John William Van de Kamp

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The Genius of Mark Helprin

With an illustrious 50-year writing career that includes books, short story collections, and children’s books, the way Helprin sees it, Virginia has given us the greatest political gifts the world has ever seen.

Uncategorized

Secret Love Leters

For 25 years, Scribner’s editor Maxwell Perkins sent them to Welbourne, a Middleburg estate. At the epicenter of hunt country, Welbourne holds stories of horses, royals, and a secret literary romance. Built in 1750, the Middleburg estate became the home to Colonel Richard Henry Dulany, who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg. […]

Culture

Dairy Farm for the Win

At Vint Hill Farms, code breakers intercepted crucial messages from around the world. In 1942, a Virginia dairy farmer was listening to his short-wave radio when he picked up something entirely unfamiliar: conversations in German. The chatter turned out to be exchanges between German taxi drivers and their dispatchers, more than 6,000 […]

Culture

F. Scott and Zelda’s Excellent Adventure

A serendipitous road trip led to a night at The Jefferson. (Illustration by Maddalena Carrai) They were newlyweds in July of 1920 when, on a whim, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald set out on an eight-day road trip that would take them through Virginia. Zelda longed for the breakfasts she’d known at […]

Events

September 12, 2024

STRADFEST—Richmond Symphony Celebrates the World’s Finest Instruments: Sept. 12-15

Carpenter Theater

September 13, 2024

Mindful Living & Soulful Aging: Weekend Retreat for the Inner Life

Floyd EcoVillage

September 14, 2024

STEAM-tastic: Painting with Virtual Reality (Ages 10-15)

Del Ray Artisans Gallery

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Surf’s up in Virginia Beach

We all know Virginia Beach for its oceanside offerings: the sand, sunshine, and its white caps and crashing waves—beach is literally in its name, after all. And from Aug. 18–25, it’s time to put that wave energy to good use on a surfboard. As the longest, continually running surfing contest in the world (62 years […]

by Hope Cartwright

More of Virginia’s Most Bizarre Destinations

These are just a few more artifacts that make Virginia so much fun. We’ve compiled a short list of Virginia’s most bizarre destinations. Up to Speed. Weighing a mere 34 tons, one of four manganese bronze ship propellers from the S.S. United States once propelled the 990-foot ship, built in 1951 and retired in 1969. […]

by Elizabeth Cogar

From Dior to Dessès, UVA’s historic clothing collection

A 1795 off-white, wool men’s jacket and breeches with a dark tan silk brocade waistcoat; a black silk taffeta, beaded mourning bustle skirt and bodice from the 1880s; and three Christian Dior ensembles from the ’60s and ’80s—all found in the University of Virginia’s Historic Clothing Collection, housed underneath the Culbreth Theater. For Marcy Linton, […]