Virginia offers the best of both worlds: seashore and mountains. Where the sun kisses the sparkling sands of Virginia Beach through the Piedmont Plateau region and westward to the rolling Blue Ridge and Appalachian mountains, Virginia offers a vareity of scenic wonders with plenty to do. Visitors can frolic on the beaches and enjoy water sports, or hike through the mountains, embroidered with dogwood blossoms in the spring and blazing red, orange, and gold in the autumn. In Virginia, the possibilities are endless. Read on to find out the best things to do in Virginia.
Whether you choose a shore or mountain vacation in Virginia, you will get a large dose of history along the way. Nearly all the state's attractions, recreation, and scenic areas have one thing in common: events of historic importance. Beginning with Jamestown, Yorktown, and Williamsburg—known as Virginia's "Historic Triangle—"you'll find the country's earliest settlements preserved in museums of living history.
Virginia has given the country eight presidents—several of which have homes open to the public. George Washington's Mount Vernon, situated on the Potomac River, and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, near Charlottesville, VA, are examples of the homes that can be visited.
Echoing from the past are names of Virginians familiar to everyone: Robert E. Lee, Patrick Henry, Jefferson Davis, James Madison, George Mason, and many others. Virginia's museums and great universities have kept alive the memory of these men who charted the course of a nation.
The long shadow of the Civil War will forever fall over the Old Dominion's cities and towns, like Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Appomattox, to name a few. Across the state, silent battlefields and aging cemeteries are mute testimony to a time when brother rose against brother.
Lyrical and charming Shenandoah Valley, extending from Winchester to Roanoke, can best be seen from the azalea-trimmed Skyline Drive, which winds from Front Royal to Waynesboro, where it meets the equally picturesque Blue Ridge Parkway. It was in this historic valley, surveyed by young George Washington, that Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson carried out his famous Valley campaign.
On top of countless historic sights and stunning scenery, Virginia has art galleries and excellent restaurants; camping and hiking in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests; plantations; music, crafts, festivals, house and garden tours, and horse shows; fun-filled theme parks and awesome caverns; and historic churches and buildings like the world's largest naval base in Norfolk and the NASA/Langley Research Center.
With all of this, it’s no wonder that Virginia’s love story continues.