October 2024 Issue

Up Close with a Raptor

Virginia offers several places to see birds of prey in flight and even interact with them. Read on for details on three: BOAR’S HEAD RESORT, Charlottesville: Interact with a variety of captive-bred, trained birds, including owls, falcons, and hawks. Falconry at the Boar’s Head includes both beginner and introductory levels where participants learn about the […]

by Larry Bleiberg

Talk with Author Jennifer Ackerman

In her New York Times best-selling books, Charlottesville resident, naturalist, and science writer Jennifer Ackerman delights readers with the latest research about bird behavior. Her newest release, What an Owl Knows (Penguin, 2024), introduces us to birds like the late Papa G’Ho, a rescue owl at the Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynes- boro, who […]

by Larry Bleiberg

About the Virginia Falconers’ Association

The statewide organization works closely with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources to train falconers and regulate the sport. The group holds three annual public events. Two hunting outings include a winter meet typically held in Harrisonburg, and a New River Valley Field Meet, usually held in March near Blacksburg. Each has educational activities and […]

by Larry Bleiberg

All About Tazewell

HISTORY Crab Orchard Museum: This Appalachian cultural heritage museum celebrates Southwest Virginia. Year-round special events include a fiddlers’ convention in July, Frontier Christmas in December, along with workshops and classes. 3663 Crab Orchard Rd. CrabOrchardMuseum.com Pocahontas Exhibition Coal Mine: The world’s first exhibition coal mine allows visitors to descend into a former and highly productive […]

by Amy Brecount White

Sport of Kings

Falconry has a long and noble history, stretching back more than 4,000 years. The practice is believed to have begun in the Arabian Desert, where hunters learned how to work with birds to catch prey. Merchants, traders, and Crusaders brought the practice to Asia and Europe, and, over time, it became popular with nobility, giving […]

by Larry Bleiberg

Making of a Chef

Ian Boden’s culinary passion blossomed as a kid, as he helped his family craft traditional Jewish dishes like potato latke and chicken matzo ball soup for parties. His mother was so impressed she arranged an internship with Marc Fusilier at his Manassas-area fine dinery, Chez Marc Café 28, when Boden was just 13. The mentorship […]

by Eric J. Wallace

How to Craft a Colonial Apple Pie

Put a crust in the bottom of a dish, put on it a layer of ripe apples, pared and sliced thin—then a layer of powdered sugar; do this alternately till the dish is full; put in a few tea-spoonsful of rose water and some cloves—put on a crust and bake it. *This colonial recipe appear […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Outdoor Adventures in Tazewell

Experience the heart of the Appalachians firsthand. Appalachian Trail: For amazing views, check out the section of the AT along the south rim of Burke’s Garden. However, the access road is steep and rutted, requiringa four-wheel drive vehicle. Cavitt’s Creek Park: This 300-acre park with a 54-acre lake has lots of opportunity for recreation, equipment […]

by Amy Brecount White

A Colonial Salad Dressing That Will Revolutionize Your Cooking

Dress a Salad To have this delicate dish in perfection, the lettuce, pepper grass, chervil, cress, & should be gathered early in the morning, nicely picked, washed, and laid in cold water, which will be improved by adding ice; just before dinner is ready to be served, drain the water from your salad, cut it […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Brew Like a Pro

“There’s a few main rules to live by when it comes to starting to make better coffee at home,” says Stephanie Wein of Pinup Coffee Co. By the time it reaches the customer’s hands, high-quality coffee has already been through a lengthy, detailed, international process. The last thing you want to do is ruin it […]

by Hope Cartwright

Owners of Famed Chateau Bet Big on Virginia with Purchase of Iconic RdV Vineyards

As the first rays of morning sun fall over the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Joshua Grainer is already in the vineyards at Lost Mountain. He’s walking up and down vineyard rows checking on the vines before meeting with the vineyard team to discuss the plan for the day. He knows these vineyards well. […]

by Frank Morgan

Out & About Tazewell

SHOP Appa Bagworks: Hand-crafted leather products like cross-bodies, totes, and shoulder bags. Owner Tanner Hale learned the art from his granddad. 145 Main St. Facebook: AppaBagworks Between Friends: Shop for locally made goods like wood carvings, artwork, jewelry, and bright quilts. 293 Main St. Facebook: BetweenFriendGifts Burke’s Garden Artisans Guild:Showcasing regional artisans and featuring the […]

by Amy Brecount White

Unveiling Coffee’s True Flavors: Virginia Coffee Roasters’ Specialty Brews

Coffee—the universal good morning, driving force behind business superpowers, perhaps the most prolific beverage in all pop culture—is naturally bitter. Aside from the addictive properties of caffeine, what inspires such fascination in coffee is a mystery to those who question the initially unappealing taste. Haden Polseno-Hensley, co-owner of Red Rooster Coffee in Floyd, recalls growing […]

