Long a reliably Republican conservative bastion, Virginia could be a swing state in the 2008 presidential elections. Democrats took control of the state senate in 2007 for the first time in a decade, and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama overwhelmingly won the state's Democratic primary this year. It appears that autumn of 2008 will be a time of exciting electioneering under the brilliant hues of Virginia's changing leaves.
Virginia's Virginia Indian Heritage Trail is outlined in a free 80-page publication available through the Virginia Tourism Corporation (www.virginia.org), at the state's roadside welcome centers, and from the University of Virginia Bookstores (www.uvabookstores.com). The book tells of Virginia's eight recognized tribes and gives details of Native American interpretive sites throughout the state.
The state has improved its Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trails, which take you through the commonwealth's so-called Wild Side. Three trails lead through the coastal area, the Piedmont, and the mountains. A full-color guide is available for $8.50 from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (tel. 804/367-1000; www.dgif.virginia.gov).
Northern Virginia
In the heart of Alexandria's historic district, Hotel Monaco Alexandria (480 King St.; tel. 800/KIMPTON or 703/549-6080; www.monaco-alexandria.com) has 241 smoke-free units but still performs as a service-intensive boutique property, and it accepts pets. The building was formerly occupied by the Holiday Inn Select Old Town until Kimpton Hotels spent some $30 million gutting and completely renovating it. Each unit has a chair embroidered with a map similar to one George Washington drew when he surveyed Alexandria in the 18th century. There's a restaurant, bar, and indoor pool.
Another newbie, The Westin Alexandria (400 Courthouse Square; tel. 800/937-8461 or 703/253-8600; www.westin.com) occupies a 15-story building 3 blocks south of the King Street Metro and Amtrak stations. It has 319 luxuriously appointed rooms and suites, a restaurant and heated indoor pool.
In the former headquarters of Franklin, Armfield & Co., one of America's largest 19th century slave traders, Freedom House Museum (1315 Duke St.; tel. 703/836-2858; www.freedomhousemuseum.org) tells the story of the more than 1,800 enslaved persons who were bought and sold here each year. A slave compound occupied most of this city block. The museum is operated by the Northern Virginia Urban League, which shares the building. Open Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm. Admission is free.
Mount Vernon (www.mountvernon.org) now has a reconstructed slave cabin, which shows how enslaved persons lived on George and Martha Washington's plantation home.
The Northern Neck
Instead of entering through the basement, visitors to Stratford Hall Plantation (www.stratfordhall.org) now go straight into the Great Hall, a 1,600 square-foot room which has been restored to look as it did when the Lee family welcomed their guests in the 18th century. It's part of a plan to replace the mansion's ornate antique furniture with reproductions of the type most likely owned by the Lees in colonial times.
The Shenandoah Valley
Civil War buffs visiting Winchester can now start at the Shenandoah University Civil War Orientation Center (20 S. Cameron St.; tel. 540/535-3543; www.theknowledgepoint.org). Equipped with touch-screens and wall exhibits, it traces the Shenandoah Valley's role in that bloody conflict. The center is on the first floor of the university's Historical Tourism Center -- The Knowledge Point, and is open Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm. Admission is free.
A 1924-vintage downtown Winchester landmark, The George Washington Hotel -- A Wyndham Historic Hotel (103 E. Piccadilly St.; tel. 800/WYNDHAM or 540/678-1228; www.wyndham.com), has been restored. The 90-room hotel's modern amenities include an indoor pool styled like a Roman bath.
Another accommodation landmark in Luray, Mimslyn Inn (401 W. Main St.; tel. 800/296-5105 or 540/743-5105; www.mimslyninn.com), also has been extensively renovated. All smoke-free, the rooms and suites now have such modern touches as flat-screen TVs, wireless internet access, and Gilchrist & Soames toiletries.
The Staunton Visitors Center has a new web address: www.visitstaunton.com. The center now stays open until 6pm daily from May through December.
Local native Marney Gibbs of Staunton Guided Tours (tel. 540/885-2430; www.stauntonguidedtours.com) leads walking and driving tours of downtown and the surrounding area. Her offerings range from 90-minute walking-and-trolley tours ($12 per adult with a $48 minimum) to customized driving tours in her vehicle or yours (you drive, she talks).
The Pullman Restaurant, one of the establishments in Staunton Station, has gone out of business.
You'll have to bring your own Hog or other bike, but the Lexington & Rockbridge Area Visitor Center (tel. 877/453-9822 or 540/463-3777; www.lexingtonvirginia.com) now publishes guides and maps to several motorcycling routes between Lexington and Roanoke, 50 miles to the south.
Roanoke
Virginia's Explore Park has closed, but the Art Museum of Western Virginia (www.artmuseumroanoke.org) is on schedule to move into its spectacular new building in November 2008.
Richmond
The Virginia Center for Architecture (2501 Monument Ave.; tel. 804/644-3041) occupies a Tudor mansion built in 1919 by architect John Russell Pope. It's one of the nation's few museums dedicated to architecture. Open Monday through Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturday 1 to 5pm. Admission is free, but a $5 donation is suggested.
The State Fair of Virginia (www.statefairva.org) has announced plans to relocate to The Meadow, near Kings Dominion about 20 miles north of the city. The move could take place in 2009. In the meantime, the 2008 fair will remain at the Richmond Raceway Complex.
Kings Dominion (www.kingsdominion.com) is no longer known as Paramount's Kings Dominion. The park will add its 14th roller coaster in 2008. At 4,210 feet, the "Dominator" will be the world's longest floorless coaster.
Major League Baseball's Atlanta Braves will move its AAA International League team, the Richmond Braves (www.rbraves.com), to Gwinnett County, Georgia, for the 2009 season. It will end the Braves' long relationship with Richmond.
Richmond's nightlife has received a significant boost with the reopening of The National Theater (708 E. Broad St.; tel. 757-622-0859; www.thenationalva.com). Built in 1923 to resemble an Italian Renaissance villa, it now hosts a wide range of musicians, from Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds to Willie Nelson.
Williamsburg
Four rare American Revolutionary War battle flags will be on display until June 2009 in the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum, now part of The Museums of Colonial Williamsburg (www.history.com). The flags were captured during two battles in 1779 and 1780 by a British cavalry officer, Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton. They remained in his family until being sold in 2006. Less than 24 Revolutionary War flags are known to exist. These are in very good condition.
Norfolk
The Norfolk Botanical Garden (tel. 757/441-5385; www.nbgs.org) now has an interactive "World of Wonders" area especially designed to let children have fun while learning about plants and nature in general. Part of it recreates the habitats and inhabitants of such far away places as the Australian Outback and Africa's Serengeti Plain.
The Eastern Shore
Tangier Island now has a website to help you plan your visit: www.gotangierisland.com. Among its offerings is an overnight package including a waterman's tour of the island's crabbing industry.
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