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Virginia Beach Hotels: 428 Reviews - 499 Photos
Richmond Hotels: 898 Reviews - 1316 Photos
Williamsburg Hotels: 840 Reviews - 1118 Photos
Alexandria Hotels: 523 Reviews - 1480 Photos
Norfolk Hotels: 117 Reviews - 338 Photos
Lynchburg Hotels: 22 Reviews - 32 Photos
Roanoke Hotels: 126 Reviews - 119 Photos
Arlington Hotels: 501 Reviews - 1079 Photos
Charlottesville Hotels: 325 Reviews - 771 Photos
Wytheville Hotels: 3 Reviews
Harrisonburg Hotels: 25 Reviews - 19 Photos
McLean Hotels: 6 Reviews - 4 Photos
Chesapeake Hotels: 4 Reviews - 8 Photos
Blacksburg Hotels: 63 Reviews - 82 Photos
Winchester Hotels: 56 Reviews - 115 Photos

Virginia Local Customs

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Most Viewed Local Customs in Virginia

Festivals Richmond

8 Reviews The last weekend every October, the Richmond Highland Games and Celtic Festival (or the Scottish Games, as they are more commonly called) takes place at the State Fairgrounds. Tickets run for $15 in...

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History Richmond

11 Reviews The Stars and bars flag of the Confederacy was similar to the Stars and Stripes flag of the Union. Thus, the commanders had problems to distinguish their troops from those of the enemy. That's why the...

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State Fair of Virginia Richmond

2 Reviews Is it just me, or did anyone else notice the horrendous job those responsible for getting state fair goers in and out of the new location did? Did they not plan for the thousands that might show up?...

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Carytown Watermelon Festival Richmond

1 Review They sure enough picked the right time of year for this festival. During the hottest days of August, nothing is quite like eating an ice cold watermelon. Some folks like the good buys from the vendors...

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Monument Ave. Easter Parade Richmond

1 Review This is a local custom in Richmond every year around easter. The city blocks off about 8 blocks on the heart of monument avenue. This year I got a chance to go to the parade with Nat, which was a very...

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Natives Richmond

6 Reviews I was always treated very well by natives in Richmond, Virginia and the South. I was surprised by very, very nice welcome wherever and whenever I came. Natives always wanted to speak with me and were...

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Lakeside Farmer's Market Richmond

1 Review From May through to November, the only real farmer's market in suburban Henrico County takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays takes place north of town in the Lakeside district. There is space for up...

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Virginia Outdoor Sportsman's Show Richmond

1 Review The Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show takes place every year at the Showplace (the former Zayre) department store in eastern Richmond, Virginia. This show not only features guns and hunting equipment,...

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Richmond Free Press Richmond

1 Review One of the best values in Richmond is obviously the Richmond Free Press. At the price of zero, zilch, nada, not one red cent, you can get all the news and information in and around the Richmond area....

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10.

Cheerwine Richmond

1 Review Thanks to good ole Nat (B1Bob), I have now officially become addicted to one of the best soda pops in the country, Cheerwine. Cheerwine is a traditional cherry flavored soft drink, whose roots are...

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11.

Outlying Areas Richmond

1 Review There are a few suburban communities around Richmond which are in reality part of one large area (greater Richmond). But, for some historical reasons, they are unincorporated communities and belong to...

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12.

Architectural Features Richmond

1 Review Most houses along Monument Avenue have elevated (at least 1-2 ft; 0.5 m) ground floors like this one on my picture. Is it because of high risk of floods? Well, James river flows a little bit to south....

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13.

Places of Worship Richmond

1 Review As odd as it may sound, Richmond has a more international flavour than its stereotype might suggest. There are restaurants of just about every major nationality including a Filipino, a Brazilian, and...

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14.

Limeade Richmond

1 Review When it's warm outside and your throat is parched, order up a limeade. Sweet tea is the soft drink of the south, and you can get that here in Richmond. But something slightly more Richmond is limeade...

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15.

Foliage Richmond

1 Review The weather was godawful for the two days that I spent in the Commonwealth of Virginia. However, the dogwood, magnolia and cherry trees provided some much needed contrast to the dark and gloomy skies....

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16.

Political Stickers Richmond

1 Review Virginia is definitely one of the most involved states in the US when it comes to politics. One thing that did intrigue me about Richmond in particular, was that there seemed to be expressions of...

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17.

Health food in Carytown Richmond

1 Review When you think of cities where health food is popular, the first places which might come to mind are San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, and maybe even Denver, but not Richmond, Virginia with its fine...

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18.

