the best of virginia -...

The Best of Virginia

In 2007 Virginia celebrated the 400th anniversary of the landing of the first perma-nent English-speaking colonists in North America. That small band of gentlemen andtradesmen had a rough start at Jamestown, but within a few years this beautiful andbountiful land had greatly rewarded them for their courageous efforts. They first setfoot on a sandy Atlantic Ocean beach at Cape Charles, at the mouth of one of theworld’s great estuaries, the Chesapeake Bay. Beyond them lay a varied, rich, and sce-nic land. They settled beside one of the great tidal rivers whose tributaries led theirdescendants through the rolling hills of the Piedmont, over the Blue Ridge Moun-tains, and into the great valleys beyond.

Today, the history-loving Commonwealth of Virginia abounds with historic homesand plantations, buildings that rang with revolutionary oratory, museums that recallthe bloody Civil War fought on its soil, and small towns that seem little changed sinceColonial times. Conservation efforts have kept a great deal of Virginia’s wildernesslooking much as it did in 1607, making the state a prime destination for lovers of thegreat outdoors. Virginia has an abundance of places to indulge your passion.

Given so much to cover in relatively few pages, this entire book could be calledFrommer’s Best of Virginia. In this chapter, I choose what I consider to be the best ofthe best. You’ll surely come up with your own list as you travel through the state. Besure to see the destination chapters later in this book for full details on the places men-tioned below.

1 The Best of Colonial Virginia

1

• Old Town Alexandria: AlthoughAlexandria is very much part ofmetro Washington, D.C., the historicdistrict known as Old Town evokesthe time when the nation’s early lead-ers strolled its streets and partook ofgrog at Gadsby’s Tavern. See “Alexan-dria” in chapter 4.

• Mount Vernon: When he wasn’t offsurveying, fighting in the French andIndian Wars, leading the AmericanRevolution, or serving as our firstpresident, George Washington madehis home at a plantation 8 milessouth of Alexandria. Restored to lookas it was in Washington’s day, Mount

Vernon is America’s second-most-visited historic home. See “MountVernon & the Potomac Plantations”in chapter 4.

• Fredericksburg: Not only did theFredericksburg area play a role in thebirth of a nation, it was the boyhoodhome of George Washington. JamesMonroe, who as president kept Euro-pean powers out of the Americas bypromulgating the Monroe Doctrine,lived here before he moved to Char-lottesville. The great Confederateleader Robert E. Lee was born nearhere a generation later. Fredericks-burg still retains much of the charm it

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GrundyPearisburg

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Altavista

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Midlothian

Bowling Green

Tappahannock

West Point

Gloucester

Warsaw

Kilmarnock

Cape Charles

Exmore

New Market

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possessed in those early days. Seechapter 5.

• Charlottesville: If Washington wasthe father of the United States, thenThomas Jefferson was its intellectualgenius. This scholar, lawyer, writer, andarchitect built two monuments—hislovely hilltop home, Monticello, andthe University of Virginia—that stillevoke memories of this great thinkerand patriot. See chapter 6.

• Williamsburg, Jamestown & York-town: Known as the Historic Trian-gle, these three towns are the finestexamples of Colonial America to befound. Colonial Williamsburg looksas it appeared when it was the capitalof Virginia in the 18th century. Theoriginal Jamestown settlement is nowa national historical park, as is York-town, where Washington defeatedLord Cornwallis to end the AmericanRevolution. See chapter 10.

