#49 best destination in the world

 

Monticello, Charlottesville

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Best time to travel: May-July
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Primary plantation of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States
  • This famous building is on the reverse side of the nickel
  • Originally 5,000 acres, Jefferson used slaves for extensive cultivation of tobacco
  • Designed using neoclassical design inspired by the Italian Renaissance
  • Jefferson is buried on the grounds designated as the Monticello Cemetery

Colonial Williamsburg

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Best time to travel: April-June, Oct
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Living history museum in the historic district of Williamsburg
  • The district is filled with 18th century buildings that are an interpretation of a colonial American city
  • Costumed employees work and dress as people did in the era, sometimes using colonial grammar and diction

National Museum of the Marine Corps, Triangle

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Best time to travel: June, early Aug-early Oct
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Historical museums dedicated to the Marine Corps
  • Opened in 2006
  • A major expansion will include more modern history, such as the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, a combat art gallery, and a war on terror gallery

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly

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Best time to travel: April-June, Sept-Oct
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Annex at Washington Dules International Airport that holds exhibits including the Space Shuttle Discovery and the Enola Gay
  • The museum was made possible by Steven F. Udvar-Házy, an immigrant from Hungary
  • Opened in 2003

Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park

Best time to travel: Sept-Nov, March-May
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • 105-mile National Parkway that runs the entire length of Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains, generally along the ridge of the mountains
  • The drive provides access to numerous trails, including the Appalachian Trail, and it is also used for biking and horseback riding
  • Skyline Drive is the main road through Shenandoah National Park and has access to campgrounds, visitor centers, and resorts
  • The scenic drive is particularly popular in the fall for leaf peeping when the leaves are changing colors

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond

Best time to travel: April-June
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Art museum in Richmond, opened in 1936, considered among the largest art museums in North America for square footage of exhibition space
  • The VMFA’s comprehensive art collection includes African art, American art, British sporting art, Fabergé, and Himalayan art

Kings Dominion, Doswell

Best time to travel: April, Oct
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Amusement park located in Doswell, opened in 1975, and features more than 60 rides, shows and attractions including 13 roller coasters and a water park

Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County

Best time to travel: April-June, Oct
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • United States military cemetery in Arlington County, in whose 639 acres the dead of the nation’s conflicts have been buried, beginning with the Civil War, as well as reinterred dead from earlier wars
  • The national cemetery was established during the Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, previously the estate of Mary Anna Custis Lee, a great-granddaughter of Martha Washington and wife of Robert E. Lee

Mount Vernon, Fairfax County

Best time to travel: April-Oct
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Landmark and former plantation of George Washington, the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha
  • The estate is on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax County
  • The Washington family acquired land in the area in 1674
  • The landmark escaped the damage suffered by many plantation houses during the American Civil War, and due to efforts by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, Mount Vernon has been restored

The Omni Homestead Resort, Hot Springs

Best time to travel: April-Oct
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$

  • Luxury resort in Hot Springs, in the middle of the Allegheny Mountains, built in 1892
  • The area has the largest hot springs in the commonwealth, and the resort is also known for its championship golf courses, which have hosted several national tournaments
  • The resort also includes an alpine ski resort; founded in 1959, it is the oldest in Virginia