Destination Virginia

The roots of Virginia trace back to the founding of the Virginia Colony in 1607 by the Virginia Company of London as the first permanent New World English colony. Slavery played a significant role in Virginia's early economy. Virginia became one of the Thirteen Colonies in the American Revolution and joined the Confederacy in the American Civil War, during which the state of West Virginia separated.

• Virginia Guide: A-Z

» Arlington, Virginia

The area that now contains Arlington county was ceded to the new United States federal government by the Commonwealth of Virginia. With the passage of the Residence Act in 1790, Congress approved a new permanent capital to be located on the Potomac River, the exact area to be selected by President George Washington …

» Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery is a military cemetery established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna (Custis) Lee, a great grand-daughter of Martha Washington. The cemetery is situated directly across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial …

» Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay is approximately 200 miles (300 km) long, from the Susquehanna River in the north to the Atlantic Ocean in the south …

» Chincoteague Pony

The Chincoteague Pony, also known as the Assateague horse, is a breed of pony that developed and lives in a feral condition on Assateague Island in the United States states of Virginia and Maryland. The breed was made famous by the Misty of Chincoteague series written by Marguerite Henry starting in 1947 …

» Colonial Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg is the private foundation representing the historic district of the city of Williamsburg. The district includes buildings dating from 1699 to 1780 which made colonial Virginia's capital. For most of the 18th century, Williamsburg was the center of government, education and culture in the Colony of Virginia …

» Monticello

Monticellois a National Historic Landmark just outside Charlottesville, Virginia. It was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, third President of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia; it is also, at his direction, the site of Jefferson's burial place …

» Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk has a long history as a strategic military and transportation point. Norfolk Naval Base is the world's largest such base, and the world's largest military alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has its defense headquarters here. The city is bordered to the west by the Elizabeth River and to the north by the Chesapeake Bay …

» The Pentagon

The Pentagon is the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, 'the Pentagon' is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself. Designed by George Bergstrom, the ground was broken for construction on September 11, 1941 …

» Pocahontas

Pocahontas (born Matoaka, c. 1595 - March 1617) was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in the Tidewater region of Virginia. She is said to have saved the life of Englishman John Smith …

» Richmond, Virginia

As the primary former Capital of the Confederate States of America, Richmond is home to many museums and battlefields of the American Civil War. Near the riverfront is the Richmond National Battlefield Park Visitors Center and the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar, both housed in the former buildings of the Tredegar Iron Works …

» Shenandoah National Park

Shenandoah National Park encompasses part of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the U.S. state of Virginia. This national park is long and narrow, with the broad Shenandoah River and valley on the west side, and the rolling hills of the Virginia Piedmont on the east. The most prominent feature of the Park is the scenic Skyline Drive …

» University of Virginia

The University of Virginia (often abbreviated as UVA or Virginia) is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia. Established in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, it is the only university in the United States to be designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, an honor it shares with nearby Monticello. UVA is one of the eight original Public Ivies …

» Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach is a resort city with miles of beaches and hundreds of hotels, motels, and restaurants along its oceanfront. Every year the city hosts the East Coast Surfing Championships as well as the North American Sand Soccer Championship, a beach soccer tournament. It is also home to several state parks, long-protected beach areas, two universities …

» Virginia Civil Rights Memorial

The Virginia Civil Rights Memorial is a monument in Richmond, Virginia commemorating protests which helped bring about school desegregation in the state. The memorial was opened in 2008, and is located on the grounds of the Virginia State Capitol. It features eighteen statues of leaders in the civil rights movement on four sides of a rectangular granite stone block …

» Virginia State Capitol

The Virginia State Capitol is the seat of state government in the Commonwealth of Virginia, located in Richmond, the third capital of Virginia. It houses the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, the Virginia General Assembly. Although it was completed in 1788 and is over 215 years old, the current Capitol is the eighth built to serve as Virginia's state house …

» Virginia State Fair

The State Fair of Virginia is held annually at the end of September. The Fair offers rides, carnival games, concerts, and typical Fair foods such as corn dogs, cotton candy, and funnel cakes as well as Virginia favorites such as barbecue, chicken and peanuts. The Fair also offers technological, agricultural, historical, and livestock exhibitions …

» Williamsburg, Virginia

Williamsburg was founded in 1632 as Middle Plantation on as a fortified settlement on high ground between the James and York rivers. The city served as the capital of the Colony of Virginia from 1699 to 1780 and was the center of political events in Virginia leading to the American Revolution. The College of William & Mary, established in 1693, is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States …

» Wolf Trap National Park

Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts known locally in the Washington, D.C. area as simply Wolf Trap, is a performing arts center located on 130 acres of national park land in Wolf Trap, Virginia. Through a partnership and collaboration of the National Park Service and the non-profit Wolf Trap Foundation, the park offers both natural and cultural resources …