USA
Lexington, Virginia: Small-Town America at its Best
by Randy Mink
When I think of idyllic Main Street communities with a walkable historic district, my thoughts often drift toward Lexington, Virginia. Long ago, when deciding where to go to college for journalism, I seriously considered Washington & Lee University, whose picture-perfect campus symbolizes the town’s sense of order and gentility. What a nice place to live, I mused.
Thankfully, things haven’t changed radically since then. Often included in lists of best small towns in the South, Lexington (population 7,500) packs a big punch for its size. Home to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) as well as Washington & Lee, it combines vestiges of yesteryear with youthful vibes of a college town. History looms around every corner.
Many downtown buildings date back to the early 19th century, the oldest to the late 1700s. For an overview of the well-preserved historic core, consider a horse-drawn tour with Lexington Carriage Company and then hit the brick sidewalks on your own.
Blessed with a vibrant retail and dining scene centered around Main Street, Lexington makes the perfect base for exploring Virginia’s southern Shenandoah Valley. The scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, running along the crest of the Appalachian Mountains, is a short drive away.
Lexington’s two college campuses, adjacent to each other and just blocks from Main Street, are chief tourist attractions. VMI, the country’s oldest state-funded military college, offers cadet-led walking tours daily, and visitors are treated to the pageantry of a full-dress parade most Friday afternoons in spring and fall.
The VMI Museum, a treasure house of U.S. military history, boasts a magnificent collection of antique firearms. An exhibit on Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson has the bullet-scarred raincoat he was wearing when mortally wounded in a Civil War battle; his taxidermied horse, Little Sorrel, is preserved for the ages. (Jackson taught at VMI before the conflict, and downtown’s Jackson House Museum shines a light on the famous warrior’s life as a civilian.)
Also on the VMI post, characterized by its austere Gothic architecture, is the George C. Marshall Library, which honors America’s first five-star general (VMI class of 1901). He is most remembered for the Marshall Plan, which aided the reconstruction of post-World War II Europe.
Visitors at VMI can expect a “Hello, ma’am” or “Good evening, sir” from cadets passing by. Ten percent of the cadets are women.
An air of civility also permeates neighboring Washington & Lee (all male until 1984), where the small school’s long-standing “Speaking Tradition” calls for members of the community to greet each other—and visitors—when out and about.
In the heart of the campus, The Colonnade, a stately ensemble of red-brick buildings fronted by gleaming white columns, faces an expansive lawn that sweeps down the hillside. Exhibits in Washington Hall tell the story of George Washington’s financial gifts to the college, founded in 1749 as Augusta Academy.
At nearby University Chapel, a museum holds artifacts with connections to Washington and Robert E. Lee, commander of Confederate forces during the Civil War and later the school’s president. Lee is buried in the family crypt there.
A boutique inn, The Georges, offers 33 guest rooms spread across four of Lexington’s oldest buildings on Main Street. It is named for two generals—Washington and Marshall. (By now you may have sensed the “generals” theme that pervades Lexington.) On my recent stay there, I enjoyed a plushly furnished room in a former livery stable circa 1897. The Georges has two restaurants—TAPS, just off the lobby in the main building, and Haywood’s Piano Bar & Grill in the 1789 Alexander-Withrow House.
