Virginia has had a major impact on the course of U.S. history. Jamestown was the first permanent settlement in the original Thirteen Colonies. Thus, Virginia came to be known as “the birthplace of a nation.” As well as the “Mother of Presidents” Eight Virginia born gentlemen succeeded to the highest office in the land, including four of the first five presidents.
Travel the state from west to east, and you’ll pass through five different geographical areas. Farthest west is the Appalachian Plateau, which is covered in forests, winding rivers, and flat-topped rock. Continue east, and you’ll cross the Appalachian Ridge and Valley, which is full of caverns, sinkholes, and natural bridges. Farther east is the Blue Ridge Mountains, with rugged ridges and rounded, weathered peaks. Next is the Piedmont, a plain that spreads across most of central Virginia. The Piedmont leads to the Atlantic Coastal Plain, a lowland with swamps and salt marshes that stretches to the ocean.
Capital: Richmond, VA
Population: 8,683,619 (2022)
Official Website: https://www.virginia.gov/
Tourism website: https://www.virginia.org/
Tourist Attractions for Virginia:
History is everywhere in Virginia. Two of its top tourist attractions – Mount Vernon and Monticello – are homes of presidents. Virginia also claims the most Civil War battlefields of any state and the places where both the Revolution and the Civil War ended.
Foods, wine, ski slopes, mountain views and beaches, are some of the choices that a visitor will discover in Virginia. Due to the proximity of the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic Ocean and many rivers and waterways, seafood is found on many menus and Virginia Beach is one of the East Coast’s most popular beach destinations. In the Western part of the state, the Blue Ridge Parkway provides beautiful views as well as orchards laden with fruit.
- Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive
- Colonial Williamsburg
- Virginia Beach
- Mount Vernon
- Arlington National Cemetery
- Monticello and Charlottesville
- Jamestown and Yorktown
- Maymont
- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
- Luray Caverns
- Busch Gardens
- The Battleship Wisconsin & Nauticus
- Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
- Richmond
- Natural Bridge of Virginia
- Chincoteague and Assateague Islands
- Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
- Manassas National Battlefield