Virginia's Most Historic Towns

Virginia's historic towns span more American history than any other state — from the first English settlement at Jamestown to the Confederacy's capital at Richmond to the colonial grandeur of Williamsburg.

Williamsburg
Virginia's 18th-century capital — Colonial Williamsburg's restored 88 original buildings and 300+ reconstructed structures represent the colonial capital of Britain's largest American colony as it was c. 1770. The Duke of Gloucester Street connects the Capitol (where the Virginia legislature, which produced Jefferson, Madison, Washington, and Patrick Henry, met) to the Wren Building (oldest academic building in the US) at William & Mary. Colonial Williamsburg has operated as a living history museum since 1926; it is the largest outdoor living history museum in the world.

Lexington
The most historically layered small city in Virginia — Washington and Lee University (originally Liberty Hall, then Washington Academy after George Washington's endowment, now named for its post-war president Robert E. Lee), Virginia Military Institute (founded 1839, the only institute to have sent its entire student body into combat — the Battle of New Market, 1864), Stonewall Jackson's home, and Robert E. Lee's grave in the Lee Chapel. The downtown's preserved antebellum character is extraordinary.

Appomattox Court House
The site of Lee's surrender to Grant on April 9, 1865 — the McLean House (where the surrender document was signed) is preserved as a national historical park. The village of Appomattox Court House (a handful of mid-19th-century buildings) preserves the landscape as it appeared on that day. The park includes the Clover Hill Tavern (the oldest building in the village) and the Isbell House.

Abingdon
In southwest Virginia — the Barter Theatre (Virginia's State Theatre, founded 1933 when actors bartered performances for food during the Depression) and the beautifully preserved Main Street give Abingdon a character unusual for an Appalachian Virginia town. The Virginia Creeper Trail begins here.

Alexandria
George Washington's hometown — the Old Town Alexandria district (cobblestone streets, Federal-period row houses, the 1797 Gadsby's Tavern, and the 1752 Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum) preserves the character of a prosperous 18th-century Potomac River port.