Front Royal Travel Guide

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Front Royal's old downtown contains a number of historic buildings. If you pick up a Walking Tour map at the Visitors Center, then it guides you on a circular loop that ends at the center. Along the way are plenty of things to see.

The Weaver house was once home to Aubrey Weaver, who represented Wallis Simpson in her divorce case. She later married the Duke of Windsor (who would have become King of England).

Confederate spy Belle Boyd lived in a cottage behind the Ivy Lodge. The Warren County Courthouse and Town Hall were built during the 1930's, by the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps, respectively.

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The Battle of Front Royal seems like yesterday, to those who visit this museum. Owned and operated by the Warren Rifles Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy, it's a treasure trove of uniforms, weapons, and other memorabilia.

Open April 15 to November 1, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm weekdays and noon to 4:00 pm on Sundays.

Okay, up front I'll admit I'm a professional historian and have worked as a museum director in several museums over a dozen years. I hoped the Confederate Museum in Front Royal would be a place to spend a good hour or more looking at the exhibits. This museum was put together in the early 20th century by the Daughters of the Confederacy to honor the Lost Cause. The labels have not changed in 100 years: like a rusted canteen labeled "Captured Yankee Canteen" or a decaying leather belt: "Yankee belt." This is a one room operation. It has not been properly cleaned or maintained since Stonewall's times, many of the lights in various cases are broken so that a visitor cannot read the politically correct labels, and the collection is in great need of conservation. Many of the items date from after the Civil War and are from the United Confederate Veterans, rather than being Civil War items. Several exhibits contain newspaper clippings that have turned completely yellow. Only the most ardent of Southrons will find enligthenment here. Kids will be bored to tears. This was the way museums were done before the 1960's. All in all, I was greatly disappointed.

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Read the other Flea Market tip-- perfect description. For those who do NOT like flea markets (but are perhaps associated with someone who does) this is one that you can go to without suffering. Not too big, not too small. Take your camera.

Front Royal is located just at the northern end of Skyline Drive. Skyline Drive is located in Shenandoah National Park. The drive winds for 105 miles through the Blue Ridge Mountains (part of the Appalachian chain). It provides great views of the landscape and wildlife.

Take a tour through Skyline Caverns. It's open daily. It's one of the better caverns I've been in. There's three underground streams and something called "anthodites" (a white mineral which grows in spikes from the cavern ceiling) which exist only a few places in the world. It's a worth a look, but take a jacket it's chilly down there.