Having been here thrice over a the previous 2 decades, there is always something interesting to…read moresee, yet I must admit that my favorite is always Jackson's stuffed horse, Little Sorrel, Jackson's raincoat when shot, and his uniform and other belongings. There is a small bookstore with a decent selection of Civil War books, VMI merchandise, etc. I'd purchased the ticket at the Jackson House which I'd visted earlier. Overall, it was a memorable experience and I'll probably return on a future visit

Omg this is such a gem! Please keep this museum open and alive! Between little Sorrel and Stonewall…read moreJackson's raincoat, I was in absolute awe! Here's a lil history lesson: "Little Sorrel" A Morgan horse, 15 hands tall, captured in Harper's Ferry by Stonewall Jackson's army in 1861. Originally intending to give the horse to his wife, Jackson paid the quartermaster $150 for the gelding, naming him "Fancy." But after riding the horse, Jackson found the animal's gait so pleasing he remarked, "A seat on him was like being rocked in a cradle." Deciding to keep the horse for himself, it quickly became known as "Little Sorrel" once Jackson began using it as his regular mount. Jackson was riding Little Sorrel when wounded on May 2, 1863 at the battle of Chancellorsville. The horse remained on the battlefield after Jackson was removed and was later found by 2 artillery soldiers, neither of whom recognized it as Jackson's horse. One of the soldiers rode the horse for several days until it was discovered to be Little Sorrel, at which point the horse was turned over the Gen. J.E.B Stuart. He in turn gave the animal to Anna Jackson, who took Little Sorrel with her to North Carolina to live at her father's farm. In 1883, Anna donated Little Sorrel to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), where the animal was permitted to leisurely graze the parade grounds for the next two years. The horse was then relocated to the Confederate Soldiers' Home in Richmond, Virginia, where he died at the age of 36 in 1886. As s Little Sorrel advanced in age, he couldn't stand. Soldiers fabricated a sling to support the gelding when he had visitors; however, this sling broke which sent Little Sorrel tumbling to the ground where he broke his neck. Following the animal's death, the Soldiers' Home contracted a taxidermist named Frederic Webster to preserve Little Sorrel's remains. Webster mounted the hide on a framework of plaster, keeping the animal's skeleton for himself "as part payment for my service," and donated to the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, in 1903. In 1949, the hide was returned to VMI where it remains on display to this day. That same year, the horse's skeletal remains were also donated to VMI, but stayed in storage until 1997. On July 20, 1997, 111 years later, Little Sorrel's bones were cremated and ceremoniously buried in a grave in front of Stonewall Jackson's statue. Dirt had been gathered from every battlefield where master and mount had fought, and spectators were allowed to throw a handful of it into the faithful horse's grave, which was surrounded by wreaths of apples and carrots. He is one of only two horses ever to be preserved from the Civil War. The other is Sheridan's Winchester.

American Civil War Museum @ Appomattox, VA…read more This place is a gem for people that love history! Cleburne's coat that he was killed in at the battle of Franklin had me in absolute aweeee! Thank y'all for preserving these artifacts for the people to enjoy. I would highly recommend this place! On April 8, 1865, Lee's Army of Northern Virginia paused its march a mile from the small village of Appomattox Court House. Lee intended to resupply there before heading to Lynchburg, Virginia, and then south to Danville, Virginia. Unanticipated was the arrival of Union cavalry coming from the south under Gen. Philip H. Sheridan's command. That evening Union Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer successfully led some of the cavalry against the Confederate supply trains at the nearby Appomattox Station. Although shaken, Lee hoped to break through to Lynchburg the next day. On the morning of April 9, Lee ordered his cavalry, under the command of Gen. John B. Gordon, to attack Sheridan's cavalry, which had blocked the Richmond-Lynchburg Stage Road. Lee commanded an army of nearly 27,000 soldiers, which paled in comparison to Grant's force of some 63,000 troops, but he still intended to force his way through Union lines. The Confederate cavalry initially held their own and even succeeded in driving the Union horsemen from their position atop a nearby ridge. However, Gordon saw thousands of Union troops quickly approaching and sent word to Lee that his position was hopeless unless the infantry supported them. Lee's infantry, however, was engaged with Grant's Army of the James, which had approached the Confederates from the west under cover of night. Faced with no route of escape to Lynchburg, Lee agreed to negotiate terms of surrender. In a statement about her husband, Mary Custis Lee remarked that "General Lee is not the Confederacy." Her assessment was spot on, for the Confederacy still lived. Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's army--the next largest after Lee's still at war--was operating in North Carolina. Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor controlled forces in Alabama, Mississippi, and part of Louisiana. Lt. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith's men were west of the Mississippi, and Brig. Gen. Stand Watie was in command of an Indian unit in the Far West. Nathan Bedford Forrest had men in Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi.

