Shenandoah Valley Attractions
Lexington Main Street © Virginia Tourism Corporation
Lexington
The sedate town of Lexington, 138 miles (222km) west of Richmond
in the Shenandoah Valley, boasts one of the most picturesque
downtown areas in America, its fine old buildings having been
preserved and restored so it appears that the clock stopped here in
the 1800s. Tourists visit the town simply for its ambience, and
perhaps to pay tribute to Civil War General Robert E Lee, who after
the war served as president of the Washington and Lee University
here and was eventually buried in Lexington along with his famous
horse, Traveller. Apart from the University, which has one of the
oldest and most attractive campuses in the country, Lexington is
also home to the Virginia Military Institute, one of whose
graduates was General George C. Marshall, winner of the Nobel Peace
Prize. The Institute has a museum dedicated to his memory.
Website: www.lexingtonvirginia.com