by Hope Cartwright

Slow Sips at Solstice Farm Brewery

To Ed and Anna Shore, founders of Solstice Farm Brewery in Catawba, their brewing post nestled in the Roanoke Valley amid scenic peaks and woodlands is more than a spot for drink; it’s a community organization. “I call it an indigenous brewery,” Anna says. “We use things from the area to make our beer, […]

by Hope Cartwright

New Staunton Restaurant is a Delightful Surprise

For fans of star chef Ian Boden and his famed, hole-in-the-wall, Staunton fine dinery The Shack, a visit to the newly launched Maude & the Bear culinary inn begins with a series of delightful shocks. A thoughtfully landscaped parking area gives way to the arched porch of a 2,500-square-foot, English-style Montgomery Ward kit-home-turned-restaurant that dates […]

by Eric J. Wallace

Goochland’s Greenswell Growers Go Big

The “lettuce connoisseurs” at Greenswell Growers in Goochland, as CEO Carl Gupton has dubbed himself and his team, produce about 700,000 pounds of lettuce a year—all out of an acre-and-a-half streamlined greenhouse facility. There, the plants grow from seed to salad-ready without any human hands. And though the indoor expanse of bright green sproutlings seems […]

by Hope Cartwright

Take a Moonlit Trip Into a Wild Shenandoah Valley Cave

Moonlight falls bright and dappled through the cedars as we shimmy into a narrow passage beneath the overhang of a hillside boulder that, in the shaky glow of my 13-year-old daughter Zoë’s headlamp, looks like the probable home of a rogue mountain lion. “Don’t worry, I’ve been in here a thousand times and can assure […]

by Eric J. Wallace

Cooking Like the Colonists with Rebecca Suerdieck

If you’ve ever wondered what it means to live to work, you need to know Rebecca Suerdieck. Her business card is humble—historian and educator provide a few hints—but the wattage of her smile gives it all away. This is a woman who absolutely loves what she does. Suerdieck grew up in Colonial Williamsburg, where her […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Can They Rival NYC’s Best?

The great bagel debate. A hot button argument over breakfasts across the country comes down to this: what makes a bagel a real bagel, and can one be found anywhere outside of the Big Apple? Luckily, Virginia bakers haven’t been deterred by naysayers and New York bagel sticklers yet—they, and their bagel dough, rise to […]

by Hope Cartwright

Pages: 1234

Events

June 18, 2025

Pollinator Celebration

Brent and Becky’s Bulbs

June 18, 2025

Garden Walk with Brent Heath

Brent and Becky’s Bulbs

June 18, 2025

May – June @ Art Works!

Art Works

The U.S. DOE Labeled These Virginia Schools Outstanding

Eight Virginia schools received the National Blue Ribbon 2024 award for their high performances. The Exemplary High Performing Schools are Spring Hill Elementary in McLean, Green Run Collegiate in Virginia Beach, Bethel Manor Elementary in Hampton, and St. Andrew the Apostle School in Clifton. The Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are Central Academy Middle […]

by Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves

UVA Claims Top Spots Among Public Universities

The University of Virginia has climbed to No. 4 among public universities in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best Colleges rankings, advancing one position from last year. The university maintained its No. 24 overall ranking, tying with Emory and Georgetown universities. UVA’s commitment to accessibility and student success stands out in several key metrics. […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Small Town, Big History: The Stories of Abingdon

Long before the first European settlers ventured into the American wilderness, the Delaware and Catawba tribes tracked a buffalo trace through the Shenandoah Mountains. Abingdon—once known as Wolf Hills—emerged along this trail, today’s Route 11. Frequented by westward expansionists on the Great Valley Road, Main Street grew. Today, the city of 8,336 residents hugs Route […]

by Michael C. Upton

October 2024 Issue

Up Close with a Raptor

Current Issue

Events

Pollinator Celebration

Garden Walk with Brent Heath

May – June @ Art Works!

Most Popular

The U.S. DOE Labeled These Virginia Schools Outstanding

UVA Claims Top Spots Among Public Universities

Small Town, Big History: The Stories of Abingdon

October 2024 Issue

Up Close with a Raptor

Current Issue

Events

Pollinator Celebration

Garden Walk with Brent Heath

May – June @ Art Works!

Get our most popularweekly newsletter: VL Today

Most Popular

The U.S. DOE Labeled These Virginia Schools Outstanding

UVA Claims Top Spots Among Public Universities

Small Town, Big History: The Stories of Abingdon

Get our most popularweekly newsletter: VL Today

Get our most popular
weekly newsletter: VL Today

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weekly newsletter: VL Today