From the state capital at Richmond, the Piedmont rolls away to the Blue Ridge. Undulating highways connect historic railroad towns that sprang up to handle the great harvest of the land. Today their commerce is the visitor in search of a quiet weekend getaway or a historical pilgrimage to revered Civil War sites.

Thrill-seekers ride the only urban Class IV rapids in the nation through downtown Richmond or waterski on Smith Mountain Lake. A hike up the Peaks of Otter offers a crowning view of Virginia's famous mountain landscape.