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, 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 invites you to explore current Virginia Main Street Communities as well as those that have at some time participated in the Main Street Program. Across the Commonwealth, you'll find unique Main Street communities, each recognized for historic architecture, one-of-a-kind businesses, special events, historic and natural attractions, and old-fashioned hospitality. This travel itinerary highlights more than 50 historic places listed in the National Register of Historic Places that are playing a role in the downtown revitalization of these communities and are worth visiting.

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

Architectural gems can be found in each of these communities, such as Lynchburg's Academy of Music, Marion's Lincoln Theater, and Harrisonburg's Rockingham County Courthouse. Communities such as Warrenton, Winchester, Culpeper and Manassas are rich in Civil War history and are important stops in honor of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.

While Main Street communities host a variety of special events all year long, fall is a special time of year for the many Main Street communities near the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. These two national parks intersect near Waynesboro. Many communities, such as Bedford, Berryville, and Rocky Mount, plan special holiday activities in November and December.Virginia's beautiful rivers meander through a number of Main Street communities, including Radford and Franklin. A variety of noted individuals can trace their roots to Virginia's Main Streets: President James Madison's home Montpelier is 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 each 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. This section also includes links to other websites and a bibliography. 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 the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO), Virginia Main Street Communities is an example of an 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 Park Service cooperates with a variety of public and private organizations to create online travel itineraries. The itineraries help potential visitors plan their next trips by highlighting the amazing diversity of destinations listed in the National Register of Historic Places and providing information on how to visit them. Virginia Main Street Communities was the 32nd travel itinerary successfully created through such partnerships. Additional itineraries have and will continue to debut online. The National Park Service 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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