Central Virginia

Richmond began as a small trading town on the James River, at the Fall Line, where ships could no longer progress inland. Cities such as Charlottesville, Lynchburg, and Martinsville grew as trade centers on roads traveled by pioneers heading west through gaps in the Appalachian Mountains.
The capital of Virginia was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond during the Revolutionary War, as it was inland and was safe from the firepower of the British Navy (it was captured by the British Army at a later date). Patrick Henry's famous "Give me liberty or give me death," speech took place at St. John's Church.
Richmond was named the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War. In the spring of 1865, the city was captured and burned by Union Forces. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, east of Lynchburg, shortly after.

The accent is very light in areas bordering Northern Virginia but gets much stronger in the southern rural areas. The accent is typically the strongest and most southern in Southside Virginia by the North Carolina border. The dialect in Richmond is very unique that it combines elements of Urban dialects with elements of British Colonial English. However, most people in Richmond today will speak general American English.

• Richmond Amtrak
• Lynchburg Regional Airport (LYH)
• Interstate 95 from the north or south.
• Interstate 64 from the east or west.

• Interstate 95 runs through the region north and south.
• Interstate 64 runs through the region east and west.
• Route 29 runs from Charlottesville to Lynchburg.

• Appomattox Court House National Historic Park, Appomattox, Virginia. The site of the surrender of the Confederate forces, marking the end of the Civil War, is restored to tell the story of that day.
• Fairy Stone State Park, west of Martinsville, Virginia. Located near the southern border, Fairy Stone State Park is named for the unique cross-shaped brown crystals found here. Local legends claim they guard against sickness and danger.
• Monticello, Charlottesville, Virginia. The house depicted on the back of the nickel is more than yet another Presidential residence. Monticello reflects a wide variety of third President Thomas Jefferson's interests and hobbies, including his inventions, the neo-classical architecture repeated at UVA, and mementos from the William and Clark expedition.
• National D-Day Memorial, Bedford, Virginia. Bedford was chosen for the memorial for having lost more young men during the invasion of Normandy than any other town in America, per capita.

• Kings Dominion, Doswell, Virginia. One of Virginia's two nationally known theme parks.
• Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, Virginia. The other nationally known theme park.
• Scott's Addition, Richmond, Vrginia. Well known neighborhood for local craft alcohol scene of breweries, cideries, meaderies, and distilleries, all of which are walkable between each other.

If visiting the shopping district of Historic Fredericksburg, all of the restaurants on Caroline St. are popular with locals.

• Barboursville Vineyards, Barboursville, Virginia. A vineyard set on a historic estate in Jefferson country.
• Buskey Cider, Richmond, Virginia. A local craft cidery serving pints in an industrial setting in the historic Scott's Addition neighborhood.

Richmond has some issues with crime, though you can have a perfectly safe trip if you brush up on where the sketchy neighborhoods are.