What's New

Northern Virginia

In Old Town Alexandria, the luxurious Morrison House has ended its membership in Relais & Châteaux and it has combined its two dining rooms into one venue, The Grille at Morrison House, offering fine, reasonably priced cuisine featuring wild game and fish.

It has stiff competition from Restaurant Eve, 110 S. Pitt St. (tel. 703/684-4100), an exquisitely designed restaurant with both an informal bistro and a formal tasting room offering five- and nine-course fixed-priced menus. Emphasizing fresh and organic ingredients, Chef Cathal Armstrong's new American cuisine is Old Town's finest.

George Washington's Mount Vernon home is adding a museum and exhibit complex at its entryway and is in the process of restoring the first president's whiskey distillery.

In the Hunt Country, the city of Leesburg now has a free daytime trolley running between downtown and Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets.

Also in Leesburg, the Laurel Brigade Inn has closed, but the luxurious Lansdowne Resort (tel. 800/541-4801; www.lansdowneresort.com) has undergone a facelift, placing it among Virginia's best golf retreats.

Fredericksburg & the Northern Neck

Admission is now free at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, which includes Chatham manor and the Civil War battlefields.

You can clop around historic Old Town with Old Time Carriage Company (tel. 540/371-0094), whose horse-drawn carriages operate from April through December. Call for reservations.

623 Restaurant has bitten the dust, but you can dine exquisitely and romantically at Augustine's, 525 Caroline St. (tel. 540/310-0063), the city's finest restaurant.

In Irvington, on the Northern Neck, you can get the morning papers, surf the Web, and order bagels with lox and cream cheese at The Local, 4337 Irvington Rd. (tel. 804/438-9356), the hamlet's version of a Starbucks.

The Hope and Glory Inn has added Gothic-inspired cottages on the edge of a vineyard about a mile away.

Charlottesville

In addition to the Monticello Visitors Center near Thomas Jefferson's home, the Charlottesville/Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau now gives out information at 100 5th St. NE, on the second level of the Market Street parking garage on the northeastern edge of the Downtown Mall. It's open Monday through Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 11am to 3pm.

Clifton, 1296 Clifton Inn Dr., Charlottesville, VA 22911 (tel. 888/971-1800 or 434/971-1800; www.cliftoninn.net), has recovered from a disastrous 2003 fire to reclaim its place as one of Virginia's finest country inns.

The Downtown Mall's lineup of restaurants has received an infusion of fine Latin-influenced cuisine at ZoCaLo, 201 E. Main St. (tel. 434/977-4044). Charlottesville's foodies and famous love it.

Michie Tavern has added an inexpensive summertime snack bar in addition to its buffet of Southern foods.

Tours of James Madison's Montpelier home are focusing on the near archaeological work restoring the home to its appearance when James and Dolley Madison lived there in the 1820s. Meantime, the Madison's furniture and other belongings are on display in the estate's education center.

The best way to visit the surrounding wine country and not drive home tipsy is with Arcady Vineyard Wine Tasting Tours (tel. 434/872-9475; www.arcadyvineyard.com). Owners Erika and Chris Goddell offer half- and full-day tours.

You don't have to leave town at VAVino, 410 E. Main St. (tel. 434/974-9463; www.vavino.net), a wine bar and retail shop on the Downtown Mall featuring Virginia's best vintages.

Nights are more enjoyable with the reopening of The Paramount Theater, 215 E. Main St. (tel. 434/979-1922; www.theparamount.net) and the enlargement of the outdoor but covered Charlottesville Pavilion (tel. 434/817-0220; www.charlottesvillepavilion.com). Both are on the Downtown Mall and host a variety of concerts and other events.

The Shenandoah Valley

Winchester has become an essential stop with the opening of the magnificent Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, which incorporates Glen Burnie, the plantation home and magnificent formal gardens of Winchester founder James Wood. The museum itself is the best introductory lesson available to the Shenandoah.

Three Shenandoah Valley establishments have gone out of business: The Chester House Inn in Front Royal, Cooter's Place near Luray, and the New Market Battlefield Military Museum in New Market.

In Staunton, the Regency Inn is now the Howard Johnson Express Inn. It's the only chain motel in the historic district.

Staunton's downtown renaissance continues with the addition of Cranberry's Grocery & Eatery, 75 N. New St. (tel. 540/885-4755), providing healthy breakfasts and vegetarian lunches and The Dining Room, 29 N. Augusta St. (tel. 540/213-0606), whose New American cuisine is Staunton's finest fare.

Up in the mountains, the Bath County Chamber of Commerce (www.discoverbath.com) now has its visitor center in Hot Springs, on Main Street 2 blocks south of The Homestead resort.

In Lexington, the Virginia Military Institute Museum is closed for a major renovation. Meanwhile, it has a temporary exhibit in the George C. Marshall Museum and Research Library, including Stonewall Jackson's stuffed horse, Little Sorrel.

Roanoke & the Southwest Highlands

Once located at historic Market Square in downtown Roanoke, Carlos Brazilian International Cuisine, 4167 Electric Rd. (tel. 540/342-6455), now offers a fine scenic view from its hillside perch on Roanoke's southwestern side. The food is better than ever.

Near Abingdon, the Parks Mill (tel. 276/628-9191), built around 1780, is being restored to working condition. Already open is a general store and restaurant serving ice cream and vinegary North Carolina barbecue.

