In 1969, the Virginia State Travel Service introduced "Virginia is for Lovers" as the state's tourism slogan. A 1992 survey revealed that three out of four Americans could still correctly identify the slogan. Since almost everyone knows that Virginia is for lovers, it's only fitting that there is now a guidebook to help Virginians and visitors to the state find all the romantic things to do there.
The well-known and off-the-beaten-path attractions in Romantic Virginia offer escapes and activities for every age, budget, and season of the year. The chapters describe the most romantic places to stay and eat; historic homes and gardens; outdoor activities from hang gliding to ice skating; historic sites and museums; musical and theatrical productions; art museums and galleries; wineries; sporting events; and festivals and fairs. Sidebars throughout the book offer dozens of suggestions for romantic getaways in 14 Virginia cities and regions.
But this is not just your usual travel guide. In the chapter describing romantic places to stay, there's a sidebar that lists bed-and-breakfasts, inns, and historic homes and gardens that host weddings and receptions. In the same chapter, you can find rustic mountain lodges, old Southern plantations, colonial-era townhouses, pastel-painted Victorian mansions, and fancy city hotels. The restaurant section not only includes special places where couples can celebrate a birthday, an anniversary, or simply the fun of enjoying great food together, but also lists several old-fashioned drive-ins and soda fountains.
Here are just a few of the hundreds of activities suggested in Romantic Virginia:
-- Take a tall-ship cruise on the Elizabeth River inNorfolk
-- Taste Italian-style Virginia wines in a Tuscan-style farmhouse on the Blue Ridge Parkway
-- Watch the wild-pony roundup in Chincoteague
-- Take a ride in a biplane after watching stunt fliers at the Flying Circus Airshow in Bealeton
-- Listen to opera outdoors at the Ashlawn Summer Music Festival
-- Picnic beside one of the state's five covered bridges
-- Go whitewater rafting (or take a more sedate paddle-wheel boat ride) in downtown Richmond
