Introducton, Virginia Main Street Communities: A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary

Berryville Historic District
Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program

The National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development's Virginia Main Street Program, Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO), proudly invite you to explore Virginia Main Street Communities. Across the State, you'll find 17 unique Main Street communities, recognized for their historic architecture, one-of-a-kind businesses, special events, historic and natural attractions and old-fashioned hospitality. This travel itinerary highlights 50 historic places listed in the National Register of Historic Places that are playing a role in the downtown revitalization of these Virginia Main Street Communities.

Business in Manassas Historic District
Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program

Architectural gems can be found in all of these communities, such as those in Danville, Lynchburg, Marion and Martinsville. Many of these communities are rich in Civil War history, especially Warrenton, Winchester, Culpeper and Manassas. All year long Main Street communities host a variety of special events. Fall is a special time of year for the many Main Street communities near the Blue Ridge Mountains and Skyline Drive, particularly for Waynesboro, which is located where the two intersect. Many communities plan special holiday activities in November and December, such as Bedford, Berryville, and Rocky Mount. Virginia's beautiful rivers meander through nine Main Street communities, including Radford and Franklin. Numerous noted individuals can trace their roots to Virginia's Main Streets: President James Madison's home was outside Orange, President Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton, while both Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Confederate Lieutenant General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson lived in and are now buried in Lexington.

Warrenton Historic District
Photo courtesy of Scenic America: Cheryl Shepherd

The Virginia Main Street Communities travel itinerary offers several ways to discover the places that reflect the town's history. Each highlighted site features a brief description of the historic place's significance, color photographs and public accessibility information. At the bottom of each page the visitor will find a navigation bar containing links to four essays that explain more about Virginia Main Street, Commercial Architecture in Virginia, Agriculture and Industry and Transportation. These essays provide historic background, or "contexts," for the places included in the itinerary. In the Learn More section, the itinerary links to regional and local web sites that provide visitors with further information regarding cultural events, special activities, and lodging and dining possibilities. The itinerary can be viewed online, or printed out if you plan to visit Virginia Main Street Communities in person. Visitors may be interested in visiting Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, to find member hotels located in communities featured in this itinerary.

Lexington Historic District
Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program

Created through a partnership between the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places, Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development's Virginia Main Street Program, Virginia Department of Historic Resources and NCSHPO, Virginia Main Street Communities is the latest example of a new and exciting cooperative program. As part of the Department of the Interior's strategy to promote public awareness of history and encourage tourists to visit historic places throughout the Nation, the National Register of Historic Places is cooperating with communities, regions and Heritage Areas throughout the United States to create online travel itineraries. Using places nominated by State, Federal and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the itineraries help potential visitors plan their next trip by highlighting the amazing diversity of this country's historic places and supplying accessibility information for each featured site. Virginia Main Street Communities is the 32nd National Register travel itinerary successfully created through such partnerships. Additional itineraries will debut online in the future. The National Register of Historic Places hopes you enjoy this virtual travel itinerary of Virginia Main Street Communities. If you have any comments or questions, please just click on the provided e-mail address, "comments or questions" located at the bottom of each page.

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