May 19th, 2013 at 9:00AM: Wikimedia Commons "Cavalry Charge Near Brandy Station, Virginia," a drawing by Edwin Forbes, 1864
A preservation group is trying to protect the site of the largest cavalry battle in North America.
The Civil War Trust has announced it has nearly reached its $3.6 million goal to preserve 56 acres of the site of the Battle of Brandy Station. The plot includes Fleetwood Hill, which was the center ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
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Preservation Group Wants To Save Civil War Battlefield
May 19th, 2013 at 9:00AM: Wikimedia Commons "Cavalry Charge Near Brandy Station, Virginia," a drawing by Edwin Forbes, 1864
A preservation group is trying to protect the site of the largest cavalry battle in North America.
The Civil War Trust has announced it has nearly reached its $3.6 million goal to preserve 56 acres of the site of the Battle of Brandy Station. The plot includes Fleetwood Hill, which was the center ...Space Travel Takes Giant Branson-Fueled Leap
Apr 30th, 2013 at 1:30PM:
Taking another step toward space travel for all, Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo lit its engine Monday, breaking the sound barrier high above California's Mojave Air and Space port with billionaire Richard Branson on hand for the event.
"Today was the most significant day in the program," Branson told NBC News. "I think that for those people who have been good enough to stick with us for the ...12 Offbeat Travel Ideas For 2013
Jan 2nd, 2013 at 12:00PM: My annual New Year's Eve tradition is to reflect on all the places I visited during the year and plot out where I want to go in the New Year. 2012 was a banner travel year for my family because we put all of our things in storage for five months and traveled extensively in Europe and North America. We gorged ourselves on donuts and thought we got scammed in Western New York's Amish Country, ...The Music Of Virginia's Crooked Road
Nov 6th, 2012 at 11:00AM: It's Thursday night in Fries, a lonely little, old mill town in Southwest Virginia with a population of 484 souls. I'm with my wife and two boys at the old Fries (pronounced FREEZE) Theater listening to a jam session with a room half full of senior citizens. Admission is free, donations are accepted and hot dogs go for a buck and a quarter at a makeshift concession stand in the corner of the room. ...The Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Officially Opens
Aug 7th, 2012 at 3:30PM: The Star Spangled Banner Historical Trail officially opened last week, marking the bicentennial of the War of 1812. The trail, which was established back in 2008, features 560 miles of land and water routes that trace the major events of the war as it played out across Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Dozens of markers along the trail's length help tell the story of the conflict, ...Grandma Moses' Early Home Among Buildings Added To Virginia Landmarks Register
Jul 10th, 2012 at 3:00PM:
The Virginia Landmarks Register has just added 17 properties to its list of important sites. One of them is a home lived in by Grandma Moses and her family before she became famous as a folk artist.
The c. 1850 brick farmhouse in Mount Airy in the Shenandoah Valley was home to the painter in 1901 and 1902. While her stay was brief, it is the best preserved of any of the homes she lived in in ...Civil War Ballooning Revived This Memorial Day Weekend
May 25th, 2012 at 2:30PM:
During the Civil War, the clashing armies used many new technologies to try to gain an advantage.
One military innovation was the balloon. Although the first balloon ascent had taken place in France in 1783 and the French army had already used them in battle as early as 1794, military aviation was still in its infancy and the United States and Confederacy became the second and third countries ...Iconic Road Trips: Blue Ridge Parkway Paradise
May 23rd, 2012 at 2:00PM:
The Blue Ridge Parkway is famous for a reason. It's a 469-mile stretch along the Blue Ridge, which is a mountain chain within the Appalachian Mountains. The mountains out west might be more grandeur, but I grew up in the Appalachians, so this drive has a special place in my heart. Contrast to the jagged, towering, snow-capped mountains you'll see in the western parts of the U.S., the Blue ...Slave Quarters Discovered at Monticello
Apr 29th, 2012 at 9:00AM:
Archaeologists digging at Thomas Jefferson's home at Monticello, Virginia, have discovered slave quarters used at the time he was living there.
The remains were found at Tufton, one of Jefferson's farms a mile from the actual house. Jefferson owned several farms around Monticello that were worked by his many slaves. The artifacts dating to Jefferson's time include everyday items such as a ...New Civil War museum at Appomattox features General Lee's sword and uniform
Mar 26th, 2012 at 10:00AM: As we reported a year ago, a new Civil War museum has been under construction at Appomattox, Virginia. It is a branch of Richmond's Museum of the Confederacy and will commemorate the surrender of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and the aftermath of the Civil War.
