The small capital of scotland- Chincoteague, that comes with the barrier island from the name, can be your gateway to your Assateague Island National Seashore. Windswept and unspoiled, the beaches would be the stuff of the shipwrecked pirate fantasies. Wild horses are only a huge bonus.
Every July, visitors flock for the island to enjoy the Chincoteague Island Pony Swim, where “saltwater cowboys” corral these untamed masters from the water. The rest of the year, the wild ponies — some 150 adults and 70 approximately foals — may be observed grazing while in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Also you can have a guided kayak tour to examine them from your sea.
2. Slurping oysters on the Urbanna Oyster Festival
Virginians placed their oysters seriously, and nowhere much more so than along at the oldest oyster festival in america. Held every November within the waterfront town of Urbanna, here is the type of event that pulls hardcore enthusiasts. You no doubt know the sort — people discover how to discern idiosyncrasies in taste among different styles of oysters from different locales (much like a wine’s terroir). They’re not wrong — join the theifs to understand for your own benefit.
Even when you can’t match the oysters with their bays, and no matter whether you\’ve got them raw, roasted, or Rockefeller, they’ll definitely be delicious.
3. Having dinner beneath stars
If you’ve got your foodie priorities straight, your vacation to Richmond will coincide with chefs Paige and Gregorio’s magical Dinner inside the Field experience. Look forward to per night inspired by coastal Italian dining but served from a bucolic Virginian location. The table is determined family style, so you’ll make new friends while enjoying rustic Italian cuisine made up of local Virginian ingredients.
4. Catching the sunset over Breaks Interstate Park
You could just fluked it and choose a spot atop the Blue Ridge Mountains to catch the sunset — that method usually pans out. But bear in mind los angeles cpa “ridges” in Virginia, along with views may be in the same way spectacular. Enter Breaks Interstate Park, spanning 4,500 acres for the Virginia-Kentucky border. This remote spot boasts the “Grand Canyon of the South,” the deepest river gorge east with the Mississippi, the location where the water with the Russell Fork has carved 1,000 feet into surrounding rock. Commemorate for one heck of a foreground for ones sunset Instagram.
5. Paying your respects at Arlington National Cemetery
With sweeping views throughout the Potomac River to the Washington Monument and US Capitol Building, this 600-acre cemetery is a final resting destination for 400,000 US soldiers as well as their families, as well as President John F. Kennedy and astronaut John Glenn. Particularly moving would be the Tomb in the Unknown Soldier, that has been continuously guarded since 1937.
6. Locating a new favorite wine for the Loudoun County Wine Trail
Just beyond the nation’s capital, Virginia’s wine country is not difficult gain access to and offers a great antidote for the hubbub of DC. Even better is the place you locate a winery that serves food, as also does Purcellville’s 868 Estate Vineyard at its onsite farm-to-table restaurant. Short rib poutine constructed with local goat cheese? Chyeah.
7. Witnessing a rocket launch on Wallops Island
The observation deck at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility provides you with a front row seat when deciding to take inside the sounding rockets and scientific balloons that regularly blast aloof from this Eastern Shore site. The customer Center is open all year long, around the ability can be found, and open-to-the-public events happen regularly.
8. Catching an active show while in the Birthplace of Country Music
Every September, the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion electrifies the city of Bristol using its 22 stages of live music. The three-day event — which sees the complete historic downtown absolutely packed with people each September — even includes the ability to live your jam-band fantasy at Jam Camp, where professional musicians provide instruction within the art of playing by ear with other people.
9. Finding LOVE
Peaks of Otter Winery.
If you’ve witnessed a Virginia license plate, you will know Virginia is for lovers. History lovers. Beach lovers. Wine lovers. Outdoor lovers. Art Lovers. While researching Virginia, you’ll likely obtain a few types of the giant “LOVE” art installations through the state. A few favorites will be the wine barrel sculpture at Cardinal Point Winery, the musically themed installation in Bristol, along with the “Logs of Love” in Luray.
10. Crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
This nearly 20-mile feat of civil engineering spans the entire mouth within the Chesapeake Bay, connecting Virginia Beach when using the state’s Eastern Shore. Just like you cross, you’ll nearly forget all land (definitely whilst you descend in to the two tunnel portions), broke but an expanse of sea, sky, and seagulls before you\’ll. There’s a scenic overlook within the west side of your roadway around the Eastern Shore side, which you could watch for pelicans, peregrine falcons, and harbor seals.
Oh, and it’s among the many “Seven Engineering Wonders from the Modern World.” What amount of others are you presently to?
11. Becoming lost in Old Town Alexandria
Don’t worry, the excellent types of lost. Start for the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, for you to go to the observation deck for any great look at Alexandria, the Potomac River, and DC. Then come down King Street — hopping around the free trolley, if you think it — to your waterfront, examining the cafes, pubs, and boutiques until you achieve Torpedo Factory Art Center. Yep, they employed to make torpedoes here, these days contained in the grapefruit galleries and dealing art studios. The trolley runs around King Street, to ensure you won’t must walk for both.
12. Celebrating spring at the Norfolk Botanical Garden
Probably the one botanical garden you are able to explore by boat, tram, and so on foot, the Norfolk Botanical Garden has impressive displays throughout the year — although the 1000s of azalea together with other rhododendron blooms that include spring are particularly dazzling. Special exhibits and night tours are available frequently, so check it for details before tapping your foot impatiently for any post-winter blooms.
13. Stumbling out of bed about the water on Smith Mountain Lake
Forty miles from Roanoke, this reservoir, aka “The Jewel of the Blue Ridge Mountains,” has 500 miles of shoreline for more information on. Spend a good, lazy weekend cruising the coves without ever leaving water alone houseboat — Parrot Cove Boat Rentals in Moneta has all kinds of watercraft available, minor and major.
14. Experiencing and enjoying the country’s firsts (firsthand)
Jamestown, that creates up one-third of Virginia’s Historic Triangle (in conjunction with Yorktown and Colonial Williamsburg), is the location of the first permanent English settlement in the united kingdom and where modern Virginia began. You may still watch archaeologists for doing things at Historic Jamestowne, where excavations and research are ongoing. Nearby, the Jamestown Settlement recreates life while it is in 1607 for that original colonists as well as local Native American population — including their most famous daughter, Pocahontas.
15. Marveling for the enormity of your Natural Bridge
This impressive 215-foot-high arch, having a lifetime of 90 feet, can be found 15 miles south of Lexington on I-81. The most popular National Historic Landmark was in the past of Thomas Jefferson, and — in line with legend — surveyed by George Washington. Various geological forces sculpted the natural wonder many yrs ago, but today you may walk beneath it within the gentle and easy-to-access Cedar Creek Trail, which could also help you get past several caves and waterfalls.
16. Waterfront camping within the Southern Virginia Wild Blueway
The three rivers and a couple lakes that make up the Blueway provide over 100 miles of navigable water and 1,200 miles of unspoiled lake shoreline to understand more about. The Dan, Staunton, and Banister Rivers move across historic waterfront communities, although the majority is utterly undeveloped (hurricane for bald eagles!). Occoneechee State Park, on Buggs Island Lake, has waterfront campsites and overnight boat slips to lease, causing this to be a morning-noon-and-night types of adventure.
17. Grabbing the star on Mill Mountain
The world’s largest man-made illuminated star welcomes people to nowhere Ridge Mountains — which is a good spot for a gorgeous view overlooking the Roanoke Valley. Originally built as being a Christmas decoration in 1949, the 88-foot neon star (lit nightly) has grown to become a legendary indication of the location. To receive there, take the Mill Mountain Parkway exit at milepost 120 within the Blue Ridge Parkway. And when the sun sets, other stars will come out, too.
