Virginia Travel Adventure - Skyline Drive

This video was taken during our fall vacation in Virginia on October 3, 2007. Our first excursion was to the town of Lexington, a historic settlement of about 7000 souls in the southern Shenandoah Valley. Lexington has a well preserved downtown and features two major academic institutions with impressive campuses: the Washington and Lee University and the Virginia Military Institute. The downtown streets are flanked by ecclectic retail stores in historic homes and the adjoining neighbourhoods are full of impressive mansions and mature trees.

Our drive then took us east to the Blue Ridge Parkway, a scenic drive along the Appalachian Ridge that stretches 755 km (470 miles) from North Carolina to Virginia. Great mountain vistas opened up towards the west over the expansive Shenandoah Valley and the mountain ridges towards the east.

We exited the Blue Ridge Parkway near Waynesborough and headed east on Interstate 64 to a city called Charlottesville. We were both impressed by this city of about 40,000 people whose main anchor is the University of Virginia. It was founded by Thomas Jefferson, whose nearby mountain-top villa Monticello is a big tourist draw for the area. The campus impresses with its colonial architecture, and the downtown area features a pedestrian zone called the "Downtown Mall". In this area several blocks of a main street have been blocked off to traffic and now feature restaurants, galleries, retail stores and other attractions. Charlottesville was apparently chosen as one of America's most livable cities, and we could certainly see its appeal. We capped off a great outing with a tasty dinner in a Mexican restaurant in the student quarter and headed back to our home base over the mountains.

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Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Virginia
• Lexington
• Lee
• University
• Shenandoah
• Valley
• Charlottesville

[Rapappport]

@irish89055 At first I thought you meant I was female and dating women at the women's colleges over the mountains LOL. Yes I am "dating myself" by age! I went to Washington & Lee U in 1958 - 60 when there were only male students. Thanks for reminding me of the actual names of those women colleges I traveled over mountains to - Hollins, Southern Seminary, there was one in Lynchburg and Roanoke too, I think. The Appalachians are beautiful, parts even more beautiful than the younger Rockies.

[irish89055]

@Rapappport I'm not Rapapport...lol.. The blue ridge and Applachians are very eroded but once were taller than the Rocky Mt's. This is definitly summer. The womens colleges huh, you are dating yourself lol.. Hollins, Southern Seminary, ect...

[Rapappport]

@irish89055 Yes, I traveled the Parkway & Drive to and from Lexington where I was in college, Washington & Lee University. Traveled over the mountains with horseshoe curves and foggy many, many times to the women's colleges in Lynchburg, Buena Vista, Roanoke and near Charlottsville.

[GrnEyedAngel81]

Great shot of the BRP (Blue Ridge Parkway) - that's not Skyline Drive. Would hope that folks would love to travel there, but let's be accurate. I disagree and agree at the same time about the color of irish's comment - if this were up on Skyline or on some of the high points of the BRP I would expect to see more color; however, this clearly has pine for most of the travel and is at lower elevation than would expect dramatic color in first week of Oct.

[bigd522524]

it was at 1:53

[DLUVRL2]

dave matthews is from charlottesville,va also

[nuttcaze]

I was just there on the 11th, the trees are just starting to change.

[CincinnatiKid33]

i didnt see a skyline

[irish89055]

doesnt seem like Oct 3, seems like summer.. should be some color starting.. with peak of color in mid October in Shenandoah National Park.. Too bad you didnt stop at an overlook and take some video... Lexington is more than a settlement.. home to two colleges, side by side and much history.

[BlueRidgePkwy]

Thank you for sharing your journey of the Parkway!