Culture

Ghost Tours, Corn Mazes, and Pumpkin Patches to Visit This Fall

In autumn, Virginia becomes a playground for spine-tingling adventures and harvest celebrations galore. With ghost tours, sprawling corn mazes, and pumpkin patches, the Commonwealth’s unforgettable seasonal experiences blend rich history with fall festivity. This article originally appeared in the October 2025 issue.

by Madeline Mayhood

Plunge into Planet Shark

Sink your teeth into the newest exhibit at the Science Museum of Virginia. (Courtesy of the Science Museum of Virginia) Sharks first appeared on the earth more than 450 million years ago. There are currently about 400 species and they range from a foot long (the cookiecutter shark) to 40 feet (the whale […]

by Staff

Back from the Brink

Founded in 1830, Clore furniture in Madison was facing the end. Their customers had other ideas. (Photography by Jeffrey Gleason) When the Great Recession slowed orders to a trickle in 2016, Clore Furniture president Troy Coppage was forced to make a heartbreaking decision. His company’s handmade hardwood tables, dressers, chairs, and […]

by Eric J. Wallace

Suzanne Stryk Interview

A celebration of Virginia’s landscapes through collage and travel. The Middle of Somewhere by Suzanne Stryk. Trinity University Press. pp.256. $27.95 Konstantin Rega: The Middle of Somewhere examines Virginia landscapes. What inspired the book? Suzanne Stryk: I’ve always been very interested in place—how to explore and “take its pulse.” […]

by Konstantin Rega

Transported by the Capital Trail

A two-wheeled tour through history offers luxury and adventure. (Anne Poarch of Basket & Bike; photography by Adam Ewing) I first cycled the Virginia Capital Trail when it opened to much fanfare in 2015, and I was eager to see how it had evolved since then. The trail—which runs parallel to the […]

by Dean King

Southern Ways

She was just passing through; but Ashland had other plans. (Illustration by Jane Webster) In my mid-40s, I almost married a farmer-professor from Vermont. In preparation for my new life, I bought a pair of rubberized boots, a new L.L. Bean parka, and tried to get interested in tapping trees for maple syrup. […]

by Phyllis Theroux

Anders Carlson-Wee Interview

A traveling poet, Carlson-Wee finds inspiration in the people he meets and the landscapes he sees. The Low Passions by Anders Carlson-Wee. W. W. Norton & Company. pp.112. $15.95. Konstantin Rega: Though you weren’t born here, you have a connection to Virginia that comes through your poetry collection. Anders Carlson-Wee: […]

by Konstantin Rega

Jim Minick Interview

From blueberries to ravens, local author Jim Minick celebrates nature and community. Fire Is Your Water by Jim Minick. Swallow Press. pp. 352. $26.95. Konstantin Rega: So when did you move to Virginia from Pennsylvania? Jim Minick: In 1989. I was attending grad school at Radford in the New […]

by Konstantin Rega

Wool Week

The Frontier Culture Museum celebrates Wool Week in April. (Photo courtesy of the Frontier Culture Museum) In a rite of spring, sheep shearing begins once the lambs are born and, during the Frontier Culture Museum’s Wool Week (April 25–May 1), visitors can experience plenty of both. Once clipped, each sheep produces more than […]

by Konstantin Rega

Casey Wilson’s Heart is in Virginia

The Alexandria native’s film career began in her own backyard. ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo T8WF5K T8WF5K May 14, 2019 – North Hollywood, California, USA – 14, May 2019 – North Hollywood, California. Casey Wilson attends Showtimes EmmyA® For Your Consideration ‘Black Money’ at The Saban Media Center. (Credit […]

by tupponce joan

Journey with Ernie

A dog lover shares the lessons of an overseas adoption. Leigh Ann Burdett When she adopts a golden retriever from Turkey, Yorktown high school teacher Heidi Speece finds her life turned upside down. Why Turkey? Unlike in the U.S., where dogs are like family, it’s not uncommon there for owners to abandon […]

