Virginia Travel Guide
Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Virginia is the birthplace of the American presidency: eight presidents were born here, and the colonial triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown tells the founding story. Richmond's museums handle the Civil War with unusual honesty.
The Blue Ridge runs the state's western edge: Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway's start, and the caverns of Luray. The coast brings Virginia Beach and the wild ponies of Chincoteague and Assateague.
Destinations in Virginia
Colonial WilliamsburgThe world's largest living-history museum: 300 acres of 18th-century streets.
Arlington National CemeteryAcross the Potomac from DC; the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
MonticelloJefferson's mountaintop plantation near Charlottesville.
Shenandoah National ParkSkyline Drive's 105 miles of Blue Ridge overlooks.- Jamestown and YorktownThe 1607 settlement site and the 1781 battlefield.
- Chincoteague and AssateagueWild ponies on the barrier islands.
- Luray CavernsThe great stalactite caverns with the Stalacpipe Organ.
- Virginia BeachThe 3-mile boardwalk and the resort strip.
Hover a state to explore it. Click a city pin to open its guide.
Top Cities & towns in Virginia
Regional food
- Virginia ham (salt-cured country ham)
- Brunswick stew (the Southern hunter's stew)
- Peanut soup (the colonial-era recipe)
Getting there
Washington Dulles (IAD) and Richmond (RIC) are the gateways; Norfolk (ORF) covers the coast. The historic triangle is an easy drive from Richmond or DC; the mountains need a car.