When I arrived In Fredricksburg for the first time in 2023, I really wanted to explore downtown and…read moresee the area. I finally got to go to downtown historic Fredricksburg in August 2025. I saw all the places I had wanted to see for years or months. I had a beautiful day seeing as much as I could in one day. Highlights there: Riverby Bookstore, The Wren & Sparrow, Shoppes at Carolina, the Visitor Center, Irish Eyes, Dragon's Den, Bello Manzo, and The Grove of Brite Blessings. I recommend going to the visitor center to get information on places you would like to see. One of the things I would like to do is to go to the National park and the trolley tour in Fredricksburg. Parking can be difficult during tourist season yet we managed to get free parking nearby.

This old town area is charming, full of local flavor and dotted with nice shops and restaurants…read more Plenty of free parking. Fredericksburg's identity and character are directly related to its rich history. Captain John Smith, while charting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, reached this area in 1608, his westernmost exploration in the New World. Before Fredericksburg was founded, Alexander Spotswood established an iron industry in the upstream wilderness. Across the Rappahannock River from the newly established town, a boy named George Washington grew to manhood. Six months before Yorktown, the Marquis de Lafayette and a division of Continental soldiers hurried through these urban blocks and headed south, to confront Lord Cornwallis and his British Regulars coming up from the Carolinas. The oldest surviving building in downtown Fredericksburg dates to 1737. The newest one is still under construction. This built environment, which spans nearly three centuries, exerts a strong sense of continuity. There are grand residences on lower Caroline Street and remnants of industrial buildings on upper Caroline. William Street and the middle section of Caroline Street are still the focus of the business district. Princess Anne Street remains the government corridor. Warehouses adapted to new uses sit adjacent to a railway that cut through town in antebellum days. Just a nice place to stroll, eat, grab a cup of coffee or an ice cream cone.

Most of Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson was buried in a Lexington, Virginia, cemetery that now…read morebears his name, but he was so famous at the time of his death that his amputated left arm was spirited away to its own separate grave. It was just after dark on May 2, 1863. Jackson had just launched a devastating attack against Union forces at Chancellorsville. Returning to his own lines with several staff officers, Jackson, ever the aggressive soldier, decided to conduct reconnaissance in the area. As he and his staff rode through the woods near Confederate lines, a North Carolina regiment, unable to see who was riding up on them, opened fire. Jackson was struck by three bullets, two of them shattering his left arm. The general was evacuated from the area and given medical treatment, but the arm couldn't be saved and was amputated. Pneumonia set in, and on May 10, 1863, the South lost its most effective tacticia. Thinking that the limb of so great a solider was too precious to simply throw on the regular body part trash pile, Jackson's unofficial company chaplain, Reverend Tucker Lacy wrapped the arm in a blanket and took it to his family cemetery. The reverend gave the limb a standard Christian burial and placed a marker above the site. Supposedly Stonewall Jackson's arm was dug up and reburied numerous times in the ensuing years and there is no concrete evidence that it still resides in its original burial space, but the simple gravestone remains.

"Jackson has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right"…read more -General Robert E. Lee Jackson's last words were apparently, "Let us cross over the river and rest in the shade of the trees." It seems like a lot of words for a dying man. If, however there is truth in this story, then the resting place of this limb seems fitting. The lone tombstone sits quietly among a small group of trees on the Virginia countryside. The picturesque views were once covered by war field hospitals and now is the resting place of the left arm of one of America's most famous Generals. A little history: Stonewall Jackson's arm was destined to be buried along with other amputated limbs until Jackson's Chaplain, Reverend Lacy, retrieved it from a macabre pile of appendages and eventually buried it on his own plantation, Ellwood Manor. The limb was buried several days before Jackson's death as a way for his staff to pay tribute to the man that they had followed through battle. It's probably the least they could do considering that his own men accidentally shot him. I'm just sayin'. The story of a buried arm is surreal, but a little research makes the story a little more humane. Even if Jackson fought on the wrong side of history, every body (or body part) should be so lucky to be buried in a place so serene. Verdict: Great for Civil War buffs, the curious and people spending a little time in nearby Old Town Fredricksberg. Or Cross it off your Weird Virginia (book) list. Weird tidbits: The arm has been dug up a few times in the past, but has always made it's way back into the ground. It seems that the curious return it to it's resting place after learning that there REALLY is an arm buried in the ground. FYI: The last time I attempted a visit, the grounds were closed contrary to the information found on the website. If in doubt, it's best to call.

