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Virginia may be for lovers, but it is also easy to love. The State possesses an incredible diversity of landscape (from the Atlantic Coast, to tidal marshes, historic towns, rolling mountains, mighty rivers, and busy cities), and even a great diversity of people (ranked 14th overall in the U.S. for 2019, whereas my home state of Missouri comes in at 37th). Its proximity to other interesting places is also good, being essentially centrally positioned along the east coast of the U.S.

My family has now had the chance to Visit Virginia twice, though we’ve seen much of the State on those trips. Consider this post part travelog and part recommendation, though it only truly scratches the surface on all there is to do there (perhaps I’ll expand it in the future as we return to explore other sites). Nonetheless, I’m quite confidant that you could plan a stellar trip using the info contained herein, after all, we already did!

ON THE ROAD TO VIRGINIA

If you are heading from the upper midwest, it is likely that your route will pass through West Virginia. This State is rugged, breathtaking country, and though it is tempting to push on through to your destination, we recommend a stop in Charleston to take a breather and refuel.

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The city is nearly as old as St. Louis, where I live, and like St. Louis, Charleston’s population peaked in the 1960’s and has steadily decreased in every census since. That said, the city is a very interesting stop, and probably because of this decline, it has repurposed some historic structures for new uses, like the Capitol Market.

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The building for the attractive indoor/outdoor Market was originally a central train station, and it oozes with the character of that earlier time (late 1800s). There are a plethora of vendors in the year-round Market including eateries (we had lunch at The Fresh Seafood Co.), produce/farm booths, small general markets, local artisans, wine/beer/chocolate/cheese merchants, and more.

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the crabcake sandwich here hit the spot!

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our boys enjoying a lego wall in the market

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the market is set in an urban area with a storied industrial history

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VALLEY AND RIDGE REGION

Virginia is said to consist of five geographic regions: Appalachian Plateau, Valley and Ridge, Blue Ridge Mountains, Piedmont and Coastal Plain/Tidewater. Of those five, I have now spent time in three. We’ll start with Valley and Ridge.

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A little over ten years ago, we had some friends get married in Lexington, Virginia, a principal historic city in this region. It was our first visit to the State, and we really relished in the slow pace and natural abundance. When we were packing for Lexington, I instinctively loaded a flask with bourbon (something I never did before or since), and thankfully so. Sipping it neat, under a ceiling fan as the night slowly soothed away the day’s heat was as perfect an application of the beverage as any imaginable.

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The town itself is quaint and charming, with much of the really remarkable architecture courtesy of either Washington and Lee University (9th oldest college in the Country- founded in 1749) or the Virginia Military Institute. Still, there are plenty of shops and restaurants to keep you busy, and to cater to that college crowd.

We are an interracial family now, but we were not parents yet when we visited Lexington. Though it’s hard to approximate exactly how anyone anywhere will interpret or react to our particular dynamic, I have to give props to Lexington for how it handled the recent “Red Hen Restaurant Event” (after a restauranteur refused to serve Trump’s Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, there was strong potential for violence, but the city largely rallied around the business owner, to show unity rather than division- that’s a remarkable position for any town of a mere 7,000 people, especially a former confederate stronghold so close to the chaos of the Charlottesville Unite the Right Rally). If you are a minority on the fence about visiting, maybe give this town the benefit of the doubt.

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For outdoor enthusiasts, there is the nearby Natural Bridge State Park. The arch looms 215 feet tall, and the property includes miles of trails, the Monacan Indian Village, and even some graffiti said to be carved in the rock by a founding father.

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PIEDMONT REGION

The word “Piedmont” is borrowed from a region of the same name in Northwestern Italy, and essentially encapsulates all of the diverse landscape found in the foothills between the Appalachian Mountains (and other smaller ranges, like the Blue Ridge) and the coastal plains along the eastern seaboard of the United States. In Virginia, the Piedmont region represents a large portion of the state, and includes most of its largest cities, such as Richmond, Charlottesville, Alexandria, and more.

Our first stop in the Piedmont was Richmond.

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Black Hand Coffee (delicious cold brew options!)

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“Give me liberty or give me death.” was famously declared in a speech by Patrick Henry at Richmond’s St. Johns Church helping to secure Virginia’s participation in America’s independence from England. With that in mind, it is not surprising that Richmond is among the Country’s oldest cities (founded 1742). For perhaps this reason, the city has a wonderful assortment of distinct neighborhoods that each warrant their own exploration. In this way, I was somewhat reminded of St. Louis, though I’d say Richmond has done a much better job of preserving its built environment (despite being listed, like STL, among the Country’s “most dangerous cities”- an association, it seems, that it has well recovered from, and the fact that so much of the city was devastated during the Civil War).

We decided to stay in the Museum District, which is full of leafy streets, dining, shopping and great building density. It really felt like something special was around every corner, and I would have loved to do more photography in the area. One of the jewels that we did get to visit briefly was the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

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Free to the public and open seven days a week, VMFA is an encyclopedic art museum with a remarkable collection of over 30,000 works. It also has excellent programming to showcase both the local and international contributions of minority, and especially African-American, artists across genres. This is really special, and was so appreciated for our boys. All in all, we got the sense that Richmond as a whole is trying to re-contextualize its history to move away from the stubborn glamorization of “The South” and to become more inclusive in the telling of that history, especially as it relates to the Civil War, the legacy of slavery, and the recognition of African-American achievements. On that note, Richmond will soon be home to artist Kehinde Wiley’s first public sculpture, a monument that will exist on the grounds of the VMFA, in purposeful juxtaposition to nearby Monument Avenue (a street that features several statues commemorating Confederate figures).

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Just off the main entrance, we found a discovery room with interactive displays for kids.

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I don’t think any visit to Richmond can be complete without eating out in one of its many wonderful restaurants. After visiting with some friends that just had a new baby (same friends that we originally came to Virginia to see married), we were on the prowl for a place that would be a great place to wind down the day, and get the kids some grub they’d actually eat. We came across Boulevard Burger & Brew.

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If you are in the area, we strongly recommend a visit here. Not only do they have an incredible selection of local and national beers, but any of the burgers on their menu can be made vegan. AND they serve tater tots as a side option. “Score!” (in best Napoleon Dynamite impression). This was a total winner for the whole family.

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From Richmond, we drove northeast to visit some friends in the D.C. area, where our first stop was Alexandria.

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