Let Us Be Your Guide on a Staunton Tour

Do you love to explore but not to plan? Have you ever gone on a trip, only to miss some of the area’s must-sees? Have you ever gotten lost? A guided tour can take the pressure off of you! Tour guides know the best attractions and how to access them. They can plan an itinerary and streamline your day so you can see as much as you can in a limited amount of time. They know the inside history, have specialized experience, and offer unique perspectives, transportation, and specialized equipment. Read on to learn how you can relax on a Staunton tour, whether you’re a first-time visitor or you’ve lived here your entire life.

Tour the Town

Staunton’s charming and walkable downtown encompasses six historic districts all filled with exceptional architecture and independently owned restaurants, galleries, and businesses. Here’s how to explore the area.

Historic District

• The Historic Staunton Foundation leads free two-hour walking tours through four of Staunton’s historic districts from May – October. Volunteer guides are well-versed in Staunton’s history and can point out architectural gems in both residential and commercial areas and explain how the city developed and evolved over time. Meet at 10 am on Saturday mornings at the R.R. Smith Center. Rain or shine. No reservations needed.

• Staunton Guided Tours provides personal 90-minute car tours of Staunton’s historic neighborhoods to see the houses that appear on the National Register of Historic Places. Want to ask lots of questions and learn about the houses’ history and the lives of the people who lived there. You could opt instead for a walking tour. Staunton Guided Tours also arranges special tours of Staunton for your wedding guests. Reservations required.
• Learn about Victorian and Edwardian life and times at The Society for Victorian Arts and Culture’s Spotts-Coffman house. You’ll see period artifacts, learn history, and hear the stories of the people who lived there, including the mysterious woman known as Staunton’s “Black Widow.” Make an appointment for a tour or visit during an event like a Victorian tea, live music, or magic show.
• If you’d prefer to explore at your own pace, the Historic Staunton Foundation has guides to each historic district. You can also grab a map at the Visitor Center kiosk (35 S. New Street) or check out our self-guided walking tours that include important sites, history, and information about parking, dining, and shopping. 

• Beverley Historic District
• Wharf Historic District
• Newtown Historic District
• Stuart Addition Historic District
• Gospel Hill Historic District
• The Villages Historic District

Museums

• Learn about Woodrow Wilson’s life, times, and presidency when you take a guided tour or self-guided tour of the museum at Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum. Exhibits focus on the Wilson family, Staunton history, history of Staunton’s enslaved people, and trench warfare in WWI. You can also sign up for a behind-the-scenes self-guided tour to see artifacts that aren’t generally on display.

• Connect with the past at the open-air Frontier Culture Museum, where visitors move between farms representing those inhabited by the area’s indigenous people and settlers from Europe and Africa. Costumed interpreters actually work the farms, pausing to answer questions, explain their work, and give visitors some hands-on experience with different tasks. This is a self-paced walking tour, and visitors can rent golf carts.

Special-Interest

• Check the schedule to see what’s on stage at the American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse. The space replicates Shakespeare’s indoor playhouse, and the actors perform in the style and theatrical conditions of the original productions. If you want the inside story on theater and production secrets, schedule a 45-minute playhouse tour. 
• Who cares if it’s not October? Meet Staunton’s spooks and apparitions any night of the year when you join a lamplit Staunton Ghost Tour. These tours will educate and entertain as they expose you to Staunton’s “hubs of paranormal activity,” and the spooky history behind them. Ticketed.
• If you like to look at the world from behind a lens, don’t skip the country’s largest camera museum, the Camera Heritage Museum. You’ll see over 7,000 cameras ranging from those used in the early 19th century during the dawn of the film age. Choose from a personal tour with the curator or a self-guided audio tour.

Tour the Countryside

Augusta County is beautiful from the car, from your bike, and by foot. It’s easy to lose yourself – in a good way – as you wander the scenic backroads. Here are even more ways to explore the area around Staunton.