Also near Abingdon, the Morgan-McClure Motorsports Museum and Souvenir Gift Shop has closed.

In Abingdon itself, Wildflour Bakery & Cafe, on U.S. 11 north at I-81 (tel. 276/676-4221), serves coffee and pastries in the morning, tasty sandwiches at lunch, and fine dining at night. It always has a few vegetarian choices.

Richmond

In addition to its existing main terminal, Amtrak trains now stop at the Main Street Station, 1500 E. Main St. in Shockoe Bottom. This restored, 1901-vintage, French Renaissance-style building is a minor attraction in itself.

The Richmond Cultural Connection Shuttle no longer operates.

The Fairfield Inn by Marriott in the Executive Center on West Broad Street at I-64 is now an EconoLodge (tel. 800/553-2666 or 804/672-8621).

The Linden Row Inn no longer has a restaurant, although guests still get a complimentary continental breakfast.

The Richmond Marriott has completed a $12 million overhaul and is now better than ever. Its neighborhood around the Greater Richmond Convention Center is getting a facelift, too.

Havana '59 and other restaurants have not reopened after a flash flood inundated Shockoe Bottom in 2004.

Historic Richmond Tours (tel. 804/649-0711, option 4; richmondhistorycenter.com), a service of the Valentine Richmond History Center, now gives 2-hour walking tours of downtown, departing from the Richmond Visitors Center daily at 2pm from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The history center also has special-theme weekend bus tours of the city seasonally.

Parking is now free at the Richmond Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works.

The Virginia State Capitol building is closed to the public until 2007 while undergoing a massive restoration. Meanwhile, guides conduct tours of the grounds daily.

Willamsburg, Jamestown & Yorktown

In Colonial Williamsburg, The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum has merged into the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum.

Although still operating, the Williamsburg Lodge is undergoing a thorough renovation, which will replace everything except the existing Tazewell Wing by the end of 2006.

The Governor Spotswood Motel has closed its doors after many years as Williamsburg's best inexpensive motel. A good replacement is the family-owned Quarterpath Inn, on U.S. 60 East (tel. 800/446-9222 or 757/220-0960; www.quarterpathinn.com).

Youngsters can stay sopping wet at Great Wolf Lodge, 549 E. Rochambeau Dr. (tel. 800/551-WOLF or 757/229-9700; www.greatwolflodge.com), which stars a large indoor water park. Adults can hide in its full service spa.

Dinner reservations are now required only at Christina Campbell's Tavern and Kings Arms Tavern. Colonial Williamsburg's other reconstructed places of refreshment -- Josiah Chowning's Tavern and Shields Tavern -- are now lounges offering 18th century pub fare. Shields Tavern even has a coffeehouse.

Three new restaurants have raised the level of dining in and around Merchants Square. Most interesting is A Chef's Kitchen, 501 Prince George St. (tel. 757/564-8500), where you can watch Chef John Gonzales prepare your meal in front of you. The best is Fat Canary, 410 Duke of Gloucester St. (tel. 757/229-3333), an urbane bistro featuring creative American cuisine. Meals are half price at patio tables during warm weather. Not far behind is Blue Talon Bistro, 420 Prince George St. (tel. 757/476-2583), specializing in "serious comfort food" with a French flair.

By the James River, Evelynton Plantation and Berkeley Plantation's Coach House Tavern are no longer open to visitors, but you can now visit the gardens at Sherwood Forest Plantation, the home of President John Tyler.

Norfolk

In Norfolk, the Tugboat Museum has moved from NAUTICUS to a pier in front of The Waterside Festival Marketplace pending completion of the city's new cruise-ship terminal.

Administered by The Chrysler Museum, the 1794 Willoughby-Baylor House, 601 E. Freemason St., is now known as the Norfolk History Museum.

Joining the city's accommodations is the luxuriously romantic Freemason Inn Bed and Breakfast, 411 W. York St. (tel. 866/388-1897 or 757/963-7000; www.freemasoninn.com). It's in the Freemason historic district a few blocks from downtown.

Virginia Beach

Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge now has its own specially built tram that runs through the refuge to False Cape State Park Friday, Saturday, and Sunday April through October. It departs at 9am and returns at 1:45pm and stops for about 2 hours at False Cape. It's first come, first served, but call tel. 800/426-3643 to make sure it's running.

The Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) has changed its name to the Edgar Cayce Visitors Center.

The Virginia Marine Science Museum is now known as the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. It has added a unique Harbor Seal Splash, in which you can actually splash around with harbor seals during a training session.

Opened in 2005, the high-tech Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront, at 31st Street and Atlantic Avenue (tel. 800/445-8667 or 757/213-3001; www.hiltonvb.com), has a spectacular rooftop recreation area with an outdoor pool whose horizon seems to drop off into the Atlantic a mere 21 stories below.

The Duck-In & Gazebo has closed after many years as one of Virginia Beach's most popular beach hangouts. A terrific replacement is Tautog's Restaurant, 205 23rd St. (tel. 757/422-0081), serving seafood in a charming Victorian-era cottage.

Chincoteague & Assateague Islands

The Herbert H. Bateman Education and Administrative Center now is the starting point for visits to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Nearby, the Assateague Island Lighthouse is open to the public Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from Easter to Thanksgiving.