2 The Best of Civil War VirginiaWhen the Civil War broke out in 1861and the Confederacy moved its capital toRichmond, the state became the prime

target of the Union armies. Virginia sawmore battles than any other state, asRobert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia

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C U R R E N T H E A D I N G 1 , S P E C F E AT U R E , FA S T FA C T, O R W T H E A D 7

RICHMOND

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Annapolis

Dover

Charleston


Chesapeake

HamptonNewport News

ArlingtonAlexandria

Suffolk

Roanoke

Danville

Lynchburg

Harrisonburg

Charlottesville

Blacksburg

Leesburg

Manassas

Petersburg

Winchester

Staunton

Salem

Hopewell

Fairfax

Herndon

Waynesboro

Fredericksburg

Christiansburg

Colonial Heights

BristolMartinsville

Front Royal

Radford

Culpeper

Poquoson

Williamsburg

Annandale

Reston

Pulaski

Franklin

Warrenton

Wytheville

SouthBostonAbingdon

Ashland

Smithfield

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Covington

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Bridgewater

Bluefield

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Strasburg

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Clarksville

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turned back one assault after another. Todayyou can visit the sites of many key battles,all of them national historical parks.

• Manassas: The first battle of the waroccurred along Bull Run near Manas-sas in northern Virginia, and it was ashock to the Union (and thousandsof spectators who came from Wash-ington to watch) when the rebelsengineered a victory over a disorgan-ized Union force. They won again atthe Second Battle of Manassas. See“The Hunt Country” in chapter 4.

• Fredericksburg: No other town inVirginia has as many significant bat-tlefields as Fredericksburg. Lee usedthe Rappahannock River as a natural

line of defense, and he fought severalbattles against Union armies trying toadvance on Richmond. You can visitthe battlefields in town, and at Chan-cellorsville and the Wilderness, in aday. See chapter 5.

• Appomattox Court House: Afterthe fall of Petersburg in 1865, Leefled for little more than a week untilrealizing that continuing the war wasfruitless. On April 9, he met Grant atWilbur McLean’s farmhouse and sur-rendered his sword. America’s bloodi-est conflict was over. The farmhouseis preserved as part of AppomattoxCourt House National HistoricalPark. See “What to See & Do” in“Charlottesville,” chapter 6.

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• Richmond: The capital of the Confed-eracy, Richmond has many remindersof the war, including the magnificentMuseum of the Confederacy and theWhite House of the Confederacy,home of President Jefferson Davis.Monument Avenue is lined with stat-ues of the rebel leaders. The city’seastern outskirts are ringed with battlesites, part of the Richmond NationalBattlefield Park. See chapter 9.

• Petersburg: After nearly 4 years of try-ing to capture Richmond, Union Gen.Ulysses S. Grant bypassed the South-ern capital in 1864 and headed for therailroad junction of Petersburg, thelifeline of the Confederate capital.Even there, he was forced into a siegesituation, but finally, in April 1865,Grant broke through and forced Leeinto a westward retreat. See “An EasyExcursion to Petersburg” in chapter 9.


3 The Best of the Great OutdoorsVirginia has hundreds of thousands ofacres of natural beauty preserved innational and state parks, national forests,and recreation areas. Especially in themountains, you can find more than1,000 miles of trails for hiking, biking,and horseback riding. The ChesapeakeBay offers boating and fishing, and theAtlantic beaches are among the best onthe East Coast.

• Shenandoah National Park: Nearlytwo million visitors a year ventureinto the Shenandoah National Park,which straddles the Blue RidgeMountains from Front Royal toRockfish Gap. Many visitors merelydrive along the 105-mile SkylineDrive, one of America’s most scenicroutes, but the park has more than500 miles of hiking trails, including101 miles of the Appalachian Trail.Many trails start at the Skyline Driveand drop down into hollows andcanyons, some of them with waterfalls.Even on the Skyline Drive, you arelikely to encounter deer, and you mighteven see bear, bobcat, and wild turkey.See “Shenandoah National Park &the Skyline Drive” in chapter 7.

