Located at the site where English settlers first landed in America, First Landing State Park is Virginia’s most-visited state park. A diverse ecosystem of beach, lagoon, marsh, maritime forest, and cypress swamp, it offers a wide range of activities for visitors, including hiking, biking, swimming, fishing, kayaking, boating, and camping.
Experience military and maritime history aboard the USS Wisconsin, one of the biggest battleships ever built. Having been through three wars, “Wisky” now serves as a floating museum docked next to the Nauticus Maritime Center in Norfolk.
The largest waterpark in Virginia, Water Country USA is home to more than a dozen rides and attractions, from gravity-defying waterslides to wave pools and paddling areas for younger children. The Williamsburg-based park also offers a wide range of dining and shopping options and is a popular day-trip destination for families.
Adjacent to Dulles International Airport and an annex of the National Air and Space Museum, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is three times the size of the original DC museum and attracts millions of visitors annually. Sprawling across several airplane hangars, it houses hundreds of rare aircraft, thousands of associated artifacts, and interactive experiences.
The historic home of George Washington’s mother gives visitors insight into the life and final 17 years of Mary Washington. Period-clad docents welcome you to the 18th-century Mary Washington House and invite you to take a mental step back in time as you explore the original kitchen, guest room where George Washington slept, and gardens.
Visit the Virginia Living Museum to escape the static setting of your average museum. Instead, the zoo-like natural heritage site comes alive with interactive and educational displays of native animals and plants. View endangered wildlife, touch live marine creatures, and explore the region’s distant past on the Dinosaur Discovery Trail.
Embrace history at the Rising Sun Tavern while surrounded by 18th-century furniture and period-clad docents. Originally built as a private residence in 1760 by George Washington’s brother, the home was later leased as a tavern. It is now a historic attraction and one of the four Washington Heritage Museum sites in Fredericksburg.
Walk through the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop, a restored 18th-century pharmacy, and experience the medicine of George Washington’s era. Period-clad docents explain the medical practices of the era and share medicinal uses of leeches, cobwebs, and snakeroot. You can even smell and touch the old-time medicines for a full sensory experience.
Located along the Monticello Wine Trail in Virginia, Blenheim Vineyards is a family-owned operation dedicated to making high-quality wines that reflect the climate of the surrounding piedmont landscape. The winery’s two vineyard sites produce chardonnay, viognier, cabernet franc, petit verdot, and cabernet sauvignon varieties.
A landmark Virginia winery with a distinctly European sensibility, Barboursville Vineyards’ first vines were planted nearly half a century ago. Today, the winery—located on a 900-acre (364-hectare) site once owned by former Virginia governor James Barbour—produces top-rated red, white, sparkling, and dessert wines and invites guests to visit its tasting rooms (and the ruins of Barbour’s estate, designed by Thomas Jefferson).
With rides, games, and attractions spread across 400 acres (161 hectares), Kings Dominion is one of Virginia's premier amusement parks. Thrill-seekers enjoy dozens of coasters and non-coaster rides, kids find endless fun at Planet Snoopy, and summertime guests cool off at Soak City Waterpark—all included with admission.
Discover the art of glassblowing, as it was done centuries ago, at the Jamestown Glasshouse. Part of the Colonial National Historic Park, Jamestown Glasshouse is a recreation of a colonial-era glasshouse, complete with costumed artisans and interpreters who create glass products by hand, using traditional tools and techniques.
A visit to Virginia’s wine country is a trip back in time to when Thomas Jefferson planted the seeds of America’s first vineyards. Jefferson Vineyards, wanting to continue the Founding Father’s dream of wine in the region, offers visitors a rustic spot to sip chardonnay, meritage, and petit verdot while taking in Virginia’s lush landscape.
Washington Dulles International Airport, or Dulles, is one of three major airports in the Washington, D.C. area (the others being Reagan National Airport and Baltimore Washington International Airport. The busiest airport in the region, it’s a major domestic and international hub, with more than 130 destinations on around 40 airlines.
A Virginia Historic Landmark, Michie Tavern has offered food, drink, and lodging for more than 200 years—and hasn't changed much since it first opened in 1784. Inside, servers wear period outfits to serve Southern Midday Fare and invite you to the tavern's oldest structures to learn about its history.
