Make It A Long Weekend In Staunton

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There are many reasons to pick Staunton for your next long weekend getaway. Whether you’re planning around a theme like the arts, food, great outdoors, history, or want a mix-and-match sampling of just about everything, Staunton lets you build a weekend that suits your interests and pace. What follows isn’t an itinerary. It’s a mix-and-match guide to help you shape your perfect long weekend escape, one experience at a time.

Food & Drink

Staunton is an important destination for those who like to eat well and consider the origins of their food. Along with flavor, many of our restaurants emphasize seasonal freshness and local sourcing. We’ve also added some additional ways to experience the area’s farm-first philosophy.

Dining as Experience

Eating is an adventure at Maude and the Bear, where celebrated Chef Ian Boden’s multi-course tasting menu brings the region’s best flavors to your plate and pairs them with the perfect wines. Zynodoa is the go-to for modern Southern cuisine with ingredients like chevre, pork, and greens all sourced from nearby farms.

Seed to Tail offers home-grown comfort food in a casual setting, while Bijou leans more bistro, specializing in seasonal soups and salads. For global options, try Salvadoran food at Gloria’s Pupuseria, build a bowl at Helios Mediterranean, or savor the spices at Taste of India.

Dessert in Staunton isn’t an afterthought, so save room. Sweet Addie’s mounds Belgian waffles with sweet or savory toppings. Giancarlo Fine European Pastries, hidden behind a nondescript façade, turns out fine chocolate, tarts, cocktail pastries, and other classics that rival big-city patisseries. For something cold, The Split Banana scoops house-made gelato with flavors like maple walnut, pineapple sorbet, and pistachio.

Beer, Wine, & More

Accordia Natural Wine Bar & Bistro stocks over 600 wines, beers, and ciders, and they’ll help you compliment the flavors with small plates and bar-style snacks. Plan to spend an evening attending a guided wine tasting or master class to learn about organic and low-intervention wines and their production and flavor profiles. 

Staunton is centrally located along the Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail, which connects 20 local breweries, many with taproom-only releases and mountain views. Consider a ride on The Carriage, a brewery tour bus dedicated to helping folks enjoy multiple stops (and tastings) in a fun, safe way. 

Foodies won’t want to skip the tasting room at Staunton Olive Oil, a treasure trove of infused oils and balsamic vinegars that are delicious for recipes and dipping. 

Farm-to-Fork

The Staunton Farmers’ Market brings fresh, local food to town every Saturday from April to November. Browse for grass-fed meats, artisan cheeses, baked goods, and just-picked produce. It’s also a chance to chat with the producers to learn each food’s history. 

Continue your food education with a stop at Jones Garden, which seeks to make food sustainable, accessible, and to use the gardens to beautify overlooked areas in the city. Head deeper into Augusta County to learn about non-industrial and environmentally-friendly farming practices at Polyface Farm.

Arts & Culture

Fill your long weekend with Staunton’s art and cultural scenery, which includes world-class theatre, live music, and work by talented visual artists.

Theatre, Indoors and Out

Theater enthusiasts should start with a production at Blackfriars Playhouse. Not only can you experience Shakespeare’s masterpieces in a space that replicates the Bard’s famous indoor theater, but the performances use original staging conditions like unamplified voices, universal lighting, and a tight actor-audience connection. 

For a more contemporary experience, try a community-driven ShenanArts productions like a musical or other popular favorite. Even more local stars shine on the outdoor stage during Oak Grove Theater’s annual summer season. 

Music 

The Heifetz Institute draws elite string players from around the world to join its talented students for a summer festival of chamber music, genre-crossing “Heifetz Hootenannies,” and other performances. The Staunton Music Festival (August), offers a world-class 10-day program of classical chamber and orchestral works, often with rare or unusual repertoire and historically informed performances. 

Weekday visitors can catch different genres of live music each night at Gypsy Hill Park’s Summer Bandstand series or at Marino’s Lunch for scheduled performances or Tuesday/Friday jam sessions. And if you’re here on the weekend, look for live music at the Farmers’ Market and when the streets close for Shop and Dine Out Downtown.

