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

Pharma Growth and Boutique Hotel Fuel Petersburg’s Boom

Tens of thousands of drivers speed past Petersburg daily on I-95, but its exit ramps are becoming busier as the city emerges as a destination in itself. The industry is moving in and fast. Denmark-based pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk acquired a facility there last December, and Phlow Pharmaceutical launched operations last summer, positioning Petersburg as […]

by Hope Cartwright

Finding Connection Through Birdwatching and Serendipity

While out for a stroll, my husband and I wander into a garden shop in Georgetown. The person behind the counter is in her 20s, pale-skinned, nose ring, blue jean overalls. “Can I help you find something?” she asks. “We’re looking for a tablecloth,” I tell her. She points to a stack of Indian block […]

by Page Evans Corey

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is Among the Country’s Best

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts clinched 11th place in The Washington Post’s top U.S. museums ranking, outshining major institutions in Dallas, Baltimore, and St. Louis. Critics celebrate its seamless blend of galleries and gardens, world-class collections spanning global cultures, and standout exhibitions of contemporary photography. Richmond’s art scene is set for a seismic shift as […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Flower-Forward Things To Do in Virginia This Spring

From flower festivals and farms to Historic Garden Week, Virginia bursts with spring blossoms and inspiration. The possibilities for fun are endless, but here are some of our faves. U-Pick flower farms are the places to be for spring. Load up on beautiful blooms—from tulips and cosmos to daffodils, peonies, and more—at these micro-farms all […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Barter Theatre: A Historic Stage Thriving in Abingdon

At 91, she looks darn good. Barter Theatre, the official state theater, is among America’s oldest theaters and one of the nation’s few remaining professional repertory companies. While many a regional theater are cutting back on productions or even shuttering their doors, Barter appears unstoppable, setting new records for success. From 2022–2023, tickets purchased for […]

by Dawn Klavon

Richmond’s Own Baby Pygmy Hippo Earns Global Fame

Moo Deng, Thailand’s baby pygmy hippo, took social media by storm when she was born last summer. With her outsized wails for attention—her screams bigger than her body—and her sweet, W-shaped snout, she became an overnight sensation from her hippo habitat at Khao Kheow Open Zoo near Bangkok. Fast-forward to last December, and the […]

by Hope Cartwright

Experience Burnside Farms’ Stunning Festival of Spring

A rainbow of blooms takes over Burnside Farms in Nokesville each spring, creating a breathtaking backdrop of yellow, pink, red, and orange blossoms. During their annual Festival of Spring, running mid-March to mid-April (check their Instagram, @BurnsideFarms, for exact dates), visitors can picnic, play, and pick their own bundles from over 150 tulip varieties and […]

by Hope Cartwright

Mise en Place Rules

Chefs reveal the keys to a successful kitchen. -By Janelle Alberts Georges-Auguste Escoffier, considered the father of modern cuisine, scored a chef’s job at the London Savoy in 1890 and promptly introduced a rigid organizational habit that nobody in his kitchen liked. Called mise en place, it’s since become a wildly popular phenomenon, ranking somewhere […]

by Staff

Five European-Inspired Virginia Honeymoons

Although you may be in the midst of wedding planning, there’s one thing you really look forward to after your nuptials: the honeymoon. And while you may have your eyes set on a luxurious resort abroad or a quaint European seaside town, there are plenty of places to feel far away without having to unearth […]

by Jennifer Prince

A Richmond Architect For The Ages

It’s an unassuming sketch that begins with a single square, a squiggle of a hand-drawing. Page after page, the square has been added onto, enlarged and articulated into bolder iterations, until a fully formed vision for a new structure emerges. “There’s a sequence over a week,” McCullar says. “The big ideas come very fast.” It’s taken […]

by J. Michael Welton

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at Virginia’s Best Festivals & Parades

