Great visitor center located right next to big meadows. Park staff were very helpful in providing…read moredirections and hike recommendations. The on site museum told the history of the park in such a easily digestible and understandable way that it felt really inspiring to think about the people who put the effort in to make the park what it is today.

This visitor center is a must-stop when exploring Shenandoah! The location is beautiful, with…read morestunning views that make it worth the visit on their own. Inside, there's a small but charming store with local souvenirs. The exhibits were informative and well-presented,great for learning more about the park's history, wildlife, and natural features. It's the perfect place to take a relaxing break along the way. They also had clean restrooms and restaurant nearby.

Friendly and helpful staff. Located in cute historical home. Local items for sale. Good info on…read morelocal drinks and food.

Top notch information center!…read more We were tooling around Harrisonburg and since we had no clue where anything was we popped in (plus we had to pee real bad). The two ladies working here were amazing and I am sorry that I did not get their names- they were just super friendly and spent a lot of time just chatting with us about the area and the things to see and places to eat etc. Probably one of the best Tourist information centers I have ever used. Parking lot in back.

I have been to many visitor centers over the years. Most have a physical building and are open 7…read moredays a week. When I was planning to go to Charlottesville on vacation recently I searched on google and found out you can only call them on Weds and Thurs and they don't have a physical building. They have a temporary kiosk. I did ask for info about Charlottesville. The highlights are Monticello, UVA and the DownTown Mall. It was unfortunate that it rained on some days I was there. Nothing you can do about the weather. It was sunny on enough days I could get out and explore. Also, if you are a history buff, Montpelier is about a half hour drive from Charlottesville and is the home of James Madison. It's not as grand as Monticello, but it was okay. The other home, Highland, was the home of James Monroe and is located in Charlottesville. One thing I was not aware of is the original home burned down in 1829 after Monroe had sold the home. It was never rebuilt so what you are actually seeing on the property is a guest house the president never resided in. IF I had known this I would have thought twice about going there. They don't really put this information out there front and center. I only learned about it when I was there. They do have a history tour, but I think I would have probably skipped highlands. the downtown mall is nice, my friend and I got to see a free concert at the venue called the 'Ting' There are many shops and restaurants, but one caveat is there were many homeless there. There is a police presence there. Just thought I'd mention it. I took Amtrak and took their transit buses called CAT which are free. They don't run on Suns though. I did have to take Lyft to Monticello, there are no buses or shuttles to get to the property. There are also wineries and hiking trails in the Blue Ridge mountains to enjoy.

Conveniently location at the end of the mall area next to the pavilion, this is one of the most…read moreaccommodating Visitor's Centers I've ever been to. We stopped here for to-do suggestions for the day. The gentleman who helped us was friendly, asked how old the kids were and if there was anything we were particularly interested in. He mapped out options for us in three areas of town on the map, and made a great suggestions for breakfast. Definitely stop in here for top notch visitors info.

Had such a great visit here, the roads were incredibly well kept!! Every turn offered a new…read moreperspective and view of the mountains!! The pull offs to take photos and take in the view felt like a cheat code to seeing the parks beauty without putting in the work to hike for a view point, making this part of the national park incredibly accessible to those who's mobility is not up to par for a long hike.

We absolutely loved this drive. You could honestly stay in the car the whole time and see some…read moregreat views. We didn't though - stopped and did some hiking but our guidebooks were good about noting the mile markers so you could try to plan it out. They had somewhat clear mile markers on the side of the road and it was fairly easy sailing the whole day. As the park got busier, it was nice to have the wayside lots to break things up a bit. Very easy to navigate.

I've stopped in the Lexington Visitor Center during pretty much every visit to Rockbridge County,…read moreVA and am impressed by how consistently friendly and helpful the staff are. I don't know whether they are employed or volunteer their time, however their knowledge and passion for the history of the environs is impressive. It is conveniently located in historic Lexington and is located just a few doors down from the Stonewall Jackson House & Museum. If you've not been to Lexington in the past or would like more ideas about places to see, this is a great stop. They have a private parking lot AND clean public bathrooms! ( I like the clean part!) PS. A special thanks to Etta with whom I had a delightful discussion!

