The settlement of Winchester, Virginia by European colonists began in the 1700s and, from that beginning, the city was at the center of some pivotal events in our country’s history. Before the Revolution, George Washington lived and worked here. Winchester was also at the center of many battles during the American Civil War. A number of museums and other buildings date from that period. Winchester is a great place to learn something of American history, explore the surrounding apple-growing area and get to know the Shenandoah Valley. And there’s no better place to start than Old Town, a delightful mixture of the old and the new located smack in the middle of the city’s downtown.

Lodging

The George Washington Hotel, situated at one corner of the district, is a perfect base of operations. Dating from 1924, this grand hotel fits right in among the other historic buildings, but offers modern amenities. It’s a welcoming place to relax after a hard day seeing the sights. Plus, after a late afternoon nap, you can easily stroll back to Old Town to have dinner at one of its many restaurants.

Old Town sights

The best way to experience Old Town is on foot. The centerpiece of the area is the Loudoun Street Pedestrian Mall, a vehicle-free zone lined with shops, restaurants and historic buildings. Maps are available at the Winchester-Frederick County Visitors Center or online.

The historic buildings generally have plaques giving their name and construction date. There are stone houses and houses with small gardens worthy of attention. The Old Court House Civil War Museum is an imposing building with a collection of over 3,000 Civil War artifacts. In front of it stands an impressive bronze sculpture, the Confederate Soldier Monument. Other structures of interest are the Godfrey Miller Fellowship Center, the First Presbyterian Church, Wisteria House, and Hill’s Keep.

During warmer seasons, you are likely to see children playing in the Splash Pad, a series of street fountains. The boutique shops and restaurants are open throughout the year. But the most fun for visitors may simply be to soak up the sense of history while enjoying the carefree atmosphere and the street musicians.

Center in the Square

The big news is that Center in the Square, a long time cultural center, has been rebuilt into an ultramodern, energy efficient facility. It celebrated its grand re-opening this past spring. The lobby is an exciting entryway, complete with aquariums, large video screens and a huge butterfly on the floor. The building houses three museums which moved in from temporary quarters. When I visited the museums about a month ago, they were well established though not quite finished.

Harrison Museum of African American Culture

The permanent collection of the Harrison Museum consists of photographs, posters, paintings and objects related to the history and culture of the Roanoke Valley’s black communities. The museum also hosts traveling exhibitions when appropriate. One of the exhibits that caught my eye was a series of painted panels entitled “The Dance”, which portrayed an elegantly dressed dancing couple.

History Museum of Western Virginia

Focusing on the cultural heritage of the area, the History Museum sports a number of beautiful galleries split between two floors. Aside from the exhibitions, the museum is a repository for artifacts that trace the Roanoke Valley’s human history, including Native American arrowheads, old texts, colonial surgical instruments as well as more recent signs and objects that illustrate how we live and used to live. The collection is therefore invaluable both to visitors and to scholars seeking factual historical information.

Science Museum of Western Virginia

The Science Museum is a treasure trove especially interesting to children, although anyone who is curious about the natural world will find something of interest. Educational, entertaining and creepy, all at the same time, was an exhibit of posters showing human parasites, such as bedbugs and fleas. After shuddering past these critters, my next stop was the museum’s highlight, the butterfly garden. Entry to the garden is through an airlock, to keep the butterflies from escaping. Even without the butterflies, the garden is magnificent. Colorful flowers are everywhere. It is interesting to see that certain butterflies are attracted to certain flowers, sometimes preferring one plant above all others. The butterflies have a limited life span and must be replaced every few weeks. The colorful insects put on a great show, and the experience of slowly walking through the serene garden was relaxing.

Other museums

Roanoke’s old standby is the Virginia Museum of Transportation. Although it has an eclectic collection, the focus is on the history of the railroad in Roanoke. Appropriately housed next to railroad tracks, the museum boasts two venerable steam locomotives, a Norfolk & Western Class J 611 and a Norfolk & Western Class A 1216. The auto collection is impressive and should be of great interest to car buffs. Nearby is the Link Museum, honoring the work of the famous railroad photographer. Aside from the excellent night photos of locomotives, I was impressed by the collection of brass railroad buttons. Finally, the Taubman Museum of Art is well worth a visit. The building is itself a work of art. In the main section I came across a “perpetual motion machine” which was immobile. Probably,  it ran into the laws of thermodynamics and came to an abrupt halt.

Dismal or tranquil?

When I visited in the area on a bright spring day, the swamp seemed anything but dismal. I enjoyed a motorboat ride along the Dismal Swamp Canal (now part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway), and a detour down the Feeder Ditch led to Lake Drummond in the center of the refuge. The lake, which is known for the purity of its water, is accessible by several “ditches”, man-made canals that in some cases go back hundreds of years.

By the time we reached the lake, sunset was approaching, and as our boat moved out of the narrow confines of the ditch, I felt a change; the hair on the back of my neck stood out. The time of day, the softening of the motor sound, the beautiful but somehow eerie cypress trees, the wide open expanse all contributed to this feeling. At that moment, I had a hint about the origin of the swamp’s name.

Paddle for the Border

The refuge hosts a series of events during the year. A highlight is the  “Paddle for the Border”, an annual event in which entrants paddle a 7.5 mile route on the Dismal Swamp Canal between South Mills, North Carolina and Chesapeake, Virginia. The assortment of boats is something to see. There are kayaks of all colors and sizes, some paddled in the usual way, some utilizing foot pedals. There are canoes and rowboats, solo boats and tandems. At the take-out, volunteers help the weary but smiling paddlers from their boats. Volunteers who patrol the route help paddlers whose craft spring a leak or run into other problems.

Camping is available in the refuge. The city of Chesapeake, which borders the northern edge of the swamp, has a number of fine hotels and restaurants. We stayed at the Homewood Suites, a relatively new property, and were delighted with the spaciousness of our suite, the friendly service and the proximity to restaurants and shops.