Located in Richmond, where Edgar Allan Poe lived for 13 years, the Poe Museum is home to the world’s most comprehensive collection of artifacts relating to the writer’s legacy and his work, including many of his personal items. The museum is across several historic buildings and includes a shrine to Poe and an Enchanted Garden.
Part of the American Civil War Museum, the White House of the Confederacy was the executive mansion and residence of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his family from 1861 to 1865. Today, it is a listed National Historic Landmark and museum that offers guided tours, interactive exhibits, and educational programs that lend insight into the people who lived and worked there.
Ocean Breeze Waterpark offers family-friendly fun in sunny Virginia Beach. Splash in the wave pool, get thrilled on the park's 30 water slides, or just lounge with the family at a kid-friendly water playground. Beat the heat at the seasonal, outdoor waterpark.
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum in Alexandria comprises two separate structures: a tavern and a hotel. The historic landmark served as the center of political, business, and social life during the early days of the US and hosted the likes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. In addition to touring the museum, visitors can also dine on traditional dishes at the first-floor restaurant.
Carlyle House Historic Park is home to an 18th-century historic house-turned-museum in Old Town Alexandria. The Georgian-style mansion was built by Alexandria’s founder, John Carlyle, and became a center of social and political life during the early days of the city. Visitors can explore the home to get an intimate look at life during this period, courtesy of garments, furnishings, artifacts, and more.
Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Trump Winery is a luxurious wine country estate in the heart of the Monticello Wine Trail. Visit the tasting room to sample award-winning wines, enjoy seasonal fare from the kitchen, and shop for wine, apparel, and gifts. Next door, the Albemarle Estate is a luxury hotel in the style of an English country manor.
A family-friendly destination in Virginia Beach, the Hunt Club Farm offers agricultural-themed entertainment and activities, including pony rides and seasonal festivals. Take the kids to the petting zoo, then head to the farm market, where you can find handmade gifts, plants, and seasonal products.
Charlottesville’s Monticello, former home of President Thomas Jefferson, is full of living history. Mulberry Row, the industrial hub of the 5,000-acre (2,023-hectare) estate, is arguably one of the most important areas of the complex. Everyone who worked the plantation—including slaves—lived here, just a few hundred feet from the main house.
Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia in 1819 to promote discussion, collaboration, and enlightenment through higher education. Today the UNESCO World Heritage Site is considered to be a “public Ivy,” on par with the Ivy League institutions, making it one of the top schools in the nation serving roughly 25,000 students.
Located along the waterfront in downtown Norfolk, Nauticus is a maritime discovery center offering hands-on experiences. Through a museum with interactive exhibits, the Battleship Wisconsin, a sailing center, and the Schooner Virginia (a reproduction of a century-old vessel), visitors can learn all about sailing and the environment, technology, the military, and other subjects.
Travelers interested in architecture and history can visit two distinct landmarks at this site in Alexandria, Virginia. The 126-acre (51-hectare) wooded grounds are the setting for two homes overseen by the National Trust for Historic Preservation: early-19th-century Woodlawn, a plantation worked by enslaved people that became a free labor colony under Quaker ownership, and celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1940s Pope-Leighey House.
The Lee-Fendall House in Old Town Alexandria has been home to the Lee family, generations of enslaved and free African-Americans, convalescing Union soldiers in the Civil War, a liquor purveyor, and labor leader John L. Lewis. Today, it’s a museum that looks at life in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The garden features medicinal plants and roses.
One of Virginia’s most innovative breweries, Champion Brewing Company is home to a 30-barrel brewhouse specializing in craft beers. Flavors range from traditional, such as a chicory IPA, to unique, such as a lavender and coriander wheat ale. The Charlottesville microbrewery features an intimate taproom pouring regular and seasonal brews.
Located in the heart of Virginia Wine Country, near Charlottesville, the family-owned Keswick Vineyards has drawn connoisseurs with its award-winning wines for over 20 years. After planting its first vines in 1999, the winery now produces red, white, and rosé wines (as well as limited-edition sparkling and dessert wine releases), which visitors can savor in its tasting room.
This waterpark near Washington DC is a great way to keep cool or head out of town for a day of splashing and fun. You'll find varying fun levels, from 4-story water slides to cannonball launches and slides. Adults can keep it real by floating down a lazy river while bambinos splash in the "zero-depth" wading pool.