• Running the Rivers (Front Royal,Luray, Lexington, Richmond): TheSouth Fork of the Shenandoah Rivertwists and turns its way between thevalley towns of Front Royal and

Luray, making it a perfect venue forrafting, canoeing, and kayaking—orjust floating along in an inner tube.The James River can be swift and tur-bulent as it crosses the ShenandoahValley, cuts through the Blue RidgeMountains, and courses its way acrossthe Piedmont to Hampton Roads.Depending on the amount of rain,you may be able to raft down theJames through metropolitan Rich-mond. See chapters 7 and 9.

• Mount Rogers National RecreationArea: While you won’t be alone inShenandoah National Park, you couldhave a hiking, biking, horseback-riding, or cross-country skiing trail allto yourself in Mount Rogers NationalRecreation Area. This wild land inthe Southwest Highlands occupiessome 117,000 acres of forest andincludes its namesake, Virginia’shighest peak. Two of Virginia’s finestrails-to-trails hiking, biking, and rid-ing paths serve as bookends to the60-mile-long recreation area: the NewRiver Trail, near Wytheville, and theVirginia Creeper Trail, from Abingdonto White Top Mountain. See “TheGreat Outdoors in the SouthwestHighlands” in chapter 8.

• Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge/False Cape State Park (VirginiaBeach): You can’t sunbathe or swim

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on the beach of Back Bay NationalWildlife Refuge, but you can hikethrough the dunes or take a canoeinto the marshes, which are on theAtlantic Flyway for migrating birds.You can sunbathe and swim at theadjoining False Cape State Park, butit’s so out-of-the-way that you’ll haveto bring your own drinking water.See “Parks & Wildlife Refuges” in theVirginia Beach section of chapter 11.

• Assateague Island: Of all the naturalareas in Virginia, none surpasses

Assateague, which keeps the AtlanticOcean from the back bays of Chin-coteague. Here you will find thefamous wild ponies in ChincoteagueNational Wildlife Refuge and rela-tively tame humans strolling alongsome 37 miles of pristine beach.Assateague Island is also situateddirectly on the Atlantic Flyway, mak-ing it one of the best bird-watchingsites in the country. See “Chin-coteague & Assateague Islands” inchapter 11.

T H E B E S T S C E N I C D R I V E S 9

4 The Best Scenic DrivesThe Old Dominion has some of America’smost beautiful scenic drives.

• George Washington MemorialParkway (northern Virginia): Stayaway during rush hour, when itbecomes a major artery into and outof Washington, D.C. But any othertime, the “G.W. Parkway” is a greatdrive along the Potomac River fromI-495 at the Maryland line to MountVernon. The views of Washington’smonuments are unparalleled. See “AScenic Drive along the PotomacRiver” in chapter 4.

• The Presidents Route (Va. 20;Charlottesville to Montpelier):Thomas Jefferson and James Monroewould travel the 25 miles north tovisit their friends James and DolleyMadison by a winding wagon trail.Today that road is known as Va. 20,and it’s still a scenic wonder throughthe modern vineyards and expensivehorse farms of the Blue Ridgefoothills. See “James Madison’sMontpelier” in chapter 6.

• Skyline Drive (Shenandoah NationalPark): Few roads anywhere can topthe Skyline Drive, which twists andturns 105 miles along the Blue Ridgecrest in Shenandoah National Park.The views over the rolling Piedmont

to the east and Shenandoah Valley tothe west are spectacular, especiallyduring spring, when the wildflowersare in bloom, and in fall, when theleaves change from green to brillianthues of rust, orange, and yellow. See“Shenandoah National Park & theSkyline Drive” in chapter 7.

• Lexington to Hot Springs: Va. 39runs from Lexington to Hot Springsvia the Goshen Pass, a picturesquegorge cut by the Maury River. Youcan make a loop by continuing northfrom Hot Springs via U.S. 220 to thebeautiful village of Monterey in “Vir-ginia’s Switzerland.” From Monterey,you can cross the mountains via U.S.250 to Staunton and I-81. See chap-ter 7.

