Martha Steger

Martha Steger is a writer and public relations specialist based in Midlothian. She’s a Society of American Travel Writers’ Marco Polo member, and covers business, culture, and travel for a variety of print and online publications.

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Culture

Meet the Eastern Shore’s Duck Decoy Carvers

For decoy carver Grayson Chesser, hand-painted birds are memories of his youth on the marsh made tangible. As a child on Virginia’s upper Eastern Shore, he recalls, “I found it awesome to watch my dad put out decoys and then see the live birds fly into the water to approach them.” Though he’s aware most […]

Food

Local and Global Influences Collide at The Ashby Inn

Historic homes, many dating back to the early 19th century, line the sole street, and the first few structures you encounter are now home to The Ashby Inn & Restaurant. The Main House was built in 1829 as the residence of town blacksmith Manley Pierce. It stood as a private home until 1984, when former […]

Towns

Experience the Small-Town Charm of Winchester

If you want to slip into Winchester, don’t take the interstate. Route 11—Pleasant Valley Road—runs a little slower, but it sets the stage. On a late-fall drive, I passed billboards still celebrating apples, the fruit that built fortunes here. Before I even reached town, I found myself tempted by the kind of stop you won’t […]

Travel

Claw of the Dragon

300 miles of exhilarating hairpin turns and switchbacks aren’t for the faint of heart.

Most Popular

Buc-ee’s Opens Its First Virginia Location

If you happened to be standing near the I-81 exit for Mt. Crawford in the early morning hours of this past June 30, you’d have witnessed a spectacle. Shoppers flooded into the parking lot and shuffled into block-long lines in hopes of being among the first through the doors of Virginia’s first Buc-ee’s travel station. […]

by Eric J. Wallace

Norfolk Harborfest Returns for Its 50th Anniversary

From June 19–21, Downtown Norfolk welcomes a fleet of over 60 international and U.S. tall ships to celebrate VA250. “Harborfest celebrates the rich maritime and naval heritage that defines Norfolk and the Hampton Roads region,” says Jordan Lett, marketing director of Norfolk Festevents. “With something happening throughout the waterfront each day, Harborfest offers an immersive […]

by Abby Borgeson

All Aboard: Virginia’s Summer of Steam Celebrates America250

This summer, the legendary Norfolk & Western 611 steam locomotive is firing up her wheel—and she’s bringing history along for the ride. Built in 1950 in Roanoke, Virginia, the 611 is the last surviving member of the “J-Class” fleet, widely regarded as the pinnacle of steam technology. With her iconic bullet-shaped nose, Tuscan Red stripe, […]