Discover fall in Fredericksburg

This charming Virginia town sits just off one of the most traveled highways in the U.S., yet it remains sweetly unspoiled.

People still come to Fredericksburg, Virginia, for the same reason the town was such hotly contested real estate during the Civil War.

Location, location, location.

This city of little more than 20,000 sits just off I-95, some 50 miles south of Washington, D.C., and 60 miles north of Richmond. (In case you've forgotten, one was the Capital of the Union, the other the Capital of the Confederacy. Both sides wanted to control the road that connected the two cities.)

But forget about military strategy for a minute. Today, Fredericksburg's location simply means that it offers the perfect getaway-for a day or for a weekend, whether you're driving or flying, even if you're arriving by train. Not only that, the area possesses a wealth of attractions just waiting to entertain guests.

That Small-Town Atmosphere

Fredericksburg begins at the banks of the Rappahannock, then sweeps across the gently rolling hills that rise from the river. Hundreds of 18th- and 19thcentury buildings still populate the 40block downtown historic district. Few sights can compare with the beauty of warm light melting across the church steeples that soar above Old Town.

Here shoppers amble from store to store. A preponderance of sidewalk cafes and a handsome coffeehouse called Hyperion Espresso beckon locals to read the paper, exchange news, and sip steaming cups of joe. At Goolrick's Pharmacy, you can even buy ice-cream sodas and freshsqueezed lemonade at a vintage soda fountain, opened in 1867.

"This part of Fredericksburg is like a small town, and I really like that," says Ann Smith, who for 26 years has co-owned Pavilion, a home interiors shop now on Caroline Street. "You can walk to restaurants, do some shopping. The traffic is manageable, but if you want to go to the theater or to a cultural event, you can go to Washington or Richmond. Both are an hour away-if the traffic's in your favor. We are just very lucky, I guess."

Whether by serendipity or plain old wisdom, the town speaks to people such as Bob Whittingham. He opened his store nine years ago after a long career in New York City. Bob revels in the town, too, and prides himself on bringing his unique vision to Old Town.

"Our name says 'China, Glass, and Unusuals,' " he says, pointing out the words that join "Whittingham" on the store logo. "I want people to go away with a good experience-and a little something different in their bags."

275 Years of History

Walk down the streets, and you can't help feeling a kinship with the past. "There's no other place in America where you get all these layers of history in the same place," says mayor and third-generation Fredericksburger Bill Beck. "If you peel them back one at a time, you really get a sense of what America is all about."

George Washington's fingerprints are all over Fredericksburg. Visitors can tour the Mary Washington House, where George's mother spent the last years of her life, or browse the galleries at Mary Washington College, founded in the early 1900s. The first President spent much of his childhood at Ferry Farm, now a National Historic Landmark just across the river in Falmouth.

Equally impressive is Historic Kenmore, where George's sister, Betty, resided with her husband, Fielding Lewis. The mansion boasts the most elaborate plasterwork to survive from colonial America.

One of the city's most visited attractions remains Fredericksburg battlefield. Whether or not you're a student of Civil War history, a special beauty-and poignant sadnesslingers here. The Lee vs. Grant saga played out at battlefields all around Spotsylvania County.

More historic sites lie in and around Fredericksburg. So many, in fact, that the visitors center offers a pass that lets visitors see all the sites for reduced prices. No matter what you see or do here, Ann Smith believes you'll find the town memorable. "Many people see our town as unique, and we're working hard to keep it that way," Ann says. "The world is getting very homogenized. That's why people like Fredericksburg. We have something special down here." CASSANDRA M. VANHOOSER

Fredericksburg Visitor Center: 706 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401; (540) 373-1776 or 1-800-6784748. Free parking: Visitors can request a pass at the Visitor Center for free parking anywhere in the city except private lots. Pass to Historic Fredericksburg: Purchase a pass, and you'll receive reduced admission to many of the most visited sites. Prices are $24 adults, $8 ages 6-18.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Oct 2003
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