The Lexington Visitor Center is an excellent place to begin a visit to this historic town. You will…read moresee highway signs announcing it along I-81 and in town. Displays showcase the principal attractions. The helpful docent at the desk will give you a walking tour map and mark it up with a suggested route. A tour will usually begin with the Stonewall Jackson House just up the street. Free parking is available all day at the visitor center, though the parking lot fills up. Restrooms.

So glad we stopped in to see this museum! It's free. It was small but had a lot of information. It…read morewas interesting to learn about the history of Lynchburg and see artifacts related to Lynchburg. Some exhibits, like the women's suffrage movement, showed how life in Lynchburg correlated to larger events. A large map along with the history of the different sections of the city is in the basement. After leaving the museum, we explored some of the neighborhoods. The Visitor's Center is also located here. The woman at the desk was so helpful. She helped us find a restaurant for dinner, gave us directions, and helped us find some other places to go. A small gift shop area is also here. Prices were very reasonable.

From the owner: Start your LYH visit at the Lynchburg Museum, where friendly staff will assist you with all there…read moreis to see and do in the City of Lynchburg and the surrounding region. Whether you want to soak up the City's rich history, spend a day brewery hopping, or hit the trails, our staff will help you find your next adventure.

The Blue Ridge Parkway begins where Skyline Drive ends in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. It…read moreruns 217 miles from Anton to the border with North Carolina near Roanoke, before continuing farther to the southwest into the Smoky Mountains in far western Carolina; 469 miles in all. It is very similar to Skyline Drive, but offers somewhat higher peaks and and more astounding long vistas of blue tinged valleys from overlooks along the route. Still, if you love this part of the Appalachians, you really owed it to yourself to continue the excursion at least partially down the twisting crest hugging blacktop for as long as you wish. We were able to do more rock scrambling there than farther north, and the adventure quotient was that much more challenging. Too, we had a decent map of the secondary roads, and turned off the Parkway to return via unpaved single lane gravel tracks that took us deeper into the vales and hollows where the locals live and work the land. I imaged hearing banjo and bluegrass as we passed crystal flowing streams and cascading boulder diverted waterfalls. Perfect soundtrack to our personal travelogue. Those fifty miles were the most exciting. At first a little nervous being somewhere we might not be found, we gradually found some confidence as our car trekked the forest road well, and the one pickup we met along the way courteously pulled out of our way to let us pass, with a smile and wave. Pennsylvania has the Allegheny Mountains, the northern continuation of the Blue Ridge. They are rugged and beautiful in their own right, but lack the focus demanded from a challenging drive on mountain roads dedicated to letting travelers discover their intense magnetism. Spend enough time under their spell and you will swear you underwent a near religious experience.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the most visited National Parks, 469 miles of twisty road from…read moreWaynesboro, VA to Cherokee, NC. It's a gorgeous drive or bicycle ride, with a lot of elevation changes and tons of pretty vistas. There are numerous visitor centers along the way to stop and rest, and if you like this type of drive, you will be rewarded with an interesting drive. It's also a springboard to many hiking opportunities, with numerous trail heads along the road. It's beautiful at any time of the year, from the colorful autumn colors to the burst of wildflowers in spring, to the icy beauty in the winter, and the cooler temperatures in the summer. An awesome drive!

We were pumped to try this easy trail but quickly found out it's more moderate than easy. My…read morehusband has a broken vertebrae in his back so he had to turn around. I decided to push forward and was so happy I did. Such a breathtaking hike. The falls are gorgeous and the path is very nice. They have steps built in to many steep places that makes it very easy to navigate. It was a very warm spring day and I did not bring enough water. Bring water or at least a filter so you can have as much drinking water as you need. I enjoyed the hike down but was quickly humbled on the way back up! When I say breathtaking I mean I was out of breath and breathing hard on the way up. So worth it though. I actually hiked down to the Rose River Loop Trail and that's where I turned around to go back up and it's like a 945 ft elevation gain in 1.5 miles. I had to take some breaks and even cooled myself down a bit in the water. What an epic hike though and I even saw a deer!

Amazing waterfall! It was well worth it. It gets steep coming back up but it's nothing anyone can't…read moredo.