2 Best Sights in New Market, Central and Western Virginia

At New Market, the Confederates had a victory during the late date of 1864. Inside the Hall of Valor, in the 260-acre New Market Battlefield Historical Park, a stained-glass window mosaic commemorates the battle, in which 257 Virginia Military Institute cadets, some as young as 15, were mobilized to improve the odds against superior Union numbers; in the end, 10 were killed. This circular building contains a chronology of the war, and a short film deals with Stonewall Jackson's legendary campaign in the Shenandoah Valley. A farmhouse that figured in the fighting still stands on the premises. The battle is reenacted at the park each May.

The biggest event of the year for more than 80 years, the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in April lasts for 10 days, and features more than 30 events including a huge parade led by a celebrity grand marshall. The apple industry, once the largest employer in the valley, is celebrated with foods like apple candy and apple butter.