• Blue Ridge Parkway: A continua-tion of the Skyline Drive, this roadcontinues along the Blue Ridge crestsouth to the Great Smoky MountainsNational Park in North Carolina. Ofthe 218 miles in Virginia, the mostscenic are north of Roanoke. See “TheBlue Ridge Parkway” in chapter 8.

• Colonial Parkway: It’s not long, butthe Colonial Parkway betweenJamestown, Williamsburg, and York-town has its scenic merits, especiallythe views of the James River near

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Jamestown and of the York River nearYorktown. See chapter 10.

• Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel: Aman-made wonder, the ChesapeakeBay Bridge-Tunnel runs for 17 miles

over—and under—the mouth of theChesapeake Bay between Norfolkand the Eastern Shore. You can barelysee land when you’re in the middle.See chapter 11.


5 The Most Charming Small TownsVirginia’s many lovely small towns cap-ture and nurture the state’s history andculture. This is especially true in theShenandoah Valley, where I-81 and U.S.11 follow the route of the Colonial-eraValley Pike, thus continuing to stringtogether Winchester, Strasburg, Staunton,and Lexington, all possessed of 18th- and19th-century brick and stone buildings.

• Middleburg: The self-proclaimedcapital of Virginia’s Hunt Country,Middleburg takes up barely 6 blocksalong U.S. 50, small enough to bedigested in an afternoon. Some of theworld’s wealthiest individuals keeptheir horses near Middleburg, andthe town has a host of upscale shopsin buildings dating from the 1700s.See “The Hunt Country” in chapter 4.

• Monterey: Over Shenandoah andBull Pasture mountains from Staun-ton, the village of Monterey appearsmore like New England than Vir-ginia, with its white churches andclapboard homes in a picturesque val-ley. Thousands of visitors make thetrek over the mountains to the annualHighland Maple Festival in March.See “Staunton–to–Warm Springs viaMonterey” in chapter 7.

• Staunton: There’s Shakespeare to beseen at the Blackfriars Playhouse inStaunton, an old railroad town thatwas formerly most famous as Presi-dent Woodrow Wilson’s birthplace.The replica of The Bard’s 17th-cen-tury indoor theater has spurred adowntown renaissance, with new

restaurants and shops opening all thetime. A don’t-miss for kids, the Fron-tier Culture Museum, is here, too.See “Staunton: A Presidential Birth-place & the Bard’s Playhouse” inchapter 7.

• Lexington: One of America’s bestsmall towns, Lexington has a livelycollege atmosphere in addition to ahost of sights. It’s home to the Vir-ginia Military Institute (VMI), whereGen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jacksontaught; its students went off to theCivil War at New Market. After-ward, Robert E. Lee came here aspresident of Washington College,now Washington and Lee University.VMI was the alma mater of Gen.George C. Marshall, who won theNobel Peace Prize for his plan torebuild Europe after World War II.Jackson, Lee, and Marshall areburied here, and there are museumsdedicated to them. See “Lexington:A College Town with a Slice ofAmerican History” in chapter 7.

• Abingdon: Daniel Boone openedVirginia’s Southwest Highlands tosettlement in the 1770s, and a thriv-ing town grew up at Abingdon.Homes and buildings dating to 1779line Main Street, making it a wonder-ful place to stroll. The town is hometo the Barter Theatre, Virginia’s statestage, where you can still barter for a ticket. See “Abingdon: A Show-Stopping Town” in chapter 8.

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The majority of Virginia’s visitors arriveby car, and most of them are families.Accordingly, the state’s major attractionsand resorts are well equipped to entertainand care for children. It’s a great place forkids to learn about American historywhile enjoying a good time at the beachor one of three major amusement parks.

• Shenandoah National Park: Twolodges in the most popular part ofShenandoah National Park make thisa great place for family vacations. Thekids can participate in ranger pro-grams, hike to waterfalls, or go for apony ride in the forest. See “Shenan-doah National Park & the SkylineDrive” in chapter 7.

