capitalregionusa.org
TOP 10
SMALL TOWNS
From life on the Chesapeake Bay to stunning
Rex T
heatr
e
Blue Ridge Mountain scenery
MAIN Street America is alive and well in the
GALAX
Capital Region. Here’s your chance to mix with
T_h is picturesque ‘World
the locals while discovering the small-town
Capital of Old Time
Mountain Music’ – which is
charms of Virginia and Maryland.
set along south-west Virginia’s
Crooked Road music trail
VIRGINIA
– has been home to the
colourful Old Fiddler’s Convention since 1935. Look
CAPE CHARLES out for music gigs in venues around town and for live airings of an old-
If you’re into the maritime life, this is the place for you. Sited at the time and bluegrass music radio show in the historic Rex T_h eater. Drive
southern tip of the ocean- and bay-surrounded Eastern Shore peninsula, along the scenic, mountaintop Blue Ridge Parkway to the Blue Ridge
it off ers marinas, a beachfront park, fi shing and golf. Stay in the Music Center and check out the golf, fi shing, riding and hunting at the
Victorian-era Cape Charles Hotel Historic Inn, dine on local seafood new Primland Resort. T_h en tuck into a meal at the Galax Smokehouse.
and take an excursion on the 1913 Bay Creek Railway.
LEXINGTON
FREDERICKSBURG Set in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, this charming, 18th-century
America’s fi rst and fi fth presidents, George Washington and James college town is a Mecca for Civil War buff s. Visit the tomb of General
Monroe, liked spending time here. Conveniently sited between Robert E Lee in the chapel of Washington & Lee University and the
Washington, DC and Virginia’s capital, Richmond, the appealing, statue of General ‘Stonewall’ Jackson on the adjacent Virginia Military
colonial-era city encompasses the farm where Washington spent his Institute campus. T_h en continue to his home and grave and the
boyhood, the homes of his mother and sister, and a museum devoted impressive VMI museum to General George C Marshall, author of the
to local lawyer Monroe. Take a ghost tour, go canoeing, visit Civil post-World War II Marshall Plan. Take a horse-and-buggy tour around
War battlefi elds and enjoy a frozen custard at Carl’s, a local favourite town and dine on delicious local cuisine at the nearby Southern Inn.
since 1947.
WASHINGTON
Laid out in 1749 by young surveyor George Washington and known
INSIDER TIP
as ‘Little Washington’ in deference to the nearby US capital, this
charming, northern Virginia village is widely known as the home of the
CAPE CHARLES, VIRGINIA: Chris Brannon, owner of the Sea Gate
Inn at Little Washington, America’s fi rst fi ve-star, fi ve-diamond inn and
Bed and Breakfast
restaurant. Enjoy a gourmet meal, overnight there or in one of the area’s
other delightful inns or B&Bs, and take in the rustic beauty and rolling
How long have you lived in Cape Charles? 22 years.
countryside of surrounding Rappahannock County.
Favourite Haunts: Rayfi eld Pharmacy – they have a counter and
booths for dining, just like in the 1950s. And our US Post Of_f_i ce
MARYLAND
... you meet everyone, plus all important notices are posted on
the telephone pole. One warning ... don’t stand too close during
CHESTERTOWN
an electrical storm as all the staples and tacks could draw
Whether you take a horse-and-buggy tour, kayak down the Chester
lightening.
River, or rent a bike, this early-18th-century, former-Eastern Shore
port is a delight to explore. Stay in an historic inn or B&B; take a
Best spots for people watching: The boardwalk along the
cruise on the Sultana schooner; enjoy Fountain Park’s live music and
beach or sitting in the gazebo overlooking the Chesapeake Bay
Saturday morning farmers’ market; or shop for antiques and art. T_h en
at sunset.
gorge yourself on Chesapeake Bay crabs and other seafood in nearby
Best-kept secret: Eyre Hall Gardens, circa 1800, in nearby
Rock Hall.
Cheriton. Ancient boxwood and gnarled crape myrtles tower
over traditional swept paths, all enclosed by a wall of brick
ELLICOTT CITY
brought as ballast from England. The historic plantation house is
Railway enthusiasts make a beeline for this picturesque hillside town
open each year for Historic Garden Week in Virginia.
located just west of Baltimore. Its 1830 B&O Railroad Museum,
housed in America’s oldest surviving rail station, features a vintage
32 capitalregionusa.org
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