THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 12, 1995 TAG: 9503100100
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Stephen Harriman
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
Lexington is about a 4 1/2-hour drive from South Hampton Roads via Interstates 64 and 81 (the two routes are the same from Staunton to Lexington).
Accommodations: Twenty-two bed-and-breakfasts are listed in the current chamber of commerce brochure along with 16 hotels and motels and eight public or commercial campgrounds. More than 50 restaurants are listed in the same brochure.
First stop: Lexington has a wonderfully efficient tourism program and a Visitor Center (102 E. Washington St., 22450; 703-463-3777) with a knowledgable, helpful staff and an almost overwhelming amount of informative brochures about sites to see, accommodations, dining, shopping and special events. Other Virginia communities should follow its lead. It is open 9-5 daily except New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas, 8:30-6 June-August.
Be sure to pick up a Historic Lexington Walking Tour brochure. Consider a 45-minute carriage tour (Lexington Carriage Co., 703-463-5647) - a bargain at $9 for adults, $8 for those over 65, $6 for ages 7 to 14 and $2 for ages 1 to 7. The drivers are well-versed in local history and gossip.
Stonewall Jackson House (8 E. Washington St., 703-463-2552) is open 9-5 daily and 1-5 Sunday; admission is $4 for adults, $2 for those under 12.
Washington and Lee University and Lee Chapel and Museum are downtown (703-463-8768). The chapel is open 9-4 daily, 2-5 Sunday. The chapel museum is endearing, as is the recumbent statue of Marse Robert, depicted as if resting on a battlefield.
Virginia Military Institute (703-464-7000) is adjacent to W&L. Parades are Friday afternoons, weather permitting; call for time. Cadet guides are available to take you around the campus, giving you the experience, novel in this day and time, of being in the company of a neatly dressed and polite young man. The VMI Museum in Jackson Memorial Hall (703-464-7232) is closed for renovation but is expected to reopen soon. Hours will be 9-5 daily, 2-5 Sundays.
The George C. Marshall Museum and Library (703-463-7103), on the VMI campus, is open 9-5 daily.
The Stonewall Jackson Cemetery is on South Main Street, just beyond the downtown area. It is open from sunrise to sunset.
Also worth a visit: the Theater at Lime Kiln, an open-air, 12-acre site where performances are held from Memorial Day to Labor Day (703-463-3074 for schedule), and the Lexington Antique & Craft Mall open 10-6 daily, 12:30-5 Sunday.
NEARBY
The Chessie Nature Trail is open from dawn to dusk daily except Christmas, and is free. This abandoned C&O rail bed between Lexington and Buena Vista along the north side of the Maury River has been turned into a park, courtesy of VMI. The 7-mile path is splendidly scenic, gently graded and free of vehicles, including bicycles.
Maury River to Goshen Pass, along Virginia Route 39, is one of the most scenic in the state. This is a favorite spot for fishing and, when the weather is warm, for tubing.
A must-see is Cyrus McCormick's Farm and Workshop (703-377-2255) on Virginia Route 606 East, north of Lexington just off I-81/64 at Steele's Tavern (Exit 205). Open 8:30-4:30 daily, admission free. The home, shop and grist mill are National Historic Landmarks and the museum's a gem. About 4 miles in the other direction, on Virginia Route 606 West, is Wade's Mill (``fancy family flour since 1882'') and Buffalo Springs Herb Farm (circa 1773). The mill (703-348-1400) is open 10-5 Thursday-Saturday and 1-5 Sunday, except closed on Sundays June-August. The herb farm (703-348-1083) is open 10-5 Thursday-Saturday and 1-5 Sunday beginning in April.
Natural Bridge, about 18 miles south of Lexington is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Seeing it once is probably worth the price ($8 for adults), but skip the other ``attractions'' unless you really like tacky wax museums, etc. by CNB