2 Best Sights in Middletown, Central and Western Virginia

Both an elegant farmhouse and 100-acre working farm, Belle Grove is a monument to the rural and the refined, two qualities that exist in harmony in the architecture here and throughout the region. Constructed in 1797 out of limestone quarried on the property, the building reflects the influence of Thomas Jefferson, said to have been a consultant. Originally built for Major Isaac Hite and his wife Nelly (President James Madison's sister), this was the headquarters of the Union general Philip Sheridan during the Battle of Cedar Creek (1864), a crucial defeat for the Confederacy. Part of the battle was fought on the farm.

miles south of Middletown in the quirky and historic downtown of Strasburg (which was settled by Germans), this emporium covers 1.4 acres. Inside, more than 100 dealers and artisans sell everything from furniture to jewelry to vintage clothing.