3 Best Sights in Winchester, Central and Western Virginia

Bringing together fine and decorative art collections and multimedia presentations, the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley reflects the region's cultural history. Designed by renowned architect Michael Graves, the museum's modern exterior belies the four centuries of historical artifacts, fine arts, and decorative arts on display inside its mammoth 50,000 square foot space. In contrast, the Glen Burnie House and gardens, adjacent to the museum, are a gracious walk through the 18th and 19th centuries. The 1736 Georgian country estate that was the home of Winchester's founder, Colonel James Wood, is surrounded by 25 acres of formal gardens. Collections within it include a gallery with furniture, fine arts, and decorative objects gathered by the last family member to live in the house, Julian Wood Glass Jr., who died in 1992. Another gallery assembles shadow-box rooms and miniature furnished houses.

This arboretum, 9 miles east of Winchester, has the most extensive boxwood collection in North America. Hands-on workshops and tours are available throughout spring, summer, and fall. You can stroll through the perennial and herb gardens and have a look at more than 8,000 trees. This spot is a wonderful place to bird-watch or to have a picnic.

The 1854 home of this civil war general is now a museum filled with his personal memorabilia. Jackson used this house as his base of operations during the Valley Campaign in 1861–62. Among the artifacts on display are his prayer book and camp table. The reproduction wallpaper was a gift from the actress Mary Tyler Moore; it was her great-grandfather Lieutenant Colonel Lewis T. Moore who lent Jackson the use of the house. A $10 block ticket purchased at the museum also includes entry to two nearby historic attractions: George Washington's Office Museum, a preserved log cabin where Washington briefly lived during the French and Indian War, and Abram's Delight Museum, the oldest residence in Winchester. The stone house was owned by Isaac Hollingsworth, a prominent Quaker.