Notable Cities and Towns in Virginia

Virginia's notable places include some of the most historically significant small towns in the US alongside growing suburban communities and mountain resort towns.

Charlottesville
Thomas Jefferson's city — the University of Virginia's Academical Village (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Monticello (Jefferson's house, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Ash Lawn-Highland (James Monroe's farm), Michie Tavern (1784), and the downtown pedestrian mall (the finest outdoor shopping district in Virginia) make Charlottesville one of the most culturally rich small cities in the US. The Monticello AVA wine region (Blenheim Vineyards, King Family Vineyards, Trump Winery) surrounds the city.

Lexington
Washington and Lee University, VMI, the Stonewall Jackson House, and the Lee Chapel — a small city of extraordinary historical density in the Shenandoah Valley. The Natural Bridge (15 miles south) and the James River above Buchanan add natural scenery.

Abingdon
In the far southwest corner of Virginia — the Barter Theatre (Virginia's state theater, the oldest professional theater in the US), the Virginia Creeper Trail (34-mile rail trail), and the Heartwood Appalachian arts marketplace give Abingdon cultural depth unusual for a town of 8,000 in Appalachian Virginia.

Staunton
A beautifully preserved 19th-century Shenandoah Valley city — Woodrow Wilson's birthplace (museum), the Blackfriars Playhouse (the world's only re-creation of Shakespeare's indoor theater, operated by the American Shakespeare Center), the Frontier Culture Museum (living history farmsteads representing the African, German, Scots-Irish, and English cultures that settled Virginia), and the downtown restaurant scene give Staunton extraordinary depth.

Luray
In the Page Valley between the Blue Ridge and Massanutten Mountain — Luray Caverns (the largest cave system in the eastern US), Shenandoah River access, and proximity to Shenandoah NP's south district make Luray one of Virginia's most visited small towns.