Now the Museum of the Confederacy-Appomattox is almost complete and will open March 31. Among the displays are ...Lomography launches travel photography competition
Feb 26th, 2012 at 5:00PM: Lomography has teamed up with Virginia is for Lovers for a new photo competition that will award the most talented camera-toting travelers the chance to win limited edition cameras and vacations in Virginia. Called "Love Unexpected," the year-long competition marks the first time Lomography has partnered with a tourism office for a special promotion.
The competition combines the analog ...Live like the 1% in Virginia's Hunt Country, where the dogs and horses have nicer sweaters than you do
Feb 16th, 2012 at 10:00AM: Two women emerge from the backseat of a Range Rover in full length mink coats. They stroll past a sign on a boutique window advertising pure bred Appalachian Great Pyrnees "rescue dogs." Up on Washington Street, shoppers consider $45 t-shirts, $132 cashmere sweaters, and $238 dresses, all in toddler sizing, at the Magic Wardrobe, a children's clothing boutique. Just outside of town, men play polo ...Jeffersonian dorm rooms in Charlottesville
Feb 7th, 2012 at 10:00AM: What's the hardest part about living in a dorm room designed by one America's founding fathers in the early part of the 19th century? Braving the elements when nature calls in the middle of the night.
"But guys have it easier," says Anne Allen, a fourth year student at the University of Virginia (UVA), who lives on The Lawn in Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village at the University of Virginia, ...Richmond: America's most underrated city?
Jan 24th, 2012 at 10:00AM: As the former capitol of the Confederacy, Richmond has long been one of the premier destinations in the country for Civil War geeks. But as I discovered on two recent visits, it's also a young, vibrant city with architecture treasures, stunning parks, walkable neighborhoods, great food and perhaps the most elegant vintage cinema in the country.
For Yanks looking for a quick taste of old Dixie, ...Norfolk, Virginia: Thanks to PETA, it's the next best destination for vegetarians
Jan 14th, 2012 at 4:00PM:
It seems likely that the site of the world's largest Naval would be a place where meat monopolizes the menu. But in Norfolk, Virginia that's simply not the case. The small city has truly embraced vegetarianism (and veganism as well), with nearly all of the restaurants featuring an ample list of veg-friendly options-plus plenty of places that cater solely to the meat-free crowd.
...Six new Virginia tourist attractions to visit in 2012
Dec 15th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
Demonstrations by skilled artisans, Civil War attractions, an amazing new treehouse, and a historic home that will make you feel (or at least sing) "crazy;" visitors to Virginia in 2012 will find several new vacation experiences. Throughout the next year, here are some of the new reasons to travel to the state.
Heartwood
Abingdon, Virginia
Billed as "Southwest Virginia's Artisan ...Virginia hosts '100 Miles of Lights' this holiday season
Nov 18th, 2011 at 2:00PM:
It might not even be Thanksgiving yet, but holiday travel planning is well underway. If you're looking to be razzle dazzled this holiday season, the state of Virginia offers a festival of lights that has been bringing visitors back year after year. The 100 Miles of Lights celebration is a series of world-class light displays spread across six cities: Richmond, Williamsburg, Newport News, ...President Obama creates new national park
Nov 2nd, 2011 at 8:00AM: President Obama created a new national park yesterday when he invoked the Antiquities Act for the first time in his presidency. The Commander in Chief used his executive powers to designate Fort Monroe, located in Hampton, Virginia, as a national monument, thereby adding it to America's National Park System.
The region has a long and storied history, that dates back to the early 1600's when ...Serial public art around the world
Oct 17th, 2011 at 4:30PM:
Public art exhibitions featuring a common sculpture that is multiplied and then embellished by various artists have been popping up in cities worldwide since 1998. Artistic director Walter Knapp first came up with the idea and convinced artists to dot Zurich, Switzerland with a collection of artfully-decorated lions. Within a year, Chicago businessman Peter Hanig had taken the idea and ran ...National Slavery Museum goes bankrupt without ever opening
Sep 23rd, 2011 at 3:00PM: The National Slavery Museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia, has filed for bankruptcy.
This will make little difference to potential visitors, however, since the museum doesn't actually exist.
Former Virginia governor Douglas Wilder, shown here in this U.S. Government photo, founded a nonprofit organization in 2001 to create the museum. It was supposed to open in 2004 but never did. A small ...
