Many vacationers go by Staunton, hugging the intersection of interstates 81 and 64, on their option to Virginia’s brightest locations. However the rewards for taking a detour — or for making Staunton a visit all its personal — are worthwhile. The quaint metropolis delivers quite a lot of experiences, from understated buying and eating to spectacular structure and world-class theater.
Discovering Its footing
The seat of Augusta County, Staunton — pronounced STAN-tun by locals — traces its origins to the mid-18th century, when colonists first moved to the Shenandoah Valley. Bordered by the Allegheny Mountains to the west and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east, the valley affords quick access to excellent outdoor areas together with Shenandoah Nationwide Park.
Staunton gained township in 1761 from the Virginia Basic Meeting and even served because the state capital for 17 days in 1781, when Meeting members fled from advancing British troopers throughout the American Revolution. By 1900, Staunton had seven grain mills and a bustling downtown. Many business buildings within the Wharf Space Historic District, which was listed on the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations in 1972, have been repurposed, with eateries, vintage shops and specialty outlets filling the areas. Look carefully to search out vestiges of Lewis Creek, as soon as essential to downtown commerce, because it’s been largely diverted underground.
Lodging and Landmarks
Begin your journey with a house base; guests needing in a single day lodging can discover historic properties handy to downtown points of interest. Within the middle of city, the Frederick Home resort occupies 5 historic buildings, whereas The Historic Berkeley Place inn stands on a commanding nook lot and contains a wraparound porch. Resort 24 South, recognized for many of its historical past because the Stonewall Jackson Resort, celebrates its centennial in 2024. Renovated in 2005 and renamed in 2020, the full-service resort has each amenity you’d anticipate, plus a Wurlitzer organ that also offers tunes for particular occasions.
Steps from these lodgings, you’ll spot high quality structure in your environment. Thomas Jasper Collins designed and transformed greater than 200 buildings in Staunton from 1891 to 1911, utilizing quite a lot of architectural kinds that have been later adopted by others. A strolling tour, developed by the Historic Staunton Basis in partnership with the Metropolis of Staunton, showcases the spectacular breadth of the town’s buildings, from Romanesque, Colonial, Georgian and Greek Revival to Second Empire, Queen Anne and Italianate.
Store the Day Away
Downtown’s quaint buying strips can simply fill your days. Shops typical for a small Shenandoah city — attire outlets, vintage purveyors — sit alongside enjoyable additions, equivalent to The Foundry Pop-Ups, a showcase of artisan distributors: the Staunton Olive Oil Firm, boasting oils, balsamic vinegars and gluten-free treats; the “gyfte shoppe” of the Medieval Fantasies Co., stocked with Center Ages-themed objects for a contemporary viewers; and the Beverley Cigar Retailer, the place you may decelerate your stick with a stogie.
Simple Eats
Begin the day with espresso at The By & By or at Cranberry’s Grocery and Eatery, which additionally carries pure meals. When lunch rolls round, seize a seat at Yelping Canine Wine for his or her grilled cheese with tomato jam or just have gelato for lunch at The Cut up Banana Co. For high quality eating, make a reservation at Zynodoa, recognized for farm-to-table seasonal dishes, or Blu Level Seafood Co. For a family-friendly different, attempt Shenandoah Pizza & Faucet Home.
Should-see Tradition
No journey to Staunton can be full with out visits to the Frontier Tradition Museum, the place early American residing is dropped at life by historic interpreters, and the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum, the place you may tour the twenty eighth president’s birthplace and an adjoining museum with reveals about his early years and presidency. Take a second to sit down inside Trinity Episcopal Church, with a dozen stained-glass home windows created on the studio of famed artist Louis Consolation Tiffany.
One of many metropolis’s main landmarks is the American Shakespeare Middle, dwelling to the Blackfriars Playhouse, the place Shakespeare’s works — and people of fellow writers — are introduced in an area designed to imitate the smaller of the 2 playhouses that hosted his appearing firm, King’s Males. The area opened in 2001 and has since develop into a Staunton attraction, drawing audiences from across the nation and resulting in the creation of a Grasp of Positive Arts program in Shakespeare and Efficiency at close by Mary Baldwin College.
Save the Dates
Staunton Music Competition’s SpringFest takes over the city April 12-14, with shows and performances celebrating baroque music from across the globe. Live shows will characteristic vocalists and chamber and orchestra teams utilizing interval devices.