• Colonial Williamsburg: The His-toric Area of Colonial Williamsburgis the best place for children to get aquick lesson in American history. Onthe streets, they might run intoThomas Jefferson (actually, an actor)and have a conversation about theDeclaration of Independence, or drilland march with the 18th-centurymilitia. As soon as they get bored,head for Busch Gardens Europe or

Water Country USA, two nearbytheme parks. See chapter 10.

• Virginia Beach: First there’s thebeach, 4 miles or so, with lifeguardsduring summer—but that’s not all.Rainy days can be spent at the localVirginia Aquarium & Marine ScienceCenter, the state’s most popularmuseum. Norfolk’s NAUTICUS,Hampton’s Virginia Air and SpaceCenter, and Colonial Williamsburgare all just short drives away. Seechapter 11.

• Chincoteague & Assateague Islands:The fishing village was the setting forMarguerite Henry’s classic children’sbook Misty of Chincoteague, and thereare plenty of wild horses (called“ponies”) in Chincoteague NationalWildlife Refuge on Assateague Island,which also has a guarded beach forswimming during the summer. Thebest time to see the horses is duringthe annual pony swim the last week inJuly, but the kids can ride one in asmall equestrian center. See “Chinco-teague & Assateague Islands” in chap-ter 11.

T H E M O S T U N U S U A L V I R G I N I A T R AV E L E X P E R I E N C E S 11

6 The Best Family Vacations

7 The Most Unusual Virginia Travel ExperiencesA museum devoted to hounds, a stalactiteorgan, an 18th-century version of today’sJacuzzi, a stuffed horse, and a cruise toElizabethan times all make for unusualtravel in Virginia.

• Chimes Down Under (Luray): Oneof the most fascinating caverns in theShenandoah Valley is at Luray.Through huge subterranean roomscomes beautiful music—in the formof hammers striking million-year-oldstalactites. See “Luray: An Under-ground Organ” in chapter 7.

• Ancient Hot Tubs (Warm Springs):Eighteenth-century travelers couldn’tclimb into the Jacuzzi after a roughday on the road—unless, that is, theypulled into Warm Springs. Since1761, travelers have slipped theirweary bodies into these natural rockpools whose waters range from 94°Fto 104°F (34°C–40°C). You can, too.See “Warm Springs & Hot Springs:Taking the Waters” in chapter 7.

• Mounting Little Sorrel (Lexington):After he died of wounds accidentally

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inflicted by his own men at the Battleof Chancellorsville, Gen. StonewallJackson was buried in Lexington,where he had taught at Virginia Mil-itary Institute. Thanks to taxidermy,Jackson’s war-horse, Little Sorrel,stands in VMI’s museum. Robert E.Lee’s horse, Traveller, is buried justoutside Lee Chapel, his master’s rest-ing place. See p. 184.

• Splashing with Harbor Seals (Vir-ginia Beach): Children and adultswill love the Virginia Aquarium &Marine Science Center’s Harbor SealSplash. Accompanied by an animalcare specialist, you get into a pool and

splash around with the resident har-bor seals and participate in a trainingsession. See p. 306.

• “Hoi Toide Tonoit” (Tangier Island):Out in the Chesapeake Bay sitsremote Tangier Island, whose resi-dents have been so isolated that theystill speak with the Elizabethanbrogue of their forebears. Out here,“high tide tonight” is pronouncedhoi toide tonoit—as in “hoity-toity”—and narrow 17th-century lanes barelycan accommodate modern automo-biles. Cruises leave from the North-ern Neck and the Eastern Shore. Seechapters 5 and 11.


8 The Best Country InnsWith all its old homes and gorgeouscountryside, Virginia is a hotbed of coun-try inns and B&Bs. Some have been inbusiness since Colonial times; a few areamong the best around. Our picks barelytouch the surface.

