1 Staunton
Our trip starts in a place
we’d like to end. End up
retiring, that is. There
are some towns in the
USA that just nail it, and
Staunton is one of them.
Luckily, it can serve as a
good base for exploring
the upper parkway.
So what’s here? A
pedestrian-friendly, sigh-
inducingly handsome
center; more than 200
of the town’s buildings
were designed by noted
Victorian architect T J
Collins, hence Staunton’s
attractive uniformity.
There’s an artsy yet
unpretentious bohemian
vibe thanks to the
presence of two things:
Mary Baldwin, a small
women’s liberal arts
college, and the gem of the
Shenandoah mountains:
Blackfriars Playhouse
(%540-851-1733; http://www.
americanshakespearecenter.com;
10 S Market St; tickets $20-42).
This is the world’s only re-
creation of Shakespeare’s
original indoor theater.
The facility hosts the
immensely talented
American Shakespeare
Center company, which
puts on performances
throughout the year. See a
show here. It will do you
good.
History buffs should
check out the Woodrow
Wilson Presidential
Library (www.woodrow
wilson.org; 18-24 N Coalter St;
adult/student/child $14/7/5;
h9am-5pm Mon-Sat, from
noon Sun) across town.
Stop by and tour the
hilltop Greek Revival
house where Wilson
grew up, which has been
faithfully restored to its
original 1856 appearance.
By this point you’ll
probably be dreaming of
ditching your nine-to-five
job and moving to the
country. A good way to
snap yourself out of this
fantasy is by visiting the
Frontier Culture Museum
(%540-332-7850; overlooking
I-81 exit 222; adult/student/
child $10/9/6; h9am-5pm
mid-Mar–Nov, 10am-4pm Dec–
mid-Mar). The hard work
of farming comes to life
via the familiar Virginia
trope of employing
historically costumed
interpreters. The museum
has Irish, German and
English farms to explore.54 p310
The Drive » From Staunton,
take I-64E towards Richmond
for about 15 miles. Take exit 99
to merge onto US 250/Three
Notched Mountain Hwy heading
east toward Afton, then follow
the signs onto the Blue Ridge
Pkwy. Humpback Rocks is at
milepost 5.8.2 Humpback Rocks
Had enough great
culture and small-town
hospitality? No? Tough,
because we’re moving
on to the main event:
the Blue Ridge Parkway
(%828-298-0398; http://
http://www.nps.gov/blri; Milepost
384, Asheville, NC). Now,
we need to be honest
with you: this is a weird
trip. We’re asking you to
drive along the parkway,
which slowly snakes
across the peaks of the
Appalachians, but every
now and then we’re going
to ask you to detour off
this scenic mountain
road to, well, other scenic
roads.
Anyways, we start at
Humpback Rocks (Mile
5.8), the entrance to the
Virginia portion of the
parkway (252 miles of the
469-mile parkway are in
NC). You can tour 19th-
century farm buildings
or take the steep trail to
the namesake Humpback
Rocks, which offer
spectacular 360-degree
views across the
mountains. The onsite
visitor center is a good
primer for the rest of
your parkway experience.TRIP HIGHLIGHT
o
The Crooked
RoadIn Roanoke, slip on
dancing clogs and
explore regional folkways
and backroads.
q
Peninsula to
the PiedmontHead east to
Charlottesville and
the green hills of the
Piedmont.
LINK
YOUR
TRIPVIRGINIA.TRIPS.25
.BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY