Top Reasons to Go to Central and Western Virginia

Thomas Jefferson: Explore the contours of his mind at Monticello, the University of Virginia, and Poplar Forest.

Presidential history: Get up close and personal not only with Jefferson, but also James Madison, James Monroe, and Woodrow Wilson at their restored homes.

Proud in defeat: Relive the final days of the Civil War at Appomattox and honor the revered Southern general who surrendered there at Lee Chapel in Lexington.

Mountain sights: Ride the Appalachian crests along the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive. See a city beneath your feet from Roanoke's Mill Mountain, and soak in history at the Homestead Resort's Jefferson Pools, originally designed by that great statesman.

Mountain sounds: Dance to the twang of fiddles and banjoes outside the Floyd Country Store and all along the Crooked Road.