• Red Fox Inn (Middleburg): In thecenter of tiny Middleburg, this ram-bling inn maintains the romanticcharm of early Virginia in its original1728 stone structure. There’s a cozydining room downstairs. See p. 99.

• The Hope and Glory Inn (Irvington):The state’s most fascinating countryinn occupies a converted 1890sschoolhouse, and it has cottages in thegarden, but what really sets it apart isan outdoor bathroom complete withclaw-foot tub. That’s right: It’s out-doors, albeit surrounded by a stock-ade fence. See p. 121.

• Clifton (Charlottesville): ThomasMann Randolph, husband of ThomasJefferson’s daughter, Martha, builtthis clapboard house as a trading postin 1799. Today it’s a luxury-laden butrelaxed country inn. The restaurantitself is worth writing home about.See p. 129.

• The Inn at Little Washington(Washington): For the best, you needlook no further than the Blue Ridgefoothill village of Washington, whicheveryone in Virginia calls “LittleWashington.” An English decoratordesigned the rooms here, but it’s theromantic restaurant that draws themost raves. See p. 164.

• Fort Lewis Plantation & Lodge(Millboro): One of Virginia’s mostunusual inns, the Fort Lewis Lodgeoccupies an old mill and rebuilt barnon a farm beside the CowpastureRiver, just over the mountain fromWarm Springs. A spiral staircaseascends to three rooms inside the oldsilo, and there are two log cabins withtheir own fireplaces. It’s a great placeto show urban kids a bit of farm lifein beautiful surroundings. See p. 180.

• The Martha Washington Inn(Abingdon): Gracing Abingdon’s his-toric district, the center portion ofthis Greek Revival inn was built as aprivate home in 1832—and as if toprove it, the plank floors creak loudlyas you enter the gracious lobby. Youcan sit in white-wicker rocking chairs

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on the front porch and watch thetraffic on Main Street—or imagine

Daniel Boone’s dogs being attackedby wolves nearby. See p. 212.

T H E B E S T M O D E R AT E LY P R I C E D A C C O M M O D AT I O N S 13

9 The Best Luxury AccommodationsWith deep-enough pockets, you canenjoy some of the Mid-Atlantic’s best lux-ury accommodations in Virginia.

• Morrison House (Alexandria): Morelike a country inn in the middle ofOld Town Alexandria, this small, lux-urious hotel isn’t that old, but it looksexactly like the Federal-period homessurrounding it. The dining is mar-velous. See p. 75.

• The Tides Inn (Irvington): A venera-ble boating and golfing retreat, TheTides Inn stands among Virginia’selite resorts. The style is more BritishRaj than Old Virginny, but the facil-ities are first-rate, including a spawith treatment rooms overlookingCarter’s Creek. The golf course is oneof Virginia’s best. See p. 121.

• Boar’s Head Inn (Charlottesville): A19th-century gristmill serves as thecenterpiece of this lakeside resort, onthe outskirts of Charlottesville, andlends ancient charm to the Old Milldining room, one of the best places tosample Virginia wines withouttrekking to the vineyards. Modernamenities include a full-service spaand access to Charlottesville’s best-equipped sports club. See p. 127.

• The Homestead (Hot Springs): Out-standing service, fine cuisine, and amyriad of activities characterize thisgrand old establishment, in businesssince Thomas Jefferson’s day. In fact,Jefferson was the first of seven presi-dents to stay here. The Homesteadoffers accommodations ranging fromstandard rooms to plush suites. PGApro Lanny Wadkins presides over itsgolf course, one of Virginia’s finest.See p. 178.

• The Jefferson Hotel (Richmond): ABeaux Arts landmark with Renais-sance-style balconies and an Italianclock tower, the Jefferson was openedin 1895 by a wealthy Richmonderwho wanted his city to have one ofAmerica’s finest hotels. See p. 221.