This was an amazing museum with many beautiful pieces. Do y'all a favor and take a look. It gives a…read morebeautiful perspective and shows how far we have come since as a nation

I may have left the Shenandoah, But she'll never leave my…read moreheart. Stonewall Country clear-eyed daughter of the stars. I worked for Theater at Lime Kiln in 1995. While I was there I met and saw many great artists such as Kris Kristofferson, Robin & Linda Williams, The Mighty Rainmakers, and many more. In addition to the many great concert series performances I also had the joy of seeing the theatrical performance of Stonewall Country every night and working with a wonderful volunteer staff, cast, and crew. Stonewall Country was a great musical about the life and death of Civil War General Stonewall Jackson. Who by the way is buried in Lexington as well in Stonewall Jackson Cemetery off Main St. His horse is stuffed and located in the Virginia Military Institute museum. Since I left my home in Stonewall Country, I have but one concern; That I will never get back home To see the seasons turn. Or the sun go down in Stonewall Country, Pink and flaming red. With the trees all silhouetted Against the mountain's crest, Just over to the west.

My husband and I, with some friends, enjoyed a great concert last night in the Bowl...Love Canon!…read moreThe concert sold out so be sure to purchase tickets ahead of time online. There were probably several hundred folks at the venue, but it was not over-crowded. This is such a great outdoor venue! Parking was a breeze and it was a short walk to the restrooms, entrance, will call, and food and drink. Concert started at 7:30p and we arrived around 6:30p. We had plenty of time to find a bench and stake our claim to it with a blanket. Then we purchased dinner...choices were burger, chicken salad, tuna salad, quinoa and rice salad, tuna, crab cake and maybe another item or two. Non-alcoholic drinks were water, sodas, and apple juice. There was also a food truck that offered some small bites and dessert. Beer and wine were also for sale for $5 each. The only draw back was the long line for food and then another long line for beer and wine. There was an area with about half a dozen picnic tables. The restrooms were quite clean! The band played until about 11:00p. Music and lighting were terrific. Leaving the venue was a breeze. I would definitely recommend this venue!

We love this place and have been back three years in a row. It's a great family friendly experience…read morewith the BEST strawberry ice cream ever!

This place is absolutely stunning! Went out to pick blueberries and had an amazing time! Surrounded…read moreby mountains, not too busy, especially for a Saturday, and they had the best strawberry slushies I have ever had! We found it by accident, as we originally planned to pick somewhere else but they had been completely picked out of blueberries the day before. I came across Seaman's as I was googling other things to do in the area and am so glad I did! They had an abundance of delicious blueberries!

Halestone is a fabulous dance studio. Creative, fun, hard-working, affirming, innovative. Our…read morepre-teen daughter has been a part of Halestone for the last four years and has grown in grace and confidence. The annual recitals are full of artistry and magic.

This university has a unique historical niche. The name really is what it sounds like, and the…read moreuniversity has a several exhibitions memorializing George Washington and Robert E. Lee. Most notable is the university's chapel and Lee memorial, which had a volunteer out to explain the history (and the fact that the museum was being renovated so there wasn't a ton to see). Several other buildings were within walking distance, including one which housed exhibitions of porcelain, and some interesting pictures of mines with brightly colored chemicals. The individual museums were not large, but the combined experience is worth stopping to take a look at. There is no charge to enter and there is a small circle dedicated to museum parking.

