Leesburg is adorable! Reminds me of where I live.

It may be a little too expensive for us, but we are adding it to our list to at least check out. Thanks.

What is Front Royal like?

Stauton is a nice small town. But very small. Woodrow Wilson's house is there, and a nice outdoor International living museum (name escapes me). Bu tvery small town feel and not enough "downtown" for what you are describing.
I'm not sure there is anywhere in VA where you can get what you are looking for in tha tlist. MAybe decide which of thos ethings are really important and which ones you can let go of, or go to another state...

Wanderer,
you have started a couple of posts about small towns in Virginia and you have received many informative replies.
The best thing for you to do is to spend at least two weeks driving through Virginia to see what is here, and then make your decission.

You are not looking for a small town, you are looking for a small city or a large town. Woodstock where I live with 4000 population is a small town.

Incidently, have you heard about the gnats in Virginia?

While this town ia not in Va., it meets all your criteria and more. Asheville NC is an incredible town. Anything a retiree could want is located there. Restaurants to numerous to name, gr8 galleries and museums, a walkable downtown, a university for taking those classes you could never do before, the Blue Ridge Parkway, moderate weather. excellent cultural scene. You should seriously check out Asheville. Who knew???

While you're checking out Winchester, I'd take a look at nearby Warrenton also. I'm certainly not a Virgina expert but from what little I've seen, Warrenton may be a closer fit to what you are looking for than Winchester.

Since we only have a long weekend to spend this time around, we think we will only be able to see C'Ville, Staunton, Lexington, Culpeper and perhaps Fredericksburg.

We'd like to check out Winchester, Warrenton and Abingdon on other trips.

A couple of our guidebooks mention that Staunton is and "industrial" town. What exactly does that mean? What kind of industry?

I currently live in charlottesville. i have lived in VA all my life. it really is a great state to live in. i was raised in lynchburg and went to college in harrisonburg. i spent a few months in richmond as well. richmond is a little crazy for a retirement town and anything east such as newport news or norfolk gets really crowded. williamsburg is beautiful and ideal for a retirement town. it is however expensive. you enjoy the 4 seasons in VA. the color change is the fall is amazing.
i have seen stanton..it is between lynchburg and harrisonburg and alos between charlottesville and harrisonburg. it is a quaint town but not a whole lot to do.
the point of my response is to sell you on charlottesville.
1.a lot of culture..theaters,art,libraries and so forth. UVA really has a lot to offer charlottesville.
2.there is plenty to do. downtown is like nothing i have seen. it is clean, not crowded, unique and cute.
3.there are plenty of restuarants around for any taste you may desire.
4.history,history...amazing things around. monticello,ash-lawn highland(james monroes house, and montpeiler(james madisons) you could spend so much time visiting historical sites.
5.vineyards..if you are interested. there are so many vineyards to see its impossible to see them all in a weekend.
6.the views and countryside outside of the city and quite enjoyable
7. airport is decent for cville but richmond is a quick trip away.
8.UVA medical has some of the best doctors and are always getting awards.
9.tons of shopping. not your typical mass mall but unique strip malls.
10. there are always festivals. i have a book with almost somethign for everyweekend.
11. for 375K you can find a great place..but housing is expensive.
i would love to tell you more! there is so much to say...since i recently moved here 6+ months ago i have done the whole get to know the town visitor/tourist things.

Thanks! So far C'ville sounds closest to what we are looking for. We can't wait for our trip in April to see it and the other towns!

Hi Wanderer - I just left C'ville after a few years working at UVa, and as many others have commented, it does sound like a good match for you. I'm sure you'll enjoy your visit, if you need any restaurant recommendations let me know!

To get a sense of local activities and events, you can check out the two alternative weekly papers, The Hook (http://readthehook.com/) and C-ville Weekly (http://www.c-ville.com/). You'll also find them free at many hotels/stores around town once you arrive.

And one final, random thought - you mentioned your husband suffered from asthma. It is my understanding that C'ville has an unusually large percentage of allergy sufferers, including people who never had trouble with allergies anywhere else - something about the location & trees that combine to cause this issue. I'm clearly no expert, but I experienced this personally and know many, many others who did, and heard several local doctors confirm this. If your husband's asthma is triggered by allergies, you may want to check with UVA's allergy clinic or your doctor.

goodheart -
Yes, would love restaurant recommendations!

My husband's ashtha is triggered by allergies, so that is a concern. We'll see what we can find out. We wonder if a climate with as much humidity also will be difficult for him. We'll just have to see.

You will LOVE Charlottesville. I'm a huge fan of those Blue Ridge Virginia towns. You have DC or Shenandoah Park within a easy drive.

I'm orginally from the upper midwest. Believe me when I say that the few wintery days you have in Virginia will be nothing compared to Mass.