• Williamsburg Inn (Williamsburg):An establishment with three fine golfcourses, the Williamsburg Inn wasbuilt as part of the Colonial Williams-burg restoration but looks like itmight have been here in 1750. If stay-ing in the main inn with its superbservice and cuisine won’t do, you canopt for one of the restored houses andtaverns that have been converted intoaccommodations. See p. 262.

10 The Best Moderately Priced AccommodationsVirginia has too many fine, affordablelodgings to mention them all here. Thefollowing are some we like best.

• Richard Johnston Inn (Fredericks-burg): Elegantly appointed roomsawait in these two 18th-centuryhomes across from historic Freder-icksburg’s visitor center. See p. 110.

• Frederick House (Staunton): A crossbetween a boutique hotel and a B&B,

this collection of Victorian houses isin the heart of Staunton, a quick walkto both Woodrow Wilson’s birthplaceand the Blackfriars Playhouse. See p.172.

• Inn at Gristmill Square (WarmSprings): A naturally warm springused to turn the water wheel of thegristmill that makes up part of thiscomfortable inn. Some rooms are inan old barn and silo. See p. 179.

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• Hampton Inn Col Alto (Lexington):No ordinary Hampton Inn, Col Altois an 1827 manor house convertedinto a comfortable B&B-type hotel.Even if you stay in the modern motelbuildings next door, you’ll eat yourcontinental breakfast in the perioddining room. See p. 186.

• Hotel Roanoke & Conference Cen-ter (Roanoke): The grand, Tudor-style Hotel Roanoke stood in a wheatfield when the Norfolk & WesternRailroad built it in 1882. It wasclosed in 1989, but a $45-millionrenovation completely restored itsgrand public areas to their originalappearance and rebuilt all its roomsto modern standards. See p. 200.

• Summerfield Inn (Abingdon): Ideallysituated a block behind the BarterTheatre, this bed-and-breakfast offers

spacious rooms in a converted car-riage house, one with a two-personhot tub and walk-in shower. See p. 212.

• Linden Row Inn (Richmond): Thisrow of Victorian-era town houses hasbeen renovated but not restored,which has left the rooms with 12-footceilings, a mix of late Empire andVictorian pieces, and marble-topdressers. See p. 222.

• The Fife & Drum Inn (Williams-burg): Upstairs over the stores ofMerchants Square, this charmingbed-and-breakfast has Williamsburg’sHistoric Area right out its front door.For those who can’t handle climbingup the stairs, owners Billy and SharonScruggs, themselves Williamsburgnatives, have a Colonial-style cottageto rent around the corner. See p. 265.


11 The Best Inexpensive AccommodationsVirginia has many clean, comfortablemotels of the budget-chain variety. Butfor something a little more special, checkout the following choices.

• Fredericksburg Colonial Inn (Fred-ericksburg): Don’t be surprised to seeBlues and Grays toting Civil Warrifles in the lobby; this place is verypopular with reenactors. An avid col-lector, the owner has laden the roomswith antiques. See p. 110.

• Best Western Cavalier Inn at theUniversity (Charlottesville): TheUniversity of Virginia owns and spot-lessly maintains this older motel, ahalf-mile west of the Rotunda, thecenter of campus. See p. 128.

• Big Meadows & Skyland lodges(Shenandoah National Park): Withstunning views from atop the BlueRidge Mountains, these two rustic butcharming inns are surprisingly afford-able. Just be sure to reserve as early aspossible. See p. 151 and p. 152.

• Llewellyn Lodge (Lexington): ThisB&B within an easy walk of Lexing-ton’s many attractions is made specialby owners John and Ellen Roberts,who willingly share their knowledgenot only of the town but the sur-rounding wilderness. See p. 188.

• Luray Caverns Motel West (Luray):This old-fashioned motel sits acrossthe highway from the famous cav-erns, which owns it and keeps it spot-less. See p. 166.

