Arrive to Loudoun County and enjoy lunch on your own in downtown Middleburg. A few miles west of Aldie, walk the streets of this picturesque historic village, the capital of horse and hunt country. Lunch spots abound, including King Street Oyster Bar on Washington Street (try the crab cakes) and Thaiverse around the corner, famous for its lime and chili salmon specialty. Fortify yourself with a post lunch espresso at the aptly named Cuppa Giddy Up back on Washington Street.

Join renowned historian and educator Rich Gillespie for a driving tour through hunt country and discuss the history and culture surrounding the area and how it became a robust wine region. Visit the immaculately preserved Aldie Mill, which operated from 1809-1971 and enjoy a live milling demonstration in this working mill.

Enjoy dinner at Clyde’s Willow Creek Farm. Relax at this popular farm-to-table restaurant in eastern Loudoun. Featuring an impressive array of American folk art, Audubon prints, and antique carriages and sleighs, Clyde’s Willow Creek Farm is not only a restaurant, but an attraction. The historic building houses seven dining rooms and four bars plus a gorgeous outdoor dining area. It Is also the sister restaurant to the famous Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, DC.

We make our way to Zephaniah Farm Vineyard for a seated wine tasting, this family- owned winery on a historic 1819 farm off Route 15. The owners grow 14 different grape varietals; taste some of the award-winning vintages in the timber barn tasting room or even the living room of the family home. The 2016 Three Captains Red and the 2019 Late Harvest Vidal Blanc are particular standouts.

Enjoy lunch on own in historic downtown Leesburg. Suggestions include small plates nook the Wine Kitchen on King Street and Tuscarora Mill and Fire Works Wood Fired Pizza in the Market Station precinct on Harrison Street. For lighter fare, Puccio’s up the street is a classic local deli serving Italian sandwiches and signature salads.

End the day with dinner and a show produced by Stage Coach Dinner Theater at Oatlands Historic Home and its historic carriage house. This local theater company specializes in murder mysteries and themed cabarets. Enjoy wine, beer, dinner and performances of productions such as Big Bad Wolf, Ace Detective, Dial M For Monster and Happy Birthday You’re Dead.

Following breakfast this morning, head west to Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Visit the Hugo Kohl’s Museum, which allows visitors to enjoy a visual, auditory, and sensory experience of jewelry manufacturing. Learn about the industrialization of jewelry making in the 19th century. Watch artisans create beautiful designs in front of your eyes and browse the retails store for that special something.

Enjoy lunch on your own and free-time in historic Downtown Harrisonburg. Choose lunch at a restaurant within Virginia’s First Culinary District in Downtown Harrisonburg’s. From Southern cooking to international cuisine and farm-to-table fair choices abound. For outdoor dining Downtown Harrisonburg offers numerous options from patios to rooftop dining. For lunch on a charming green outdoor space try Clementine’s Patio. Stop by Shirley’s popcorn for free samples of a variety of freshly made gourmet popcorn.

Meet at the Hardesty-Higgins Visitor Center (house circa 1848) to visit the free Valley Turnpike Museum. History buffs will enjoy the Valley Turnpike Museum and Civil War Orientation Center. Open 9 – 5 every day the house offers an Orientation Center, clean public restrooms, visitor information, the Rocktown Gift Shoppe as well as patio seating for the attached Heritage Bakery.

Tour the Virginia Quilt Museum. Celebrating and Nurturing Virginia’s Quilting Heritage. Founded in 1995, The Virginia Quilt Museum is the Official Quilt Museum of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Museum promotes a unique blend of Virginia’s art and cultural heritage. Charged with a mission of “celebrating and nurturing Virginia’s quilting heritage,” the Museum offers three floors of rotating, curated gallery space in a historic home. Exhibits feature quilts from the Museum’s collection as well as traveling exhibitions. Heirloom quilts, contemporary quilts, and art quilts are also typically featured simultaneously, allowing our visitors the chance to marvel at the extreme variety of styles, techniques, and themes present in quilts.

Arrive to Lynchburg, Virginia and enjoy dinner with the Legacy Dining Experience along the Bluffwalk. A renaissance is happening in LYH, and it has everyone hungry. Michelin star chefs and Food Network veterans have set up shop on cozy Downtown streets and quiet nooks. Dinner is on your own this evening, so walk through the doors of any of our restaurants and you’ll be met with extraordinary flavor and attention to detail that will make you want to stay for hours, or at least until the Motorcoach takes you back to your hotel.

Join a step-on guide and take a guided walking tour through Lynchburg’s Pierce Street Renaissance Historic District, which is notable because of the people who lived and visited there rather than because of the architecture of the buildings. This district is known for its significant African American History.

Visit the Anne Spencer House & Gardens. An internationally acclaimed poet who was part of the Harlem Renaissance, Anne Spencer was the only black woman and the only Virginian included in the Norton Anthology of Modern American and British Poetry. Take a tour of the house and garden that many Civil Rights luminaries visited during her lifetime.

Lunch today is at the Depot Grille. This fun, railroad-themed family restaurant is a local favorite and housed in a former freight station. The Depot’s eclectic dining space uses church pews for their booth seating and the bar back is an old pharmacy display case. Order the ribs, you won’t be disappointed!

Take a short drive to Poplar Forest. This home was Thomas Jefferson’s secluded retreat, now a National Historic Landmark. A mature and innovative architectural masterpiece, Jefferson designed the octagonal house during his second term as President of the United States. Jefferson sojourned to Poplar Forest between the ages of 66-80 to rekindle his creativity, spend time with his grandchildren and escape the crowds at Monticello.

Check out Charley’s Restaurant for dinner. Founded in 1980 by former Major League Baseball player Charley Sands, Charley’s has grown into one of Lynchburg’s favorite restaurants with steaks, seafood, salads and more.

Take a tour of the Point of Honor Mansion. Experience life during the early 1800’s as you explore the house and grounds of the original owner and builder, Dr. George Cabell, whose patients included American patriot Patrick Henry. A tour of this historic Federal style home, with its classic architecture and period furnishings, gives insight into the lives of all who lived and worked in this remarkable home.

Visit the Mary Washington House, the last home of George Washington’s mother, Mary, and the home that George purchased for her where she spent her last 17 years. Washington visited his mother in this home asking for her blessing to become President of the United States.  Costumed interpretation.

Take in dinner and a show at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts – Winner of the 2019 Theater of the Year for Central Virginia Award by Broadway World, The Riverside Center for the Performing Arts features professional “Broadway musicals” each season. A three course dinner is served at your table.

Sip and Savor at A. Smith Bowman Distillery – Virginia Oldest Distillery. Winner of multiple awards for their spirits, groups to the area can experience a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the production of hand crafted spirts. Tours explore distillation, barreling and bottling of bourbon. Products available for tasting and purchase.