Awards & Acclaim

explore Staunton’s accolades

2024

• Maude & the Bear Merits a Road Trip to the Shenandoah Valley – The Washington Post
• 7 Best Small Towns Near Shenandoah National Park – The Travel
• Best Mountain Towns to Visit in the Fall – Southern Living
• Best Towns in Virginia for Antiquing – Southern Living
• Top 10 Best Small Town Cultural Scene – USA Today
• Small Towns We Love – StyleBluePrint
• Best Mountain Towns for Retirement – Insider Monkey

2023

• Staunton, Virginia: The Shenandoah Valley’s Best-Kept Secret – Garden & Gun
• 7 Adorable Small Towns In The Mid-Atlantic – World Atlas
• The Best Things To Do In Staunton, Virginia – Southern Living
• 40 of the Best Main Streets in America You Need to Visit ASAP – Country Living
• These are America’s Most Historic and Beautiful Streets – MSN
• 4 Great Train Trips From DC – Washingtonian
• Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail: Best Beer/Wine/Spirits Trail 2023 – Blue Ridge Outdoors
• The Best Small Towns to Retire in Virginia – World Atlas
• The South’s Most Adorable Small Towns, From Texas to Tennessee – MSN
• The Small Town in Virginia That Comes Alive During the Winter Season – Only in Your State
• Take a Stroll Down America’s Most Historic Streets – MSN
• 15 Most Charming Small Towns To Visit In Virginia – MSN
• A Charming And Historic Small Town In Virginia, Staunton Is Seemingly Frozen In Time – Only in Your State
• 8 Coolest Small Towns In Virginia For A Summer Vacation – World Atlas
• Striking the Right Notes: Music, arts, theater, and hospitality shine in Staunton – Virginia Living
• Visit These 12 Incredible Charming Small Towns In Virginia, One For Each Month Of The Year – Only in Your State
• 10 Best Small-Town Cultural Scenes Across the Country – USA Today
• Turn Back the Clock: Charming Retro Diners in Every State – MSN

2022

• Wrights’ Dairy Rite: The Most Charming Retro Diner in Virginia – MSN
• Virginia’s Most Charming Small Towns – MSN
• 10 of the Most Beautiful Towns in Virginia You Should Visit – MSN
• 25 Best Places to Visit in Virginia – Vacation Idea
• Best Small Cities to Visit During the Fall in the Southern USA – Travel Mag
• 10 Unforgettable Fall Festivals Worth Traveling For: Queen City Mischief & Magic – USA Today
• 7 Beautiful Towns in the Shenandoah Valley – WorldAtlas
• The 10 Most Enchanting Small Towns in the Shenandoah Valley – Fodor’s
• The 16 Most Charming Towns in Virginia – PureWow
• Named the Most Beautiful Small Town in Virginia, Take a Closer Look at Staunton – Only in Your State
• 10 Design-Oriented American Small Towns – HGTV
• Eye Candy: America’s Most Beautiful Streets – MSN
• America’s Most Photogenic Streets – MSN
• Most Beautiful Small Town in Virginia – Only In Your State
• 11 Cutest Small Towns in Virginia – WorldAtlas.com
• The South’s Best Mountain Towns – Southern Living
• 32 Charming Mountain Towns to Visit this Fall – Southern Living
• The Most Charming Main Streets in Every State – Cheapism

2021

• The 39 Most Beautiful Main Streets Across America – Architectural Digest
• The 20 Best Beer Towns in the United States – TravelMag
• The 9 Best Towns in the Shenandoah Valley – TripSavvy
• Best Small Town Cultural Scene – USA Today
• 20 Most Beautiful Main Streets in America – Reader’s Digest
• The 25 Best Small-Town Main Streets in America You Need to Visit ASAP – Oprah Daily
• Staunton, VA: The Perfect Place (for Me) to Retire – Kiplinger
• America’s Most Beautiful Streets – MSN
• Small-Town Getaways in Driving Distance of Washington, DC – Washingtonian
• Celebrating Amtrak’s 50th: 8 Incredible Small Town Stops – Travel Awaits
• “Urbanism” Isn’t Synonymous with “Big City” – Strong Towns
• Leaving RVA? The Top 25 Places People Move to When They Leave the Richmond Metro Area – WRIC TV 8 Richmond

2020

• The South’s Best Mountain Towns 2020– Southern Living
• Best Small Town Cultural Scene – USA Today
• 24 Best Day Trips & Small Towns in Virginia – Vacation Idea
• My Search for the Perfect Place to Retire – Kiplinger
• Virginia This Morning’s Top 6 Picks: One-Tank Trip – CBS 6 WTVR Richmond
• Underrated Historic Cities Around the World – MSN.com
• The Best Southern Mountain Towns for Retirement – Southern Living
• The Best Southern Mountain Towns for Retirement – MSN.com
• Beautiful Historic Cities You Probably Don’t Know About – MSN.com
• Cities in the U.S. with the Fewest Residents Living Under the Poverty Line – USA Today