Absolutely jaw dropping experience. I am a hugeeee civil war buff and seeing this in person was…read moreamazing. You enter the chapel doors and see Lee's bodice. You are able to walk around it and take pictures. Downstairs is his crypt and office. And outside the door downstairs is all the information about Traveller! Here's some history! It was 1861, Lee was in the mountains of West Virginia commanding a small Confederate force that would suffer defeat in the Battle of Cheat Mountain; this earned him the nickname "Granny Lee" because people thought he was afraid to shed blood. Here he met Captain Joseph M. Broun, quartermaster of the 3rd Infantry of Wise's Legion, mounted on a steed that would eventually become Lee's famous warhorse Traveller. The original owner named the horse Jeff Davis after the Mississippi senator who would become President of the Confederacy; but when Broun bought the horse for military service he renamed him Greenbriar. Before Lee had an opportunity to acquire the horse, he was sent on orders to the Palmetto State. Captain Broun's company was also later transferred to the Lowcountry. As fate would have it, he met Lee again at Pocotaligo. Immediately recognizing "his colt," the general still showed such a fancy for the horse that the junior officer realized he had little choice but to offer it up as a gift. Lee declined, saying he would gladly purchase the animal. Broun let Greenbriar go for the same price at which he purchased him: $175, or approximately $4,500 in today's currency, but the General added a tip of $15 to compensate for the depreciation of Confederate money. Lee named him Traveller. At the 2nd Battle of Bull Run, Traveller spooked and threw his master down against a stump. Lee broke both hands and finished out the campaign in an ambulance, or with a courier leading his horse. But, more generally, Traveller was noted for bravery and, at times, soldiers had to literally surround him and grab the reigns to keep him from plunging ahead with their commander onto the front lines of battle. In his final years, Lee served as President of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. Traveller was allowed to graze about the campus, but so many star-struck students stole hairs from his mane and tail that Lee complained in a letter to his daughter, "He is presenting the appearance of a plucked chicken." In the fall of 1870, Lee suffered a stroke and died two weeks later. For the funeral procession, Traveller was saddled up and decked out with black crepe. He led along behind the ammunition cart bearing Lee's casket. Within a year, Traveller stepped on a rusty nail and contracted tetanus. He was shot to end his misery. Traveller was initially buried behind the main buildings of the college, but was unearthed by persons unknown and his bones were bleached for exhibition in Rochester, New York, in 1875/1876. In 1907, Richmond journalist Joseph Bryan paid to have the bones mounted and returned to what was now Washington AND Lee University. The skeleton was periodically vandalized there by students who carved their initials in it for good luck. In 1929, the bones were moved to the museum in the basement of the University Chapel, where they stood for 30 years, deteriorating with exposure. Finally in 1971, Traveller's remains were buried in a wooden box encased in concrete next to the chapel a few feet away from the Lee family crypt inside, where his master's body rests. The stable where he lived his last days, directly connected to the Lee House on campus, traditionally stands with its doors left open; this is said to allow his spirit to wander freely. When the 24th president of the university violated this tradition, he caught so much flack from the community that he had to have the doors repainted in a color he called "Traveller's Green," just so he could redeem himself.

We love this movie theater…read more It's a historic building but they just renovated the inside seating area. Each theater now has fully reclining plush lazy boy seats. It's very spacious, clean, and comfortable. They only show 2 movies at a time, but they are usually whatever is most popular at the time. They also have a decent concessions stand with soda, popcorn, and candies. At $9 for an adult Friday night ticket, that price is hard to beat!

This movie theater is super. As a resident i have had nothing but excellent experiences here since…read moreits remodel quite some years ago. Friendly, very comfortable & 1st run movies.

My oldest and I just shared a blast from the past and had a great time! Kicked his butt in Mortal…read moreKombat and Streetfighter but he crushed me with his panda in Tekken--make sure you swing by and support a really awesome local business! We had some fun!

Tommy's arcade is a great spot for some retro and a bit of modern gaming. He has a handful of…read morecabinets, consoles, pinball machines, and even a cocktail table machine (think Mrs. Pac-Man). There is a good selection of snacks for purchase (cheez-it packets for the win). Just start a tab and go play! In a crazy, busy world, it's often good to just forget about all that and play some games.