Who’s up for a quick turkey sandwich and then off to shop?!

Perhaps we shouldn’t rush Thanksgiving too much, but certainly plan to walk it off, if you know what I mean.

First Objective: A Fabulous Dinner Without the Fuss

• The Inn at Meander Plantation in Locust Dale has two seatings for their four-course dinner - 1 and 4 p.m. – at $75/person. Wine pairings and top shelf beverages available for additional fee.
• The Natural Bridge Dining Room in Natural Bridge offers an all-you-can-eat buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• The Holladay House Bed and Breakfast in Orange invites you to dine with them at 6:30 p.m. for free-range turkey, a wide array of side dishes, and great company for just $39.

The best thing about these dining options is that you can also book a room and call it a night.

Second Objective: Serious Shopping

• For a central location, choose Richmond. There’s ecclectic Carytown, boutique-y Libbie & Grove, robust Short Pump Town Center, and upscale Stony Point Fashion Park, for starters. Consider that Short Pump and Stony Point.
• Northern Virginia shopping mecca, Tysons Corner with Tysons Corner Center (America’s 5th largest mall) and Tysons Galleria, is the go-to area for anything posh, plush or blingged-out. With Tiffany’s saliva-inducing blue box nearby and any designer tag you’d ever care to find, it’s serious one-stop shopping.
• Deal-seekers will go the way of the outlet, of which Virginia has plenty. Choose your destination wisely and save anywhere from 30 to 70% on designer duds! From Potomac Mills in Woodbridge to Williamsburg Premium Outlets, and even a JC Penney Outlet in Martinsville, you can get those retails pieces you love for bargain prices. More outlets (and look for the special deals mixed in!).

Third Objective: Shop for the One Who Has Everything 

• For the wine lover in your life, go to the source. Virginia’s winery shops will be happy to fix you up with a few bottles of their best, some souvenir glasses and wine charms!
• Artsy folk are easy to buy for in Virginia, with a multitude of artisan centers and galleries offering up locally-made jewelry, canvases, stained glass, carvings, and more. Want the art to really come from the heart? Make it yourself!
  • You Made It! in Harrisonburg
  • Hands to Create in Front Royal
  • Color Me Mine in Richmond and in Norfolk
  • A Glass Expression Stained Glass Studio in Pound
• Also see our Handmade Holidays feature for special artisan events.

For more “outside the box” shopping ideas, see our 10 Holiday Shopping Tips.

Edgar Allan Poe

When I think of Halloween, I think of Edgar Allan Poe. You know, spooky images of ravens, skulls, rats and lightning. If that happens to you, capitalize on it. Virginia is Poe’s old stomping grounds.

• Edgar Allan Poe Museum – Richmond, VA – Sunday 11-5; Tuesday-Saturday 10-5. Self-guided tours. Groups welcome. Adults $6; Kids $5
  • Unhappy Hour is October 28th and themed “The Fall of the House of Usher” with cash bar and free admission. Wear a costume!
• Historic St. John’s Church – Richmond, VA – Poe’s mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe, is interred on the grounds of St. John’s.
  • Hallowe’en Graveyard Tours are available every 20 minutes beginning at 6 p.m.; last tour begins at 7:40 p.m. Suitable for families. $5/person or $15/family.
  • Inquire about the 30-minute Poe Graveyard Tours available year ’round for individuals and groups. This tour includes narrative about Elizabeth Arnold Poe (Poe’s mother), Thomas Willis White (Poe’s editor and employer), and Elmira Shelton (Poe’s alleged fiancée at the time of his death).
• Book a Poe-themed travel package in Richmond with the Linden Row Inn and make a weekend of it! Includes two nights’ accommodations (breakfast, wi-fi, valet, shuttle service), Poe Segway tour, Poe Museum passes, St. John’s Church tour, and Poe tote bag full of memorabilia. $369 + tax

Poe Events This Month:

• Poe in Alexandria – Alexandria, VA – October 30 & 31 at The Lyceum. Suited for ages 12 and older; $15
• Poe’s Playground – Martinsville, VA – Poe-inspired paintings by local artists are on display through October 30th at Piedmont Arts.
• The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe Come Alive – Staunton, VA – Listen as Poe’s stories come alive in hair-raising fashion! Works portrayed include The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, Spirits of the Dead, and A Dream Within A Dream. October 29th at the Staunton Public Library.