2019

• 50 Best Cities to Live in the U.S. – USA Today
• Why This Regions of Virginia Could Be the South’s New Foodie Hotspot” – Vogue
• Best Places to Propose in the U.S. – Expedia
• American Shakespeare Center – Virginia’s Not-To-Be-Missed Vacation Destination – O Magazine
• Best Small Town Cultural Scene – USA Today
• The South’s Best Restaurants in Every State: The Shack Staunton, VA – Southern Living

2018

• 14 Small Towns with Big Theaters– Fodor’s
• Charming Main Streets in Each State – USA Today
• The 8 Small Southern Towns to Visit in 2018 – U.S. News & World Report
• 20 Most Beautiful Main Streets in America – Reader’s Digest
• Most Beautiful Towns in America – Expedia
• The Most Charming Small Town in Every State – Reader’s Digest
• The Most Charming Small Town in Every State – MSN.com
• America’s 25 Cutest Main Streets in Small(er) Towns – Fodor’s
• The 30 Most Beautiful Main Streets Across America – Architectural Digest

2017

• The 6 Cutest Main Streets in America – HuffPost.com
• 23 Best Small Main Streets in America – Country Living
• The 15 Most Beautiful Main Streets Across America – Architectural Digest
• The Next Great Mountain Towns” – Blue Ridge Outdoors
• 20 Charming Mountain Towns to Visit This Fall – Southern Living
• 3 Great Small Towns in the Shenandoah Valley That Are Worth the Visit – Washingtonian

2016

• The Top 28 Hot Destinations for 2016 – Travelsquire.com
• 9 of the Best Small Towns for Food in the U.S.  – Tasting Table
• 20 Great Small Towns Near Washington, DC – About.com
• 12 Perfectly Picturesque Towns in Virginia – OnlyinYourState.com
• The 6 Cutest Main Streets in America – Purewow.com
• The 30 Small Towns You Should Visit This Summer – Country Living
• The 30 Small Towns You Should Visit This Summer – Cosmopolitan
• The 30 Small Towns You Should Visit This Summer – MSN.com
• America’s Favorite Towns – Travel+Leisure
• Best Main Streets in the USA – USA Today

2015

• Staunton tops the list of the “10 Most Beautiful Towns in Virginia!” – TheCultureTrip.com
• The 15 Best Places To Live In Virginia…and Why – Staunton “Most Beautiful Town.” – OnlyinYourState.com

2014

• America’s Best Main Streets – Fodors / Huffington Post
• America’s Favorite Mountain Towns – Travel + Leisure
• Top 10 Idyllic and Historic Main Streets Across the USA – USA Today
• The Fall Foliage Bike Festival was selected as one of “America’s Best Fall Bike Rides” – US News & World Report

2013

• Great Places in America – American Planning Association
• America’s Greatest Main Streets – Travel + Leisure

2012

• Best Small Towns in America – Smithsonian
• Number One For Small Town Charm – AirTran’s Go magazine
• Small Towns We Love – Southern Living

Acclaim:

• “Staunton is equal parts mountain-sports destination and culture capital.” – Outside Magazine 2016
• “Staunton offers big-city vibrancy and culture. Its downtown district teems with independently-owned businesses, including a locavore restaurant scene that visitors are loath to leave behind.” – Virginia Living, 2012
• “From its fresh dining options to its farm-centric tours, this Shenandoah Valley enclave is a must-visit destination for anyone who loves tasty food and scenic views.” – Flavor, 2012
• “The American Shakespeare Center, located on a hilly side street of this college town…takes on the Bard and his classical _ contemporaries in a manner as charming and adaptive as Staunton itself.” – Washington Post, 2012
• “The charming architecture, walkability, and lively cultural scene draw more and more people to Staunton.” – Preservation, 2012
• “The burgeoning restaurant scene has a distinctly locavore focus.” – Washington Post, 2011
• “Staunton has been restored to a high sheen of antique charm…” – Forbes, 2011
• “Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley is for lovers of great food, live music and historic Americana. And its unofficial cultural capital, Staunton, may be the region’s best kept secret.” – Arrive magazine, 2010
• “Downtown Staunton looks and feels charmingly old, yet it’s very much alive, with its own distinct Valley vibe.” – Virginia Living, 2010
• “Staunton…one of the country’s best-kept foodie secrets.” – Baltimore magazine, 2010
• “Staunton has reinvented itself as an arts and culture destination…” – Philadelphia Inquirer, 2009
• “Staunton is emerging as a surprisingly hip getaway where hundreds of Victorian-era storefronts and buildings set the stage for a unique blend of world-class Shakespearean performances, music festivals, locally grown artisan foods, gourmet restaurants, art galleries, and, historical attractions.” – Richmond Times Dispatch, 2009
• “Staunton is absolutely charming, with thriving arts and local-food scenes and an abiding sense of community.” – Southern Accents, 2009
• “The Virginia town of Staunton has some big draws – including good food and terrific theater.” – Washingtonian magazine, 2009
• “One of Virginia’s many handsome small cities, this hometown of President Woodrow Wilson is a back-from-the-dead success story that’ll make you smile.” – New York Post, 2009
• “The narrow streets of Staunton…are full of handsome, 19th-century buildings, enticing storefronts, and good restaurants.” – Wall Street Journal, 2006