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Shenandoah Valley
Home to one of the most enchanting downtown areas in American is the tranquil town of Lexington, which is over a hundred and thirty miles west of Richmond and situated in the Shenandoah Valley. It is home to fine old buildings, which have been preserved and restored so the town appears timeless, like the clock stopped here in the 1800s. Tourists visit the town simply for its ambience, and perhaps to pay tribute to Civil War General Robert E Lee, who after the war served as president of the Washington and Lee University here and was eventually buried in Lexington along with his famous horse, Traveller. Apart from the University, which has one of the oldest and most attractive campuses in the country, Lexington is also home to the Virginia Military Institute, one of whose graduates was General George C. Marshall, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Institute has a museum dedicated to his memory. Website: www.lexingtonvirginia.com
Shenandoah National Park
The Shenandoah National Park is a wild and lush landscape, which follows the Blue Ridge Mountains for a hundred miles through west Virginia and is home to black bears and deer on the lush forest slopes and amid the hundred of species of trees. Hiking trails snake through the area from the azalea-trimmed Skyline Drive, the 105-mile (169km) long road that runs through the park from the Piedmont Plateau, providing wonderful vistas of the Shenandoah Valley from its overlooks. Services and visitor centres are available on the drive, but are closed during winter. Wildflower weekend is celebrated in May, and ranger-led tours and programs are offered between April and October. Telephone: (540) 999 3500. Website: www.nps.gov/shen