Christmas in Richmond Richmond

1 Review Richmond's skyline lights are turned on in the Grand Illumination which typically takes place the first Friday evening in December, then the reindeer and other decorations will be lit up around the...

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19.

Cuisine de Richmond Richmond

1 Review Crust: Nonstick vegetable coating 40 Oreo cookies finely ground 6 tablespoons butter, melted Filling: 3 ounces coffee liqueur 1/2 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup butter 32 Oreo cookies ground 1 pound milk...

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20.

Winter Storm Panic Richmond

1 Review The Richmond kabuki is an interesting cultural exercise. It begins when Jim Duncan on channel 12 predicts snowfall of more than a dusting in the Richmond area. Folks then converge on Ukrop's like...

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Southern hospitality

by matcrazy1

I was always treated very well by natives in Virginia and the South. I was surprised by very, very nice welcome wherever and whenever I came, especially in smaller cities and towns. Natives always wanted to speak with me and were interested who I am, what I do in their city, town or village and why I visit it. They usually started the conversation with simple southern version of "how are you" which sounded like "hi do?". I could write a book about their warm, very warm welcome and their hospitality. It was extremely nice. I am speechless...It started in Richmond or more exactly in Mechanicsville where Nat (b1bob) welcomed us (me + Urszula = matcrazy0, my wife) like we were his brother and sister. Shortly we became real, not only virtual friends... Later on during my trip Nat helped us a lot many times sending very helpful faxes and e-mails to my hotels/motels with his suggestions, advice...

Southern culture in Virginia

by matcrazy1

Southern Culture is a subculture of the United States largely based on Western and British culture, with influences from Indians, Blacks, and numerous immigrant groups. I started to discover it in Virginia. Before my trip through 12 southern states I was told that the South was the most culturally distinct part of the US and that they maintained a very strong regional identity, complete with flags, songs, cuisine and other things. Now, I can say that it's true! Various elements of this culture made my southern odyssey! In Virginia I was lucky to experience, discover and touch:1. southern heritage 2. southern pride3. southern fast growth and economic development 4. southern strong regional identity5. southern cuisine,6. southern hospitality :-)7. southern English8. southern plantations (tobacco)9. southern rural lifistyle in general.Today, to discover authentic southern culture in...

Virginia makes great ham!

by matcrazy1

In some travel literature I took from Virginia Welcome Center I wrote about famous Virginia ham I never heard of before. Soon I gave it try in Indian Field Tavern in Charles City and to my surprise it tasted great. At that moment I stopped to think that the ban on export Polish ham to the USA is caused by fear of competition. Later on, I tasted a few slices of various kinds of Virginia ham and they all tasted very good, almost as great as the best Polish ham. Do not blame me now. I bought what was called Virginia ham not in Virginia but in Raleigh, North Carolina and not in specialty meat/ham grocery store but in Wal-Mart Food Center where "Virginia baked ham" cost $4.48 per pound (for Europeans: it's 7.78 euros per kilo) and it was made in... Iowa :-). Anyway, it tasted very good. Well, the most famous is Smithfield ham or country ham. It's typically very salty in taste and reddish in...

Water

by Suet

When you enter a restaurant, you are usually given a glass of iced water. This is free and extremely necessary during the hot and humid summers where you can sweat buckets of water while trying to keep cool. You can drink the water (which your server will refill endlessly) until you are rehydrated or just drink it and not order another drink. Most coffee tea and soda orders are refilled as soon as you look "empty" at no extra charge. This is not a gimmick but a real hospitality neccessity in a state that has a red hot summer season.

Varina-Enon Bridge

by msbrandysue

As I was driving from North Carolina to Connecticut I crossed through Virginia on I-295. There was a spectacular bridge on the way. I took a quick picture so that I could look it up when I got to the hotel room. This bridge was named after the cities it ties together, Varina and Enon.Very interesting. The rest is what I found from the website below. Very neat that it withstood a tornado!!Also, the website shows a much better picture than I could have gotten while driving."I-295 Varina-Enon Bridge features the world's first use of precast concrete delta frames for construction of its 630' cable-stayed main span. This cost effective and innovative structure carries six lanes of traffic over the James River. Completed in July 1990, this $34.4 million saved the Virginia Department of Transportation approximately $10 million over their project estimate. All seven bidders chose the precast...

