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

Tipping Point: Surviving the New Age of Gratuity Guilt

There’s a little song and dance we’re all used to when paying at a restaurant, takeout spot, boutique food shop, or even a farmers market. It starts with the person behind the iPad who’s completing your sale saying something like, It’s gonna ask you a few questions. The ensuing quiz is all about if and […]

by Stephanie Ganz

Valentine’s Day Playlist Recs from VPM’s Mike Goldberg

By Katie Farthing For Valentine’s Day, and just for us, Virginia Public Media’s classical music host Mike Goldberg (also a CBS6 weatherman) named his top tunes for romance. It was a tall order, but Mike graciously obliged and gave us a wealth of options to share with our readers. Queue them up on your playlist […]

by Staff

Virginia’s romance-only bookstore in Chesapeake is full of swoon-worthy stories

“It is the era of romance books,” says Megan Gallt, owner of Novel Grounds, a romance-only bookstore in Chesapeake. Culture-shaking new releases like Fourth Wing, the fairy-filled romantasies (romantic fantasies, for newbies to the genre) of Sarah J. Maas, and tropes like the hockey heartthrob romance have ushered in a renaissance for the genre on […]

by Hope Cartwright

Lotte Market Redefines Grocery Shopping

The shelves at Lotte Market in Richmond are a far cry from the woefully small half-aisle worth of “International Foods” you may be used to in your neighborhood Target or Walmart. A rainbow of vibrant packaging greets me at the entrance. Before me is a sweeping expanse of juice boxes in melon, mango, and banana […]

by Hope Cartwright

Maker Designs Miniatures for Historic Landmarks Across Virginia

Richard McClintock’s second career as a miniature model-maker was born of intuition and serendipity. After 40 years teaching Latin and Western Civilization at Hampden-Sydney College and a gig as director of publications, he retired in 2012. That August, he took a trip with his wife to Blacksburg, where she checked into a conference for the […]

by J. Michael Welton

Virginia is For Lovers: Movies Set or Made in Virginia

By Katie Farthing Virginia is for lovers, so let’s celebrate the holiday of love the right way. Take a look at these movies that star your very own backyard. Made and/or set in locales all over the commonwealth, you’re sure to fall head over heels for swoon-worthy love interests that make to-die-for cinema. Big Stone […]

by Staff

Valentine’s in Virginia: Winter Dates Across the State

Date of the Arts • Roanoke Wide halls decorated with resplendent artworks are fit for wandering at the Taubman Museum of Art, where the romantic Eternally New: The Art Nouveau World of Alphonse Mucha exhibition is open through March 16. Lush bites are available nearby—American fine dining establishments Lucky and Alexander’s are both within walking […]

by Hope Cartwright

Ensuring Loudoun County’s Country Roads Remain Rural

By Regan Hofmann Something happens when you leave the pavement. Suddenly, the journey becomes more about where you are than where you are going. You have arrived somewhere special even though you are still on your way. Whether it’s the tire of your car or bike, your sneaker, or a horse’s steel-clad shoe that crosses […]

by Staff

Date Night Games

Think you know your S/O from head to toe? These date night games—to give, get, or play—aim to test that theory. Get Closer Conversation Game: Couples With three levels of closeness to explore in question card form (close, closer, and closest), this conversation game gets deeper as you go. IntelligentChange.com. $30 Talking Hearts Discover 200 […]

by Hope Cartwright

A Quest to Save Lost First Air Force One

A highly customized, mirror-polished 1948 Lockheed C-121 Constellation with hand-painted lettering and art, four propellers, and a tapered fuselage shaped like a bottlenose dolphin secretly touched down in Seoul in November 1952 carrying U.S. President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower. The former Allied Supreme Commander was there to fulfill a now-famous campaign promise: to visit the front […]

by Eric J. Wallace

NMSS—Dinner of Champions Harrisonburg

McGAHEYSVILLE: Brix & Columns Vineyard Over 160 attendees gathered in support of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s (NMSS) Dinner of Champions Harrisonburg on Aug. 22 in McGaheysville. This signature evening fundraising event, hosted in over 20 locations nationwide, unites people in the mission to raise awareness about this debilitating disease and generate funds to support […]

by Staff

Fred SPCA—9th Annual Fur Ball Gala

FREDERICKSBURG: Fredericksburg Convention Center Over 500 animal lovers gathered at the 9th Annual Fur Ball Gala for the Fredericksburg Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Fred SPCA) on Aug. 24. Held at the Fredericksburg Convention Center, attendees reveled in “glitz, glam, and goodwill” as they raised over $200,000 and enjoyed the event’s Old […]

by Staff

New Docuseries Celebrates Edna Lewis, the Trailblazing Southern Chef

A new docuseries aims to celebrate the life and legacy of chef, cookbook author, and Virginia native, Edna Lewis. Hosted by Deb Freeman, writer and podcast host of Setting the Table, and produced by Field Studio, the series visits guests around the country over eight episodes to explore the impact of this trailblazing chef. In […]

by Stephanie Ganz

VCCA—Annual Gala

AMHERST: Artists’ Residence/Mt. San Angelo Lively music and fragrant flowers filled the air as the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) hosted its annual gala on June 15. The Studio Barn on the campus of the VCCA’s Mt. San Angelo artists’ residence was transformed into a Havana Nights–themed event that featured a Latin soundtrack […]

by Staff

Restoration of 17-Century Ship in Virginia Sets Sails

—By Katie Farthing With the winds of hope and prosperity filling its sails, the Susan Constant landed at Jamestown in 1607 with 54 Englishmen aboard hoping for glory and gold. Fast forward 400 years, the original three-masted square rig has long since disappeared, but her lore has remained a vital connection to Virginia’s past, […]

by Staff

New Deal Photography Captured Life in Virginia

Five New Deal agencies had photographic units, but the work of one specifically stands out: the expansive Farm Security Administration (FSA), which had more functions than any other agency due to its colossal mission of battling the Great Depression’s most widespread problem, rural poverty. Publicity was a key complement to FSA initiatives. But FSA photographers […]

by George Tisdale

VMFA’s “A Long Arc” Captures Years of Southern Life Through Photography

On a winding path of more than 200 photos, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond tells the story of the American South, from early Antebellum daguerreotypes to vibrant, wall-sized modern photography. The exhibition, A Long Arc: Photography and the American South since 1845, runs through Jan. 26 and features hidden gems from […]

by Hope Cartwright

Culture Through Costumes with Ruth E. Carter

—By Katie Farthing Bright colors, bold patterns, and cultural significance define the Ruth E. Carter exhibition, Afrofuturism in Costume Design, at the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation through Jan. 5. Visitors can explore hand-drawn sketches, real costumes, and Carter’s childhood sewing machine that tell this award-winning costume designer’s powerful story. Carter is most well-known for the outstanding costumes […]

by Staff

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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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Culture

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

Current Issue

Events

Fall Homeschool Days

August-September Exhibits @ Art Works!

Masterpeice Minigolf

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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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