This Autumn, signs began to appear on telephone poles in the Gainesville/Haymarket area - warning…read moreof the Un-lucky Inn. Being a Halloween fan - I was intrigued, I visited their web site. So it looks and sounds cool based on the story on their web site. But would it actually deliver the scary goods? I went last Friday night on my way home from Shenandoah National Park. I arrived about 6:40 pm and bought my ticket - $10.00. The first hour The Un-lucky Inn conducts a non-scary version for little kids to go through. While you are waiting, a couple of vendors are selling food - one has hot chocolate and coffee for sale, the other is Red Hot and Blue - selling pulled pork and chicken sandwiches - just in time for you to eat them, then enter the Un-lucky Inn - and lose your lunch! :-) At 7:30 pm, they begin the real horror. Groups are sent though with a couple of guides, no more than eight people per group. You cross the yard and enter the Un-lucky Inn. I am not going to give away the scary details as I want others to be properly frightened and terrified. Suffice to say, this is to date the best and scariest haunted house I have experienced as an adult. Go, go to The Un-lucky Inn. You may check in, but you will never check out! Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

The Un-Lucky Inn is not a pofessional haunted house, its ran by volunteers of Reminton Fire house…read more People from surronding counties came to volunteer to help with the haunt. I should know, I was one of the main actors.. or actress you should say. Its a timing and tiring process but we did it, cause we enjoy scaring people. :) The Un-Lucky Inn is filled with any possible scary effects that would make a grown man cry, or #2 himself. Gladly tho, there are porta pottys near, so if you gotta go befor and after, its there for you. That is not a lie, I had to clean up my station plenty of times. Yes, there may be a line to wait in, but doesnt all haunted houses? At least there is a barrel of fire to keep you warm before your haunt, and great food and drinks for sale. Have kids too scared to go thru the regular haunt, there is a scare free tour for the little ones or the faint at heart ones.. Its a great haunted house to go to. No only will we give you the heeby jeebies, but the real owner of this house. Mr. Lucky himself. He still resides in this house, i swear. I work in the house, yet, I even get scared just going back and forth in the house. I hope you will check out the house someday. ITs a fright you will never forget. Rescue teams available if needed. NO DRUGS OR ALCOHOL PERMITTED ON GROUNDS. if you come in drunk or high, we will notify police.

I'm surprised to see this on Yelp! This site is near my house. Tales of terror haunt this…read morerailroad bridge. You can google the story and history of this spot, be aware, if you mess around near the bridge, the police will come and reprimand you. On Halloween night, the police post a squad car at Bunnyman bridge.

Smiling that some Kevin/Karen neighbor is complaining, and of course they have to waste the time of…read moreNorfolk Southern Police. It's a public area, and as much money as you might have, maybe if you had done your research you would have known. There's countless public records on the ridiculously silly Bunnyman Lore stories and the like. Doubtful it's true, as without evidence, the bunnyman and other legends don't exist. If young people mostly want to check this out, at least they're doing something relatively safe, compared to partying with booze or fentanyl. There's not really much to see here. To drive back here takes considerable effort for nada. A bridge. Big deal. Feel free to waste time with it, and if the Bunnyman stuff intrigues you, by all means have fun. On a plus note it is a pretty part of the county. I hope all who visit are respectful, but as it is a public place, people who live in the area should have done their due diligence.

You've got to admire a Spite House. It's known as the Hollensbury Spite House and is 7-feet wide…read moreand 325 sq feet. It was built in 1830 and is considered to be the narrowest historic house in the U.S. So inquiring minds want to know -- why was it built? It was built to block an alleyway with too much traffic.

Cutest house and easy to find in such a charming neighborhood…read more Does someone actually live here?

Located just across the border from Washington, D.C., the town of Bethesda, Maryland is a fairly…read morewell-to-do suburb and one of the last places one might expect to find a fantastical novelty house. The house at 4949 Allan Road in Bethesda has become something of a landmark, known for the curved canopies that earned it the name "the Mushroom House." The bumpy edges and pointed tip give the house a shape slightly reminiscent of a Dr. Seuss doodle. As it turns out, though, the original design was not particularly child-friendly. See link of interview from couple who had it built. https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ94C2IKSK6/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

I had no idea that such a unique piece of architecture was located right in the suburbs of…read moreBethesda. I only found this out after searching for activities to do in the area and was recommended this site. Definitely a really cool crafted home that looks like a smurf or flinstone home!

One of the lesser known, but uber-popular tourist sites in DC! This staircase near Key Bridge, on…read morethe western end of M Street in Georgetown is worth checking out. It's a quick walk from most of the spots in Georgetown. I've been here many times over the years and recently took coworkers to check it out. It's pitched rather steep, but still an easy walk to the top. Definitely spooky when visited at night! Check it out!

Very cool to see! Can't seem to ever wish to fall down them like the stunt man in the exorcist!!…read moreI'll stay upright thank you!

Hidden on a typical residential street is a huge secret vegetable garden! Out back is an elderly…read moreman selling his vegetables only to those few who know about it! Organic, real, local and fresh! Check it out!

Starting in the 1800s, the area near what is now Richmond's Rothesay neighborhood was occupied by a…read morelarge number of granite quarries. As they closed and were allowed to fill with water, they became popular recreation spots. Back in 1931, a Richmond man named Jimmie Scott purchased four forested acres in Rothesay including the Philadelphia Quarry. Local legend holds that the quarry provided the stone used to build Philadelphia's expansive New Public Building, now known as City Hall, thereby earning its name. The next year, Scott opened The Philadelphia Quarry Club, a private swimming hole. The $50 yearly membership fee was out of reach for most Richmonders, especially at the height of the Depression. At first, the club leadership struggled to even build a permanent bath house. But despite financial difficulties, occasional algae blooms, toe-nibbling fish, and battles against the local nonpoisonous snake population, the exclusive and secretive club has survived to this day and now has more than 400 members. ‍‍