Civil War Trails: Lynchburg, Virginia

This spring our team spent a whirlwind weekend in Lynchburg in attendance of this years Virginia Association of Museums annual conference. Today, we wanted to share just a taste of what this beautiful town has to offer, and encourage you to find out to go explore “Hill City” yourself.

To begin with, Lynchburg is home to more than a dozen Civil War Trails sites, covering the June, 1864 battle and the town during the war years. As you explore keep an eye out for the city’s own “Lynchburg History” signs, which do an excellent job of sharing the greater history of the Lynchburg region.

We recommend starting your visit down along the waterfront, which will give you the opportunity to stretch your legs and begin to get a feel for downtown. If you’re hungry when you arrive we suggest grabbing a quick lunch at The Water Dog or any of the excellent restaurants down by the river. If you’ve brought the kids along, we recommend stopping by Amazement Square. This exciting and interactive space sure to capture the imagination of all ages (our team certainly enjoyed it).

After taking in the waterfront it is time to climb the hill up 9th street to another spot that our team thoroughly enjoyed during our stay, The Lynchburg Museum. The museum has a phenomenal collection of objects associated with every period of the city’s history. Among the collections here is the flag from the 11th Virginia, which will be sure to interest the most ardent Civil War buff. Once you’ve taken in the museum we suggest touring downtown, which is sure to have enough to occupy you for a few hours or for the rest of the day. But downtown is not all there is to Lynchburg, we recommend getting out into the countryside to explore the Trails sites detailing the fortifications and battle sites of Lynchburg. There is more than enough to do to keep you and the family busy for an entire weekend.

If you decide to make a weekend of it and end up needing to spend the night, we recommend a stay at The Virginian, which we were certainly impressed with. Staying overnight also gives you the chance to have breakfast at Mama Crockett’s, and take time to visit Historic Sandusky, neither of which should not be missed on any visit to town. This is all just a sample of what this beautiful and historic town has to offer, we hope you get the chance to enjoy it as much as we did.

Let us help you travel like a local. Take a look at our maps, and don’t hesitate to ask for our recommendations for good eats, drinks, and lesser known spots along the way. Follow #civilwartrails and create some history of your own.