My 11-year-old daughter and I will be in Staunton, VA, in early June. We're planning to see the Frontier Culture Museum, Woodrow Wilson Birthplace, a Shakespeare play, and possibly take a walking tour of the town. We think we'll have about 8-10 hours for a day trip outside Staunton and I'm wanting to see some natural beauty and hike a bit. (We're already planning to see Monticello and Ash-Lawn Highland on other days.) It looks like we've got several possibilities: Skyline Drive, the northern part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Highland County/Monterey. Any recommendations? I'd appreciate knowing recommended stops along the way, as well as names of any good cafes/restaurants. Thanks for your tips!

Staunton, Virginia, in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. You know that the folks in the valley pronounce that city name as "stanton". But, if you go back to Texas and tell people that you were in "stanton", Virginia, it won't be as nearly as impressive as the people who come back from Budapest, Hungary, and say that they were in "Budapesht".

Not that this helps with your questions, but at least it gets your post rolling and ttt.

The Appalachian Trail goes through those mountains on the east side of the valley.

Make sure you eat lunch or dinner at Mrs. Rowe's in Staunton. It's a classic Southern meal w/ the best fried chicken and mashed potatoes w/ chocolate chip cookies when you ck out - my boys love it! Have you thought about visiting Natural Bridge about 1 hr west on I-81 towards Roanoke? Enjoy!

Natural Bridge - now, that's a thought. Anyone else? Thanks for the tip about Mrs. Rowe's. Sounds mmm mmm good!

Hi,

We're local to the area (Waynesboro, actually) and it looks like you are going to hit all the great Staunton stuff.

If you are looking for a yummy ice cream place check out Kline's. They started in Harrisonburg, VA and now have a Staunton location. It's locally owned. They have only three flavors of ice cream--chocolate, vanilla, and a "flavor of the week" and it's all delicious. They also have other things like shakes and malts that come in all kinds of flavors. Check out www.KlinesDairyBar.com to see the flavor for the week when you will visit as well as their menu.

I would recommend the Blue Ridge parkway for your "natural beauty" portion. First, it's free, unlike Skyline drive. Second, there are some quick and easy hikes all along it. The first one you'll get to is "Humpback Rock" a nice hike up to a big rock overlook. You can stop in the Blue Ridge visitor's center before you get on the parkway or there is another visitor's center right before you get to Humpback that also has a very short little path that shows what life was historically like in the Blue Ridge mountains.

Another plus of the Parkway is that if you decide to go to Natural Bridge you can get off the Parkway near Buena Vista and continue south down 81 or 11 toward the Natural Bridge.

Have fun!

Great ideas! Thank you so much!