• Anderson Cottage (Warm Springs):A real warm spring courses behindthis charming B&B in one of BathCounty’s oldest buildings. It’s stockedwith so many of owner Jean Ran-dolph Bruns’ family heirlooms that itseems as much museum as place tostay. See p. 179.

• Colony House Motor Lodge(Roanoke): This older but clean andvery well-maintained motel is con-venient to both downtown Roanoke

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and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Doorsto the rooms have louvers to let infresh air but not light—an unusualtouch for any inexpensive hotel. Seep. 200.

• Quarterpath Inn (Williamsburg): Youcan walk to Williamsburg’s Historic

Area from this clean, family-ownedmotel east of town. See p. 264.

• Belvedere Resort Motel (VirginiaBeach): With the Atlantic Ocean outits back door, this comfortable, cleanestablishment is the last family-owned motel on the Virginia Beachoceanfront. See p. 308.

T H E B E S T O F V I R G I N I A C O O K I N G 15

Virginia’s Gourmet ContributionsA native of Newport News, the late author William Styron once said that theFrench consider salt-cured Virginia hams to be America’s only gourmet contri-bution to the world’s cuisine. Virginians love their ham (especially stuffed intohot biscuits), and they are crazy about rockfish (sea bass) and crabs from theChesapeake Bay and shad and trout from the rivers. Virginia’s farms produce aplethora of vegetables, and its orchards are famous for apples. And let’s notforget the peanut, one of Virginia’s major crops, which has been used in soupsince Colonial times!

Fun Fact

12 The Best of Virginia CookingYou can dine on all types of cuisine inVirginia, but the highlights are producedfrom recipes handed down since Colonialtimes—dishes such as peanut soup andSally Lunn bread—or that put a modernspin on local ingredients. Here are someof the best places to sample Virginia’sunique and very historic cuisine.

• Gadsby’s Tavern (Alexandria): GeorgeWashington said goodbye to histroops from the door of Gadsby’s Tav-ern in Alexandria’s Old Town. Thisformer rooming house and the tavernnext door look much as they did then,and a waitstaff in Colonial garb stillserve chicken roasted on an open fire,buttermilk pie, and other dishes fromthat period. See p. 76.

• The Inn at Little Washington(Washington): Chef Patrick O’Con-nell constantly changes his menu totake advantage of trout, ChesapeakeBay seafood, Virginia hams, andother local delicacies in his romanticdining room. The service at Virginia’s

finest restaurant is wonderfully atten-tive and unobtrusive. See p. 164.

• Mrs. Rowe’s Restaurant and Bakery(Staunton): Every town has its favorite“local” restaurant, where you can clogyour arteries with plain old Southernfavorites like pan-fried chicken,sausage gravy over biscuits, and freshvegetables seasoned with smoked porkand cooked to smithereens. In busi-ness since 1947, Mrs. Rowe’s some-how manages to cook great veggieswithout all that lard. See p. 174.

• Roanoker Restaurant (Roanoke):Another local, favorite the Roanokerregularly changes its menu to takeadvantage of the freshest vegetablesavailable. And every day it serves thebest biscuits in Virginia, hot from theoven. See p. 203.

• King’s Barbecue (Petersburg): Likeall Southerners, Virginians love theirbarbecue, and it doesn’t get any betterthan at the two branches of King’s.

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Pork, beef, ribs, and chicken roastconstantly over an open pit right inthe dining rooms, and the sauce isserved on the side, not soaking thesucculent meat and overpowering itssmoked flavor. See p. 243.

• A Chef ’s Kitchen (Williamsburg):You don’t just go to dinner at veteranChef John Gonzales’s table, for heputs on an entertaining and highly

informative cooking show for nearly3 hours. See p. 268.

• Old Chickahominy House (Williams-burg): Named for a nearby river, thisreconstructed, antiques-filled, 18th-century house is one of the bestplaces to sample traditional Virginiafare, such as Brunswick stew and Vir-ginia ham on hot biscuits. See p. 269.


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