Wanderer - tell me a little more about your food tastes and what kind of restaurants you enjoy, and I'll try and suggest some locations in town!

We want to eat at casual spots - not McDonalds, but places we don't need to dress up.

We love Italian food, and seafood, real comfort food (meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, etc.) is always great too. We like places with character that are not chains - ones with outdoor seating even better!

No suggestions wanderer, but based on what you have written, I live in one of those smaller towns right next to your town. It sure has warmed up aropund here since your first post.

The places you are interested in sound wonderful. I began reading the thread to jot down places I'd like to visit when we spend time in VA this summer.

I hope you find a nice spot. My husband lives in Centreville (near to Dulles) VA during the week and I find that area to be soo different from our neck of the woods.

Yes, I used to have clients in Annandale, and that was my only impression of VA - busy, busy, busy, strip mall, strip mall, strip mall, with no sense of neighborhood anywhere.

My husband says I'll find the VA countryside beautiful, much like VT, which I love.

Wanderer - there are lots of great options on the downtown mall in C'ville. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and you can eat all of your meals outdoors - you'll find almost every restaurant has outdoor seating once the weather is warm. Based on what you described, you may enjoy Bizou (http://www.charlottesvilletourism.or...ails.php?id=57) for delicious meatloaf,
as well as Escafe (www.escafe.com).

Blue Light Grill and Raw Bar (www.bluelightgrill.com) has nice seafood options, a little more upscale but nothing too dressy.

Vivace is another great Italian restaurant. It is not in the downtown area, but on Ivy Road, but has really nice outdoor seating.

Another great place to check out, and my favorite in town, is Bang, near the downtown mall. They have Asian-inspired tapas dishes, and fabulous desserts. Their garden seating is also wonderful.

For more options, check out the restaurants that were voted "Best Of," http://www.c-ville.com/www/closet/BESTOF/vote.asp

No shortage of great restaurants in town!

Don't be scared when you drive into town on 29 - it looks alot like NoVa sprawl, but the rest of the area is not at all like that.

Oh, and, you might find this link useful as well: http://readthehook.com/newcomer.html

Wanderer - sorry to bring some negativity to this thread, but I've lived in Charlottesville for 7 years and the biggest downside to this city is dining out.

I've never lived in a place with such an abysmal restaurant scene (and I've lived in several cities from small to large). The problems include:
- The "nicer" restaurants have pretentious menus but mediocre food. They will have many examples of whatever is trendy in the restaurant scene but little of the nuance in flavor that you would expect.
- Price: the cost of dining out in Charlottesville is as high or higher than you will find in New York City or New Orleans.
- Service is uniformly bad, with places seemingly vying to outdo one another in this category.

To what to do attribute these problems?
- Most of the "nicer" restaurants are owned by people or groups who want the cachet of owning The-Hip-Place-To-Be. It's the problem of style over substance. The Blue Light Grill, for example, is owned by Coran Capshaw - the manager of the Dave Matthews Band. He owns several places in town all of which, in my opinion, should be avoided as they incorporate all of the negative qualities listed above: costly, pretentious, mediocre fare, and bad service.
- Why the high prices? The University of Virginia is populated with a very well off students. There are also a lot of Doctors, medical residents, academics, lawyers, and the county's "horsey set." Most of these people apparently seem to equate price with quality and lack a sophisticated palate - so if they pay a lot, it must be good!
- The bad service? It's partly a combination of poor training, most servers viewing their job as temporary on the ladder to something better and the fact that most Americans are trained to tip no matter what so there are few repercussions to bad service.

All this said, there are a few places run by proprietors/chefs with a passion for what they do:
Bashir's Taverna
On the downtown mall
414 E Main St
Mediterranean food prepared by the gregarious Bashir. He knows nuance - even in a simple side salad. Go on a Saturday night and you might catch some live music or belly dancing.

L'etoile
On Main St about half way between UVa and the downtown mall
817 W Main St
French-Virginian style food. Chef owned and operated. Delicious food with a well-trained staff.

La Cucina
Just off the downtown mall
214 Water St
Italian food. Also Chef owned and operated. Far better choice than Vivace (I had the worst carbonara ever at Vivace).

South Street Brewery
Just off the downtown mall
106 South St.
Local beer. Food is mediocre here but if you like beer they brew it on the premises and have some good options. Ask what they have on cask.

For many other opinions, check out the following site:
http://www.charlottesville-dining.com/index.php

TravelingMom, if you come back to this thread, I thought you were moving to central Germany? Did that not work out or were you there for a shorter period? If you did go, just wondering what you thought of the area...

I spent a summer in Charlottesville about 20 years ago, and loved a little restaurant called Martha's. It was in a quaint little white house and had delicious, homey food. It's the kind of place I'd be afraid to return to, because it holds such a special place in my memory. Does anyone know if it's still there?