Vintage Virginia: the Old Dominion practically wrote the book on American history, and it's a place of rare beauty as well - State Of The Month

Travel America, March-April, 2002 by Randy Mink

One of Virginia's most impressive Civil War memorials is New Market Battlefield Park in the tranquil rural community of New Market. In a state-of-the-art museum, films and exhibits dramatize the tragic conflict of Blue vs. Gray. Other highlights in the northern valley include Luray Caverns (largest caverns in the East) and the historic town of Winchester, known for its Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival (May 1-5).

BLUE RIDGE HIGHLANDS. For roads less traveled, venture to southwestern Virginia. Urban visitors immediately realize it's a different world as they encounter the wooded state parks and forgotten towns nestled in the Blue Ridge range. A distinct mountain-culture still survives.

Typical of the many annual festivals is the Old Fiddler's Convention, a toe-tapping event set for August 5-10 in Galax. Save a Friday evening for the down-home jamboree at Floyd Country Store in Floyd, where regulars and visitors alike take to the dance floor as local musicians play songs that were born in the nearby hollows and valleys.

For one of America's most scenic drives, hop a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which curls 469 miles between Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains national parks. A major stop is Mabry Mill, a collection of pioneer buildings centered around a water-powered gristmill. With its slowly turning water wheel, the wooden mill is riveting subject matter for artists and photographers. Visitors go inside the weathered mill to watch as corn and buckwheat are ground and then scooped into souvenir sacks.

Abingdon, settled in the 1770s, is the oldest town west of the Blue Ridge and a gracious enclave of venerable churches and landmark homes lining shady brick walks. Abingdon is best known for the Barter Theater, a repertory company started by out-of-work Broadway actors during the Depression. Patrons used to barter food for play tickets. The Barter became the state theater of Virginia in 1946 and has been a training ground for such actors as Gregory Peck, Patricia Neal, Ned Beatty, and Ernest Borgnine.

The Appalachian Trail, a Maine-to-Georgia hiking path, passes the recreation areas of Mt. Rogers and White Top Mountain, the highest peaks (almost 6,000 feet) in Virginia. New River Trail State Park offers Llama trekking for hikers who enjoy the company and convenience of a pack animal.

HEART OF APPALACHIA. As you traipse northwest from Abingdon to the Virginia-Kentucky border, the mountains get higher and rockier, the roads curvier. Here in the heart of coal country, Breaks Interstate Park embraces two states and overlooks a craggy gorge carved by the Russell Fork River, which grinds through the "Grand Canyon of the South."

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, at the point where Virginia meets Kentucky and Tennessee, has yet more stunning scenery and a visitor center that spotlights westward expansion. This is Daniel Boone territory.

You can trace the trailblazer's footsteps along the Daniel Boone Driving Route in Gate City. The town's Home-place Mountain Farm and Museum is a recreated 1840s farmstead with authentic buildings assembled on site.