Restorations
Jefferson’s Retreat Restored
After 34 painstaking years, Poplar Forest celebrates a remarkable milestone.
In a late afternoon in September, paint conservator Erika Sanchez Goodwillie pours pigments into a mill that resembles an oversized coffee grinder.
One at a time, she grinds black, brown, and reddish powders, mixing them until she finds her desired color. […]
Current Issue
Most Popular
A New Experience at the Virginia Scenic Railway
Virginia Scenic Railway Adds Dome Car for Spectacular Valley Views The popular Virginia Scenic Railway just upped its game with a vintage dome car offering breathtaking 360° views of the Shenandoah Valley. The “Shenandoah”—built in 1948 as the “Silver Palace” for the California Zephyr—now gives passengers an unmatched vantage point on three-hour excursions from Staunton. […]
Mom Hiked the Appalachian Trail with 13 Kids in Tow
Nikki Bettis stood on the jagged summit outcrop of Shenandoah National Park’s 4,011-foot Stony Man, awed by westward panoramic views. Her heart swelled with emotion as she turned to watch her 13 kids shoulder their loaded backpacks and fall into a clamorous single-file line heading back to the Appalachian Trail (AT). “We were in an […]
Williamsburg Archaeologists Uncover Secret Garden
In Colonial America, a grand garden was the ultimate status symbol—the 18th century equivalent of a Lamborghini. So when archaeologists at Colonial Williamsburg uncovered John Custis IV’s property, they struck horticultural gold: the remains of a football field-sized garden alongside his Jacobean manor house. Custis, a tobacco magnate and Martha Washington’s first father-in-law, went all […]
The Newsletter
Get our most popular
weekly newsletter: VL Today
Your weekly roundup of Virginia’s top stories and the best things to eat, drink, see and do across the state.