Fried green tomatoes

by b1bob

This is a Southern tipFried green tomatoes are one of those delicacies unique to the South at which many coastal elitists from up North and out west turn their nose up. Well, that means more for us. I have always liked them. Not surprisingly, they serve them at the Hanover Tomato Festival in Mechanicsville, Virginia every year. Here is a recipe: 4 to 6 green tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch (5/8 cm.) thick salt and pepper flour for dusting 2 eggs, beaten cornmeal or bread crumbs bacon grease or vegetable oil (Southerners opt for bacon grease when there's a choice)Salt and pepper the tomato slices; dust lightly with flour. Dip slices in beaten egg, letting excess drip off, then coat well with meal or crumbs. Fry in hot grease or oil until browned, turning gently (about 3 minutes each side). Keep warm in a low 200° to 250° (93°C-121°C) oven if frying in batches.Fried green tomatoes are such a...

Wreck of Old 97 Marker (Danville)

by b1bob

On 27 September 1903 a mail train originating in Washington going through to Atlanta crashed at Stillhouse Trestle just north of Danville. This particular crew took over in Monroe, Virginia (just north of Lynchburg) to hand off the controls at Spencer, North Carolina (somewhere between Greensboro and Charlotte). Private railroad companies under contract by the postal service had to be on time or have to pay a fine per minute late. They left Monroe way behind time. They poured on too much coal and took a steep grade too fast and caused the worst train wreck in Virginia history, killing 9 people. This wreck was the subject of a ballad written in the 1920s, but perfected by American country music singer Boxcar Willie. There is actually a video of the song... Wreck of Old 97 On a personal note, my great granddaddy Harvey Atkins (1886-1966) helped clean up the debris of the wreck in the days...

Loving the wildlife

by Faiza-Ifrah

Virginians are proud of their two main wild animals - White Tailed Deer and the American Black Bear.This love affair is contagious and it may be psychological. Our Canadian friends from British Columbia, who hiked with us for a small stretch, were as respectable of a bear as were we. The only thing is that they had seen bears before a lot, whereas we had not. Once during a tubing session on Massanutten Mountain, we saw a group of White Tailed Deer descend from the hills and make it towards the 'human infested' General Store not suspecting the crowd there. Up went all the cameras and binoculars. This happened even though tourists must have seen deer before in the USA and Canada, yet all of us were equally excited.The two animals appear widely on gift items, such as mugs, glasses, and T-shirts. They also appear commonly in the folk tales. The respect could be because of the fact that both...

Virginia is for lovers?

by Faiza-Ifrah

I don't know whether Virginia is for lovers or not, but it certainly has enough attractions for those young at heart and romantically inclined.Virginia is certainly meant for Virginians though. During our hike to a waterfall in Shenandoah, we made friends with a widely travelled man Greg (see in the picture attached). Greg has travelled to such out of this planet palces as Karachi, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Peru, etc. He is originally from Rochester, New York, but settled in a southeastern coastal town of Virginia for 10 years. He said that Virginians are proud of their state. Most of them have lived and grown here for their entire life, as have been their previous 5-6 generations. Greg said that Virginians still call him a 'Come here' even though he has lived in Virginia for last 10 years. As far as sports are concerned, Virginians hardly follow any major league sports. Instead, they...

Mother of Presidents

by b1bob

Although the last Virginia-born left office in 1921, more U.S. presidents were born in Virginia than in any other state: George Washington (1789-97), Thomas Jefferson (1801-09), James Madison (1809-17), William Henry Harrison (1841), John Tyler (1841-45), Zachary Taylor (1849-50), and Woodrow Wilson (1913-21). Each Virginia president has a statue somewhere on the state capitol grounds. en español, em português

Top 3 Hotels in Virginia

The Jefferson Hotel Richmond

8 Reviews and 281 Opinions the jefferson hotel was built in 1895 by tobacco tycoon lewis ginter. ginter hired the famous...

Hotels in Richmond

Williamsburg Inn Williamsburg

5 Reviews and 134 Opinions I couldn't afford to stay here. But if you want luxury, and are willing to spend $300 or more per...

Hotels in Williamsburg

Embassy Suites Alexandria Old Town Alexandria

6 Reviews and 280 Opinions Only 2 stops off the metro line from DCA airport, 8 minute trip, can't beat that to the airport! The...

Hotels in Alexandria

1,884 Hotels in Virginia

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Reviews and photos of Virginia attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Virginia sightseeing.

Experience Virginia

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Questions and Answers

Q: My Husband is coming home from deployment for two weeks and we would like to stay a few days in a nice hotel. We are not so much...

A: Sounds like you may find some luck at the Tides Inn. Tides Inn 480 King Carter Drive Irvington, Va.22480-0480 Hotel Direct: 804.438.5000 Toll free:...

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