Arlington National Cemetery
The largest military cemetery in the United States, Arlington National Cemetery holds the remains of more than 400,000 American heroes and veterans.
One of the cemetery’s most famous landmarks is the Tomb of the Unknown Solider, which honors unidentified soldiers who fought in World Wars I and II, Korea and Vietnam. The large white sarcophagus is guarded 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, by sentinels who perform a distinguished changing of the guard ceremony every hour.
At President John F. Kennedy’s gravesite, visitors can still see the “eternal flame” that Jacqueline and Robert Kennedy lit at the president’s funeral in 1963.
Other significant figures buried in the cemetery include President William Howard Taft, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, several Tuskegee Airmen and seven Space Shuttle Challenger astronauts.
Throughout the week, visitors can take an interpretive bus tour through the cemetery to visit these key monuments as well as Robert E. Lee’s historic home, Arlington House, which overlooks the property.
Virginia State Capitol
Influenced by Neoclassical and Roman architecture, the Virginia State Capitol stands as testament to the Founding Fathers’ desire to shed their new government of any remnant of British rule.
As a passionate architect himself, Jefferson commissioned French architect Charles-Louis Clérisseau to draft the first design, based on the Roman temple of Maison Carrée in Nimes, France, and the original scale model can still be found on display inside the building. Jefferson chose the Roman style for more than its aesthetic appeal; it also represented the kind of government that would reside in its halls: a republic.
Virginia’s General Assembly, America’s oldest English-speaking legislature, first met inside the capitol in 1788, though during the Civil War it served as the headquarters for the Confederate Congress. The building recently underwent a $104.5 million renovation and expansion, adding an exhibit gallery, a gift shop and new surrounding landscape. Tours are offered daily free of charge.
Crooked Road Heritage Music Trail
Winding through more than 300 miles of scenic landscape, the Crooked Road Music Heritage Trail marks nine locations that played a role in the birth of country music.
These roots trace back to Bristol, Virginia, where the first recorded sessions of the Carter Family took place in 1927. One of the original trio’s children, June Carter, later won two Grammys for her solo work and married Johnny Cash. Throughout the year, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum hosts a Friends of 1927 series, where fans can connect with celebrated artists over cocktails and appetizers.
Another popular site is the Ralph Stanley Museum and Traditional Mountain Music Center, which commemorates Appalachian artists like the Stanley Brothers, whose songs “Man of Constant Sorrow” and “O, Death” appeared in the hit 2000 film, “O, Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Every Friday, the Floyd Country Store hosts a bluegrass jamboree, and the Rex Theatre and Blue Ridge Backroads Live welcomes guests to watch bluegrass and mountain music bands perform.
