Lohmann - Backroads & byways of Virginia: drives, day trips & weekend excursions

To my family

Contents

T his is how you really get to know Virginia: As you drive down US 13, the main thoroughfare for the length of the Eastern Shore, pull over at a farmers market and buy a bag of sweet potatoes, tomatoes, or some other freshly harvested specialty. Linger and chat. Find out where you can get the best crab cakes or the tastiest clam fritters. Follow the advice.

Clear across the state, in the far southwestern corner, drive the Crooked Roadas the name suggests, a twisting ribbon of pavement that curls through the mountainswhere old-time music comes alive at country stores, in cozy theaters, and on street corners outside music shops. Dont forget your guitar.

Interstate highways can carry you through Virginia, but only the back roads will bring the state to you. I know this from personal experience. I was born and raised in Virginia, and Ive lived here for most of my adult life, but it wasnt until I started venturing into the hinterlands of the Commonwealth that I truly started appreciatingand knowingthe state. I always knew, naturally, that from my home in the middle of the state I was no more than two hours from the beach and an hour from the mountains. But who knew what gems shined beyond my view off two-lane roads on the Eastern Shore or deep in the hills of the remote southwestern corner of the state?

My job as a columnist and feature writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch has taken me all over Virginia, from the uninhabited barrier islands off the coast to deep into the western mountains. Everywhere Ive gone, the people have been hospitable and their stories rich, whether theyre knee-deep in creek water digging clams, or theyre sitting at the counter waiting on breakfast at the Hillsville Diner.

Over the years, Ive traveled thousands of miles of roadways in Virginiamost of them pavedand Ive filled hundreds of reporters notebooks, all of which has led me to this conclusion: The state offers something for everyone.

Virginia, of course, is steeped in history. You can cover almost 200 years of American history in a matter of a few hours and 23 miles. Start at Jamestown, the site of the first permanent English settlement in the New World, move on to Colonial Williamsburg, and then to Yorktown, where the British surrendered to end the Revolutionary War.

History reaches all over the state. Stroll through the place George Washington really slept at Mt. Vernon, his estate and working farm on the Potomac River. Witness up close the genius of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello. But they are not alone. Six other U.S. presidents were born in Virginia, and most of their homes are open, too, including James Madisons Montpelier, James Monroes Ash Lawn, William Henry Harrisons Berkeley Plantation, John Tylers Sherwood Forest, and Woodrow Wilsons Manse.

Walk at dawn, as I have, through Manassas National Battlefield, site of two great Civil War battlesincluding the wars first major land battleand stand at the muscular statue of Confederate General Thomas Stonewall Jackson. But dont stop at Manassas. Virginia brims with Civil War battlefields, stretching the width of the state and the length of the war, all the way to Appomattox, where Lee surrendered to Grant.

The Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive are two of the prettiest drives anywhere, particularly in the fall when the leaves start to turn and the mountains are awash in color. Follow the old Valley Turnpike, US 11, the route taken by immigrants streaming into the Shenandoah Valley in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Or, if you have the time, take a trip on US 58, the states longest road. Spread a blanket on the sand at Virginia Beach and watch the sun rise, then drive more than 500 miles westward and see the sun set at Cumberland Gap, the famed mountain passage that was young Americas first gateway to the West. The same feet that stood in the Atlantic surf can straddle the Virginia-Kentucky border at a stripe painted on the walkway at the Gap.

Wherever you go, dont be in a hurry. Linger over a second cup of coffee at a friendly diner or on the porch of a cabin tucked in the mist-covered hills near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Sip a glass of wine at one of the states 250 wineries, or a pint of beer at one of the more than 100 craft breweries that have sprouted in cities and towns all over Virginia. If your taste runs to hard cider or distilled spirits, or even honest-to-goodness (legal) moonshine, Virginia has those, too.

Dont just drive. Get out, look around, breathe in the fresh air. Hike if you like. More than 500 miles of the Appalachian Trailroughly a quarter of Americas most famous walking pathunfurl through Virginias mountains with easy access points for day or weekend expeditions. You can hike to the top of Mt. Rogers, which is the highest peak in Virginia and just up a spur trail from the Appalachian Trail, or you can walk a couple of miles of the A. T. on more level terrain, enjoy a picnic, and get back in the car. But think how cool it will be to drop this line at your next cocktail party: Well, yes, Ive hiked the A. T.

Take your bicycle along. There are numerous rails-to-trails, multipurpose paths on converted rail beds, that are perfect for biking: Virginia Creeper Trail and New River Trail State Park, both in Southwest Virginia, are two. High Bridge Trail State Park, outside Farmville, is another, and the new Virginia Capital Trail, which connects Richmond, Jamestown, and Williamsburg, promises to be a popular path for cyclists and walkers.

There are festivals galore from spring through fall. On US 58 alone, you can hit the Peanut Festival in Suffolk, the Pork Festival in Emporia, the Cantaloupe Festival near South Boston (ever try a big scoop of vanilla ice cream in a halved cantaloupe the size of a small watermelon?), the Peach Festival in Stuart, the Cabbage Festival in Vesta, and The Ramp Festivalramps are a species of wild onionin Whitetop.

You can pick apples, peaches, or berries in season at any number of pick-your-own orchards and farms, shop for antiques, lie on your back in an open field on a starry night and connect the dots of constellations, and, well, you get the idea. If you can think it, you can probably find it on the back roads of Virginia.

This book is representative of many years (and thousands of miles) of traveling around Virginia. I drove about 6,000 miles over six months to gather material for the first edition of this book. Many of the places Id visited before writing the book, some I hadnt. I certainly couldnt get to every place I wanted or that deserved to be included; this book is not meant to be exhaustive, but to include some places you might want to visit on a day or weekend drive. To help find my way, I made good use of a GPS device while putting together the first edition, and Google Maps on my smartphone while doing the second. In addition, I always take along my dog-eared Virginia State Road Atlas, which offers pages of detailed maps and an index of localities and points of interest all over the state. Ive ventured intoand out ofsome of Virginias most remote areas using this atlas, which Ive come to refer to as The Magic Map.

Other advice: Consider purchasing an annual pass from Virginia State Parks. The prices are modest and pay for themselves with visits to only a few parks. The state park system, by the way, is remarkable in its variety and quality, with 36 parks scattered across the Commonwealth. (www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks) Make use of the terrific Internet resources of the various places you might want to visit around Virginia. A great starting place is the states official tourism website: www.virginia.org.