Visual Art

Staunton’s visual art scene is layered as well. The CoArt Gallery, a cooperative of local artists, showcases work across media, while the RR Smith Center for History and Art and Beverley Street Studio School Gallery exhibit curated shows by featured regional artists. Sunspots Studios, a working glassblowing studio, lets visitors watch live demonstrations or try a session themselves. More recently, galleries like Sanaa Design have brought a contemporary edge to downtown with bold paintings, bas-relief, and 3-D sculptures. 

For casual interaction with artists, time your visit with Art on the Town (Memorial Day weekend) or Art in the Park (Labor Day weekend), where artists show and sell in a street-fair setting.

Public Art and Creative Community Hubs

You can’t miss the artistic spirit of downtown Staunton, where colorful murals span alley walls and businesses, highlighting local scenery, history, and community values. 

The Art Hive doubles as a studio, teaching space, and hosts pop-up events, supporting a network of emerging artists who blend fine art with community engagement. Entertain the kids or try something low-stress and tactile at Staunton Clayground, where guests throw pots or hand sculpt ceramics with no prior experience required. 

History & Heritage

Check out Staunton’s windows into the past.

Life in Early America

The open-air Frontier Culture Museum helps modern visitors connect with ordinary 18th- and 19th-century lives. Interpreters at reconstructed homes from Africa, Germany, Ireland, England, and the American frontier demonstrate blacksmithing, farming, and daily chores. 

South of Staunton, the Cyrus McCormick Farm is the birthplace of the mechanical reaper, a turning point in agricultural history that launched the mechanization of farming. And north of town in Dayton, rotating exhibits at the Virginia Quilt Museum demonstrate the artistry and quiet depth of historic storytelling embedded in Appalachian and Shenandoah Valley quilts.

Staunton History

The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum at his birthplace examines the life and times of the 28th U.S. president. Exhibits touch on World War I, the League of Nations, and Wilson’s often-overlooked complexities, and Wilson’s restored Pierce-Arrow limousine. 

For more history, take a self-guided or Saturday morning Historic Staunton Foundation walking tour to see Staunton’s well-preserved Victorian architecture.

Outdoor Exploration

Here are some ways to tap into the Shenandoah Valley’s wilder side on your long weekend.

Hiking and Mountain Views

Staunton’s location at the foot of the Blue Ridge gives it access to some of the most rewarding hikes on the East Coast. Hop on a section of the Appalachian Trail or another trail like Turk Mountain Loop or Blackrock Summit as they cross Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. 

Nearby, the short, steep Humpback Rock hike rewards summiting visitors with a panoramic view of the Valley and the Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail lets visitors experience delving under the mountains! Finally, the Confederate Breastworks is a preserved defensive ridge on Shenandoah Mountain, which gives visitors a literal vantage point on Civil War tactics and terrain.

Water Adventures and Lakeside Lounging

If it’s a hot weekend, plan an afternoon at Sherando Lake. The lake has a sandy beach and a roped-off swimming area, restrooms, shaded picnic areas, fishing, and nearby hiking trails. For a more time on the water, Shenandoah Paddleboard & Eco Tours runs trips on local rivers that blend gentle paddling with wildlife spotting.

Outside in Staunton

You don’t need to leave town to enjoy the outdoors. Gypsy Hill Park has a duck pond, playgrounds, a walking loop, and a bark park, while Montgomery Hall Park offers wooded trails, disc golf, a natural playground, and mountain biking. For a round of golf, head to Gypsy Hill Golf Course or Ingleside Golf Resort. Both casual enough for vacationers but scenic enough to justify packing your clubs.

Leave Room for the Unscripted

A long weekend in Staunton isn’t just about following a strict itinerary. It’s also about stumbling into the unexpected, and it rewards visitors who plan loosely and are willing to shift from history to art to ice cream. Start with a few ideas, stay open to what you find, and Staunton will more than meet you halfway!