West of the mountains from the south end of Shenandoah National Park on I-64, tidy Staunton (pop. 23,853; STAN-ton) was founded in 1732 as one of the first towns on the far side of the Blue Ridge. Unlike much of the valley, Staunton was untouched during the Civil War, and now preserves its many 18th- and early 19th-century buildings in a townscape so perfect it was rated among the dozen most distinctive destinations in the United States by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
One of Staunton’s many sizeable historic districts surrounds the boyhood home of favorite son Woodrow Wilson. Son of a Presbyterian minister, Wilson was born in 1856 in a stately Greek Revival townhouse at 18–24 N. Coalter Street, now established as the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace and Museum (daily; $8; 540/885-0897), with galleries tracing his life as a scholar—he was president of Princeton University—and as U.S. President during World War I.
Staunton is also the home of the unique Frontier Culture Museum (daily; $10; 540/332-7850), right off I-81 exit 222 on the east side of town. A rural version of Williamsburg, this living history museum consists of four resurrected working farms, incorporating buildings brought over from Germany, England, and Ireland. The fourth farm, dating from antebellum Virginia, shows how various “Old World” traditions blended in America. The farms are inhabited by interpreters dressed in (very clean) period costumes busily husking corn, spinning wool, or working in the fields.
Staunton holds one of the best places to eat in the Shenandoah Valley, on US-250 just east of I-81 exit 222, near the frontier museum: Mrs. Rowe’s Family Restaurant (540/886-1833), which has been serving excellent, home-style cooking, from pork chops to banana cream pies, for the past 50 years. It’s open every day (since 1947) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner—go for their world-famous fried chicken, which is well worth the 25-minute wait. Staunton is also home to another classic: Wright’s Dairy-Rite (540/886-0435), at 346 Greenville Avenue, with great burgers, hot dogs, and onion rings, served up in your car or a dining room decorated with old menus and a free Wurlitzer jukebox.
All the usual motels cluster around the I-64/I-81 junction, but you’ll find the region’s most pleasant accommodations at the rambling Victorian-era Belle Grae Inn ($100 and up; 540/886-5151), at 515 W. Frederick Street in the center of Staunton, with B&B rooms, a lovely garden, and a fine restaurant.
