In 2007 Virginia celebrated the 400th anniversary of the landing of the first permanent English-speaking colonists in North America. That small band of gentlemen and tradesmen had a rough start at Jamestown, but within a few years this beautiful and bountiful land had greatly rewarded them for their courageous efforts. They first set foot on a sandy Atlantic Ocean beach at Cape Charles, at the mouth of one of the world's great estuaries, the Chesapeake Bay. Beyond them lay a varied, rich, and scenic land. They settled beside one of the great tidal rivers whose tributaries led their descendants through the rolling hills of the Piedmont, over the Blue Ridge Mountains, and into the great valleys beyond.
Today, the history-loving Commonwealth of Virginia abounds with historic homes and plantations, buildings that rang with revolutionary oratory, museums that recall the bloody Civil War fought on its soil, and small towns that seem little changed since Colonial times. Conservation efforts have kept a great deal of Virginia's wilderness looking much as it did in 1607, making the state a prime destination for lovers of the great outdoors. Virginia has an abundance of places to indulge your passion.
Given so much to cover, this entire edition could be called Frommer's Best of Virginia. I choose what I consider to be the best of the best. You'll surely come up with your own list as you travel through the state.
