life-size replica of the real deal (which can be seen undergoing a long chemical bath, a single step in a lengthy preservation process).
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Sherwood Forest
Sherwood Forest, the longest frame house in the country, was the home of 10th US president John Tyler. Tours are available by appointment for $35 per person. The grounds (and a touching pet cemetery) are open to self-guided tours.
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Jamestown Settlement
More child-friendly and cheesy, the state-run Jamestown Settlement reconstructs the 1607 James Fort, a Native American village and full-scale replicas of the first ships that brought the settlers to Jamestown, along with living-history fun.
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C
St John's Episcopal Church
It was at St John's Episcopal Church that firebrand Patrick Henry uttered his famous battle cry, 'Give me Liberty, or give me Death!' during the rebellious 1775 Second Virginia Convention. His speech is reenacted at 2pm on Sunday in summer.
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Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge
Some 30 miles southwest of Virginia Beach, the 109,000-acre Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, which straddles the North Carolina border, is rich in flora and fauna, including black bears, bobcats and more than 200 bird species.
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Old Blandford Church
Old Blandford Church has the largest collection of Tiffany glass windows in one place. Each exquisite pane is dedicated to one Confederate state and its war dead. More than 30,000 Confederate soldiers are buried on the church grounds.
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Norfolk Botanical Gardens
The Norfolk Botanical Gardens offer 19km (12mi) of pathways in, around and through all kinds of beautiful landscaped flora. A butterfly garden, Renaissance Garden and children's vegetable garden are among the many areas you can choose for a stroll.
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D
American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar
American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar, located in an 1861 gun foundry, accurately and fairly explores the causes and course of the Civil War from the perspectives of Union, Confederate and African American experiences.
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E
Hollywood Cemetery
Tranquil Hollywood Cemetery, perched above the James River rapids, contains the gravesites of two US presidents (James Monroe and John Tyler), the only Confederate president (Jefferson Davis) and 18,000 Confederate soldiers.
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Berkeley
Berkeley was the site of the first official Thanksgiving in 1619. It was the birthplace and home of Benjamin Harrison V, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and his son William Henry Harrison, 9th US president.
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Contemporary Arts Center of Virginia
The Contemporary Arts Center of Virginia has excellent rotating exhibitions housed in a fresh, ultramodern building that lovingly focuses natural light onto an outstanding collection of local and international artwork.
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