by Konstantin Rega

Spring Books

Here are some notable Southern books coming out this Spring. University of Virginia-alum Alexis Schaitkin follows up her New York Times Notable Book, Saint X with Elsewhere (Celadon Books, $26.99). Her publisher says: “Vera grows up in a small town, removed and isolated, pressed up against the mountains, cloud-covered and damp year-round. […]

by Staff

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 […]

by John William Van de Kamp

The Violin Conspiracy

Does the instrument make the musician? The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb. Anchor Books. pp.352. $28 Brendan Slocumb’s debut novel, The Violin Conspiracy, tells the story of Ray McMillian, a young black violinist who discovers a lost family secret that beggars belief—a genuine Stradivarius violin in his grandmother’s attic, worth […]

by Matt Cantor

A Dream Deferred

An interview with bestselling, local author S. A. Cosby. S.A. Cosby is the author of the New York Times bestseller Razorblade Tears and Blacktop Wasteland, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, was a New York Times Notable Book. His works discuss race, class, and sex. When not writing, he is an avid […]

by Konstantin Rega

An Interview with Amber McBride

Showing the capacity for humans to love in 5,000 different ways. Amber McBride is an English professor at the University of Virginia and holds an MFA in poetry from Emerson College. Her poetry has been published in several literary magazines including Ploughshares and The Rumpus. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with her dog, Shiloh. Me (Moth) is […]

by Konstantin Rega

Botanical Beauty

(Art by Hannah Cross Hanlon) Artist Hannah Cross Hanlon’s stunning botanical drawings are inspired by childhood summers spent on the York River in Gloucester. “I inherited my love of nature and creatures from my Virginia grandfather, who was a wildlife biologist, field trial judge, and outdoorsman.” In fact, her grandfather served as executive director […]

by Konstantin Rega

Orchid Showoffs

The Orchid Show & Sale is on at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. From flowers worth thousands of dollars to your grocery store variety, orchids are not only beautiful but make excellent house plants. After all, they are one of the largest families of flowering plants with more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars. […]

by Staff

Virginia’s Historic Trails

When the pavement ends, the travel by gravel fun begins. Douglas Graham Douglas Graham / WLP Willisville Road Some historic treasures don’t fit inside a museum. Take the 300 miles of gravel roadways that wind through Loudoun County’s pastures and ridges. “These are the same paths traveled by early colonists, Revolutionary War soldiers, and George Washington […]

by Jill Devine

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Virginia’s Best Small-Batch Ice Cream Shops

Move over, chocolate and strawberry. It’s not that you’re boring, it’s just that Virginia’s small batch scoopers are churning out so many flavors that it makes plain old vanilla seem, well, vanilla. In the Old Dominion, we found that Scoop in Richmond’s Fan District is out of this world, with flavor bombs like Tahini & […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Why Virginia Is Becoming a Major Tech Hub

Everyone knows tech geniuses are around every corner in Silicon Valley or Seattle. But don’t underestimate Virginia. The Commonwealth is becoming an increasingly major player in the tech industry, appearing on top techy lists worldwide. Hyperscale Hub From projected fusion plants to 3D-printed houses, it’s never a slow news day in the Old Dominion’s tech […]

by Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves

Top 10 Fall Festivals in Virginia 2025

Alexandria – 23rd Annual Alexandria Art Festival Sept. 13–14: Stroll Old Town’s John Carlyle Square Park as it’s transformed into an outdoor art gallery for this fall festival. Admire the work from more than 200 juried artisans from around the globe. VisitAlexandria.com Virginia Beach – VIRGINIA BEACH NEPTUNE FESTIVAL Sept. 26–28: The 51st anniversary of […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Culture

Ghost Tours, Corn Mazes, and Pumpkin Patches to Visit This Fall

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Why Virginia Is Becoming a Major Tech Hub

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Culture

Ghost Tours, Corn Mazes, and Pumpkin Patches to Visit This Fall

Current Issue

Events

Yorktown Market Days – First Responders Market

Before the Siege

Autumn Splendor Vendor Fair

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Most Popular

Virginia’s Best Small-Batch Ice Cream Shops

Why Virginia Is Becoming a Major Tech Hub

Top 10 Fall Festivals in Virginia 2025

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weekly newsletter: VL Today

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