Starting fm Boone NC,planning a road trip w/college son on fall break. Looking for history/outdoorsy fun -- Thinking of Lexington VA.Any must sees/to dos in this area of the country?

Lexington is supposed to be beautiful but I can't say much else since I've never been there. What kind of outdoor activities are you looking for? Have you looked at Williamsburg? Busch Gardens will be opened on weekends. Your son might enjoy that. There are some nice hikes in the area too. If you are more interested in natural areas, how about the Shenandoah? Wintergreen near Charlottesville is a nice place to stay and will have a lot of outdoor activities.

thanks, Birdie. Thinking Wmsburg too far since time is limited, but will look at Wintergreen.

I live an hour from Lexington so I'm a little biased, but it is beautiful in the fall. If you are interested in Civil War stuff, it has VMI and all the accompaning history. There are any number of hikes and you are very close to the Southern end of Shenandoah National Park. Peaks of Otter on the Blue Ridge Parkway is a nice place to stay with some good hikes nearby.

Lexington is supposed to be a beautiful town. You also might want to look into Charlottesville or Abingdon. I would be very cautious about anything from Richmond on east- many places are still without power and the power company is not promising anything. Be sure and call ahead if you want to go to the eastern half of the state.

I've also heard that Peaks of Otter can be a fun place to stay. By the way, the great majority of the hotels east of Richmond have power. Its the residential areas that are out. Some of the hotels may be full because of all the out-of-town power people and tree removers staying here.

I almost forgot about Abingdon! It is charming, but I don't know if a college age guy would like it. Although the Barter Theater is currently running a play with a nude scene, so maybe he would! The Martha Washington Inn is a wonderful place to stay.