To learn more about Edgar Allan Poe, visit Virginia.org. Discover more spooky events through the Halloween in Virginia feature article.

The leaves are vibrant and there’s plenty of fall foliage left for a weekend drive across Virginia.

I just traveled through the Blue Ridge Highlands and Central Virginia this past weekend and enjoyed the breathtaking foliage. Along the New River in Giles County there are daubs of red and gold. Sunday was crisp, clear and refreshingly beautiful from my perch on the river bank.

The mountains were alive with color as we meandered northeast through Blacksburg, Troutville and Lynchburg. I spotted the last of summer’s hay near Farmville, basking in the sun.

If you’d like to see this area for yourself, here are a few places along this route that would no doubt welcome you for a night or two:

- MacArthur Inn, Narrows
- New River’s Edge, Pembroke
- Maison Beliveau Bed and Breakfast, Blacksburg
- Craddock Terry, Lynchburg

Want a few more suggestions of things to see and do? Check out the Blue Ridge Highlands Driving Tour or pick up the Farmville leg of the US 460 Driving Tour. Also, Unexpected Pleasures in Appomattox and Leaf Peeping in Lynchburg will give you a few clues, too!

Request your Virginia is for Lovers Travel Guide by calling 1-800-Visit-VA or visit us www.Virginia.org.

Ready for a freak out? Try Virginia on for size. Just about 170 sites in the Commonwealth have made it onto the National Register of Haunted Locations.

Northern Virginia has well-known historic sites that are sure to be alive with spirits. Take a no-brainer like Arlington National Cemetery. The Old Post Chapel is home to a ghostly figure who sits in the bridal room (a one-time mourning room). It’s not uncommon to hear footsteps, voices, and see locked doors open wide. Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

How can a place like the ca. 1785 Gadsby’s Tavern in Alexandria not have a few haunts? Known for prominent 1800s guests (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and Marquis de Lafayette, to name a few), Gadsby’s has hosted another well-known guest – the woman of 1816. She has been known to lead those willing to follow up to a deserted bedroom. Upon arrival, followers have found an unburnt hurricane lamp that is warm to the touch, as though having been recently lit.

If you’re looking for an active ghost, visit the Weems-Botts Museum in Dumfries. The local ghost throws books and enjoys flipping the lights on and off. As if that’s not enough, the historical significance of Weems-Botts is that former resident Reverend Mason Locke Weems is the fabricator of the “George Washington and the Cherry Tree” story, and former business owner Benjamin Botts was Aaron Burr’s defense attorney.

You remember Aaron Burr, right? He was the third Vice President of the United States who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel and then faced charges of treason when rumored to have plans to lay claim to the wild, wild west and secede from the U.S. [United States v. Burr, 1807]. It was Benjamin Botts who defended  Burr during his treason trial. Anywho, the Weems-Botts Museum is an awesome place to be spooked!

Other notable historic haunts:

• Thomas Jefferson is reported to still walk his property, Monticello, whistling while he takes in the sites. Keep an ear out.
• And so it continues at Cold Harbor National Battlefield Park in Mechanicsville, where it’s said that the soldiers battling for the north fall night after night as they meet the waiting Confederate line.
• Speaking of Confederates, you can’t miss Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond. Interred are 18,000 Confederate soldiers, the President of the Confederacy (Jefferson Davis), more Civil War generals than any other cemetery (18 of them), two United States Presidents (James Monroe and John Tyler), and maybe even the Richmond Vampire! Take a few steps back if you wander near the tomb of W.W. Poole.

Hungry for more ghostly haunts? Check our feature article on Virginia.org.

Congratulations to the Woosley family from Louisville, Kentucky! Jennifer, Ted and their two children will experience NASCAR like never before at the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 24th.

Jennifer Woosley won the Virginia is for Racing Lovers® Ultimate Fan Sweepstakes. Among her winnings? Use of a fully-stocked RV overlooking the track, lots of great Virginia is for Lovers merchandise, tickets to area attractions, dining certificates, and a rental car, not to mention a meet-and-greet session with one of NASCAR’s top Sprint Cup drivers!

Tickets are still available for the TUMS Fast Relief 500, ranging from $25 to $77 per seat. Tickets for Saturday’s Camping World Truck Series (CWTS) Kroger 200 are available, too, from $30 per seat. Children 12 and under are free for the CWTS race.