Situated within the southern Shenandoah Valley close to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Lexington and Buena Vista in Rockbridge County supply walkable downtowns with free parking and lots to discover. Lexington’s historic Essential Avenue and Buena Vista’s Magnolia and Beech Avenues are hubs for buying and eating, enriched by the power of close by faculties—Washington and Lee College, Virginia Navy Institute, and Southern Virginia College.
Nature inside Attain
Wooden’s Creek Path, a 2.25-mile path inside Lexington, winds alongside Woods Creek and thru wooded areas. It connects to the seven-mile Chessie Nature Path, a rail-trail linking Lexington and Buena Vista alongside the Maury River, showcasing various wildlife and flora. Only a mile from downtown, Boxerwood Nature Heart and Woodland Backyard provides birdwatching, a kids’s play space, and fairy woods.
Buena Vista, an Appalachian Path Neighborhood and gateway to the Blue Ridge Parkway, options Glen Maury Park, a 315-acre leisure space with practically 9 miles of trails, kayak and bike leases, tenting, and summer season live shows. In spring, it hosts Gravista, a gravel bike race with two difficult routes: Stoked 60 (68 miles, 8,524 ft climb) and Worthy 30 (34 miles, 4,400 ft climb).
Lower than 15 miles from Lexington or Buena Vista, Pure Bridge State Park options the enduring 217-foot limestone arch, mountain climbing trails, disc golf, and ranger-led stargazing as a part of its Worldwide Darkish Sky Park designation.
RockbridgeOutdoors.com is your supply for mountain climbing, biking, paddling, fishing and different native outside experiences.
A City for the Out of doors Lovers
Out of doors lovers will discover lots to discover in downtown Lexington, the county seat of Rockbridge County, with retailers like Walkabout Clothes shop and Lex Working Store. Simply 1.5 miles west of downtown, Journey Outside provides kayaks and watercraft ultimate for navigating native rivers and streams.
For these searching for a comfortable dwelling base for adventures, the Mattress and Breakfast at Llewellyn Lodge is an ideal selection. Situated lower than a mile from downtown, the lodge gives easy accessibility to Lexington’s scenic environment, and its innkeeper, John Roberts, provides guided fly-fishing excursions. A brief drive away in Pure Bridge Station, Wilderness Canoe Firm completes the outside expertise with kayak, canoe, and tube leases, in addition to tenting for riverside getaways.
Excursions and Extra!
The Lexington Carriage Firm gives enchanting, narrated horse-drawn carriage excursions by means of historic downtown Lexington, operating from spring to fall and persevering with into the festive Christmas season. Historical past lovers will respect cadet-led excursions of Virginia Navy Institute and the VMI Museum, together with visits to the Jackson Home Museum, the one dwelling ever owned by Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. For a spookier expertise, Haunting Tales, led by artist and entertainer Mark Cline, delve into Lexington’s ghostly lore.
Simply 5 miles north of downtown, Hull’s Drive-In Theater—a 74-year-old native treasure—provides basic motion pictures underneath the celebrities, dwell music, and a 0.25-mile strolling and health path, making it an ideal spot for a nostalgic night out.
Downtown Occasions
- The Freedom Meals Pageant, held yearly on July third, transforms Essential Avenue right into a festive hub with a chef-led cook-off and proceeds benefiting native nonprofits.
- On the primary Friday of every month, artwork galleries host receptions with new displays, dwell music, and artist meet-and-greets.
- Each Friday, Purveyors on Essential and Lexington Mercantile supply free wine tastings to kick off the weekend.
Go to LexingtonVirginia.com for issues to do, locations to eat, and the place to remain in Lexington, Buena Vista, and Rockbridge County, VA.