Rail and River

• The Virginia Scenic Railway travels through some of the most beautiful countryside around and gives riders some insight into how people traveled in the past. The 3-hour rides travel to the east or west and feature epic scenery and a meal, which you can enjoy from the dining car or the upgraded and modernized 1948 Vista-Dome car, which offers wider views and a new bar!

• Middle River Outfitters can teach you everything you need to know about becoming a fisherman. Patient and experienced guides help you choose the best lures and flies and lead you to stocked fishing destinations like Mossy Creek or the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Spend a half or full or day learning how to cast and land trophy fish from the shore or boat. Sign up for fly fishing lessons or all-inclusive fishing weekends.
• Shenandoah Paddleboard & Eco Tours runs trips on local rivers that blend gentle paddling with wildlife spotting and seek to make paddleboarding accessible for everyone. Not only will they provide equipment and transportation, they’ll also guide you to the best places, and provide instruction so that even people who’ve never tried the sport before can learn and have fun. Their guides also offer sunset and full-moon paddle outings if you’re looking to mix fitness with serenity.

Farm and Ranch

• Family-owned Cestari Sheep and Wool Company raises sheep and manufactures knitting and crocheting yarn. Schedule a Cestari Tour to learn about the process, tour the museum, and ride a Conestoga wagon to the farm to meet the flock. This tour includes lots of photo ops and picnic spots, perfect for families and groups. Stop at the showroom to shop yarn, wool, and cotton items, fresh eggs, frozen lamb, and more.
• Learn about non-industrial and environmentally-friendly farming practices at Polyface Farm. Take a self-guided, hay wagon, or private walking tour to see rotational grazing and eggmobiles in action.
• Enjoy an unusual outing at Point of View Alpaca Farm when you take a “Walk a ‘Paca” tour through pastures and fields. This sweet animal encounter makes for a memorable hands-on experience and an amazing photo shoot. and a chance to shop products made from alpaca fiber, which is incredibly soft and warmer than wool.
• Harmony Harvest Farm grows more than 400 varieties of flowers in its fields and greenhouses, and visitors can learn a lot when they sign up for a tour. Choose a private tour of the grounds or a harvest tour, which includes a chance to pick flowers. Budding flower farmers can sign up for tours designed to introduce them to the business. Harmony Harvest sells everyday flowers and bouquet subscriptions. 

• Horseback adventures at North Mountain Outfitter range from half, full-day, and overnight rides to themed all-inclusive getaway weekends such as Couples Weekend, yoga ranch retreats, and clay-busting Shotguns and Saddles. Getaways include lodging, rides, ranch-style meals, and entertainment.
• If you’re not ready to commit to a full day in the saddle, Star B Stables leads guided trail rides through the countryside outside of Staunton. The horses are well-trained and gentle, and the rides are appropriate to everyone of any experience level who’s over the age of six.

The Natural World

• Level up your skill set with a guided hike, canoe trip, tree or rock climb, wilderness skills workshop, spelunking adventure, and more with Vivid Earth Adventures. Vivid Earth will work with you to tailor an adventure suited to your interests, fitness level, and abilities.

• Guides at Enchanted Nature Tours are experienced naturalists who lead gentle, informative treks that highlight Appalachian flora, foraging, and the ecosystem’s deeper stories. You can also sign up for a mushroom class led by a certified mycologist and learn about how to identify both dangerous and delicious fungi, how to grow your own, and how to cook your bounty. 
• The Shenandoah Valley’s bedrock is composed of soft limestone that’s been eroded by water over millions of years, leaving behind a fascinating network of caverns. Grand Caverns offers a range of tours, from easy walking routes to more adventurous “rugged” options. Visitors can also explore the 34-story Caverns at Natural Bridge and Harrisonburg’s Melrose Caverns, which features Civil War–era graffiti. A bit farther north in the Valley, Luray Caverns stands as one of the most renowned, drawing visitors with its towering formations, mirror-like pools, and the world’s largest musical instrument—the Great Stalacpipe Organ.

Hopefully, you’ll find a tour (or several) to pique your interest when you visit Staunton. Book a spot and let your guide take care of the rest.