I have come to love little towns. They are all so special in their own way and finding things to do can be really easy, yet hard at times. I've now made a short list and linked fun and exciting TO DOs in these four counties in Central Virginia. Hopefully you can try something new this month, whether it be in the county you live in, or one of these listed below. Spring time can bring the best out of a small town, bringing communities together and colorful outdoors, the time is now!
Orange County: Orange County is rich in its beautiful agriculture and delicious wineries. Orange county brings history from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. When you're in this town you will pass by the antique stores downtown, or seeing the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
James Madison Museum: Orange County hosts the first museum dedicated to our 4th President! The Museum holds a grand collection of the rich heritage of Orange County, including books, furniture, documents, costumes, and presidential artifacts. There is something for everyone to see at this amazing, historical Museum.
https://www.thejamesmadisonmuseum.net/
Wilderness Battlefields: Locust Grove happens to be where the Battle of Wilderness was fought in 1864. There are trails and remnants of old buildings where you can walk in and learn what happened in that specific area.
https://www.nps.gov/places/wilderness-battlefield-exhibit-shelter.htm
Antique Shops: Antique shops surround the heart of downtown Orange County. There's more than you think and they all have something different to bring.
Skydiving: Skydiving is a fun attraction Orange is known for, where you can come and enjoy the thrill of jumping out of the sky and flying! Shockingly, this little town has one of the highest rated skydiving centers in Virginia.
https://www.skydiveorange.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb
Wine Tours and Vineyards: Central Virginia Wine Tours is coming bound in the center of beautiful Orange VA. They have specialized events at vineyards, breweries, and distilleries, along with thought out private food and wine pairings, and more!
https://www.centralvirginiawinetours.com/
Louisa: Louisa definitely brings a small town living. to the heart. With history ingrained in its buildings and a friendly folk community, you just can't say no to seeing this homegrown town.
Amazing Campgrounds: Louisa is loaded with tons of great campgrounds that are privately owned where you can park down to enjoy the sites. You can bring an RV or a tent to enjoy, some also have cabins you can rent. Most of them are parked on Lake Anna as well!
Lake Anna: Lake Anna is a 13,000 acre lake that takes over a great part of Louisa and brings amazing beaches, walking trails, and prize winning fish!
https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/lake-anna
Flower Picking: Louisa has gorgeous farm lands! A lot of which you can come by and pick flowers or fruits for yourself. Louisa has a great collection of small businesses as well, make sure you spot those out.
Green Spring National Historic Landmark District: This landmark has 14,000 acres of pristine agricultural land, and holds over 250 18th and 19th century buildings that people come to see from all over. Guided tours are available for this great landmark to learn about its amazing history.
https://www.nps.gov/grsp/index.htm
Culpeper: Culpeper is best known for its history with the Minutemen, the gold rush, and Civil war battles. The county holds historical landmarks, a small business community and beautiful agriculture.
Museum of Culpeper History: This museum is Culpeper's community museum! With the goal to collect, preserve, and educate the history of Culpeper from millions of years ago to now. It holds objects, photographs and programs to educate the community.
Downtown Culpeper: Downtown Culpeper is a welcoming town full of history and live selections of small businesses and activities for you and your family to enjoy. This town holds many historically preserved buildings, such as a theater from the 1930s!
Culpeper National Cemetery: This cemetery was established in 1867 by the government to hold Union and Confederate soldiers in a burial site, in the center of the battles. In the 1970s the cemetery was officially transferred from soldiers to veterans and now boasts 30 acres of land dedicated to those who have fought for our country.
https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/culpeper.asp
Wineries: Culpeper maintains a handful of great wineries for you to try and enjoy the tastings. Each one of them holds acres of pristine growing land with beautiful views and tasty grapes.
Spotsylvania: Spotsylvania is most known for its Civil War battlefields, lovely rural areas, and Lake Anna. It is easy to submerge yourself in the history and gorgeous scenery.
Lake Anna State Park: The state park brings beaches, fishing accessible areas, boat launches, picnicking, and hiking activities. The visitor center holds trace amounts of the gold mining history of the park. Panning for gold is a natural and popular activity at the park. There are also accommodations for cabins and campgrounds.
https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/lake-anna
Hikes and Trails: You have countless battlefield trails and sites for you to visit throughout Spotsy. The main one is the Spotsylvania History trial. A 5 mile loop trail passing through most of the county's battlefields, this is definitely worth the trip!
Battlefield Country Store: Come to this family owned business, full of homemade treats, upbeat atmosphere, and local goodies. They are a grocery store for when you need homegrown goods and also have an ice cream shop and deli inside! You will definitely need a couple of hours to make your way through this quaint little store.
https://www.battlefieldcountrystore.com/
Shannon Air Museum: This museum was created in the 70s to house one of the rarest collections of aircraft at the time. After a long history of work to be done with this Museum, it has proud new owners that have taken this museum to another level. They have multiple exhibits that are sure to knock you into space.
I hope this comes to show you even the littlest towns have great history here in Virginia. I definitely did not list all the lovely aspects of each town, but hopefully it is enough to get you out and about to discover them for yourself.
If you live in the towns listed above, hopefully you've had a chance to see all of what your town has to offer. There is always something new popping up or something you didn't know about until now. These four counties have so much history within them and so much to bring to everyone. I hope you stop by one of them and do something new!
Tip Of The Day:
If you are listing your home in any of the counties, one of the best things you can do for promotion is knowing what your county/ area has to offer. It will appeal to someone, and might be the selling point they need to hear when looking at your home. Buyers usually have a location in mind when starting to look for a home, so make sure you know what it appealing to the one you live in!