It’s not just the luck of the Irish that Virginians are so passionate about St. Patrick’s Day. So many Irishmen settled in Virginia in the 1700s that the Shenandoah Valley was once known as the “Irish Tract.” Whether you’re tracing your Celtic roots or just in it for the Guinness, cities across the Commonwealth have […]

by Hope Cartwright

Top 10 Must-Visit Spring Festivals for 2025

Highland County – MAPLE FESTIVAL March 8–9 & 15–16: Virginia’s “sweetest event of the year” brings maple syrup to the scenic streets of Monterey, McDowell, Bluegrass, and other Highland County towns. Enjoy maple sugar camp tours, pancake meals, and maple donuts. HighlandCounty.org Charlottesville – THE VIRGINIA FESTIVAL OF THE BOOK March 20–23: Virginia authors converge […]

by Hope Cartwright

How Virginia Center of the Creative Arts Changed This Duo

Family ties bind us all, but sometimes, those threads weave a tapestry more beautiful than one could have imagined. Such is the case with Sharon Carter, a Richmond artist whose creative spirit is heavily influenced by previous generations. “They appreciated very much everything that is beautiful, and they passed that on to me,” Sharon reminisces […]

by Jennifer Prince

How Virginians Support the State’s Indie Bookstores

From the personalized selection of titles lining the shelves to the one-on-one interaction and thoughtful recommendations, independent booksellers add a special touch to the journey of finding the perfect read. Plus, shopping at these local businesses strengthens the community—an American Express study found that approximately 67 cents of every dollar spent at a small business […]

by Hope Cartwright

10 Speakeasies Across Virginia & How to Find Them

Tucked in hidden alleyways and behind disguised doors lie some of the state’s best-kept secrets … and cocktails. Speakeasies promising vintage vibes and low-light charm dot the map far and wide, but where to find them? Here are 10 to get you started on a journey to delicious drinks and illicit adventures of 1920s allure. […]

by Hope Cartwright

Décor Trends from the High Point Market

By Katie Farthing It’s one of the largest home furnishing trade shows in the world, a biannual event that showcases the latest trends and innovations in furniture, accessories, and home décor. Read on for three noteworthy trends from the Spring 2024 High Point Market, destined to make their way onto homeowner’s wish lists everywhere. DuVal […]

by Staff

From Postage Stamps to Passports

How one octogenarian’s love for travel keeps her on the move. For Lynn Nelson, a passion for travel started with a childhood love for geography and a budding pile of stamps. “My father worked with a man who had a stamp collection, and he would always send me his extra stamps,” she reminisces. She anticipated […]

by Jennifer Prince

Acrostic Valentine Poems Consumed Crazy-In-Love Colonials

Nearly 300 years before pop love tunes crowded February airwaves, Virginians penned acrostic love poetry. First published in the Virginia Gazette, they became known as “the lovers’ literary crusade of 1768.” Acrostic poets use the first letter of each line to spell a hidden message—in these poems, it was the name of the lovelorn writers’ […]

by Dylan Hostetter

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Events

September 4, 2025

An Artist’s Journey: The Bay School’s Annual Student Art Show

Bay School Community Arts Center/Art Speaks Gallery

September 4, 2025

Mathews ArtFest

Bay School Community Arts Center/Art Speaks Gallery

September 4, 2025

Local Scenes Exhibition at The Bay School’s Art Speaks Gallery

Bay School Community Arts Center/Art Speaks Gallery

Submissions are open for Virginia Living's Top Wedding Vendor 2026 List!

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

Current Issue

Events

An Artist’s Journey: The Bay School’s Annual Student Art Show

Mathews ArtFest

Local Scenes Exhibition at The Bay School’s Art Speaks Gallery

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

Culture

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

Current Issue

Events

An Artist’s Journey: The Bay School’s Annual Student Art Show

Mathews ArtFest

Local Scenes Exhibition at The Bay School’s Art Speaks Gallery

Get our most popularweekly newsletter: VL Today

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

Get our most popularweekly newsletter: VL Today

Get our most popular
weekly newsletter: VL Today

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weekly newsletter: VL Today