Noting the number of spires that rise above historic downtown Staunton, visitors might think they’ve passed through a portal and landed in Europe instead of one of the Shenandoah Valley’s most beguiling mountain towns. The stylistically diverse roof toppers, from a Romanesque columned belfry on the Masonic building to a brick clock tower that dutifully gongs on the hour, are a legacy of the nineteenth-century railroad boom, and today bracket a walkable district chock-full of culinary, shopping, and entertainment picks.
See & Do
Staunton’s main drag along Beverley Street lines up more gift boutiques than you can shake a Christmas list at: Modern general store Made stocks an eclectic selection of clothes and curios, while Burrow & Vine couldn’t make up its mind about whether to sell local artisan goods or houseplants, so it does both. A half dozen worthy antique stores are anchored by Staunton Antiques Center, where the best find may be a wall festooned with vintage cast-iron skillets rehabbed to lustrous perfection by Black Creek Workshop.
Another delight is the Camera Heritage Museum, a former photographic supply store that now exhibits the country’s largest public collection of cameras—more than seven thousand representing every era and conceivable technology of analog photography. Over at Sunspots Studio, you can sit close enough to a glassblowing demonstration to feel the heat-radiating furnaces and come away with a deeper appreciation for the artisans’ functional-to-fanciful wares.
If the play is more your thing, take in a performance at the American Shakespeare Center, a re-creation of the Bard’s own Blackfriars Theater in London complete with a wraparound balcony and a stage lit only by rustic chandeliers.
Eat & Drink
Open Friday through Sunday, the cozy, French-leaning Reunion Bakery makes planning your Staunton visit to fall squarely on the weekend worthwhile. Claim a red or blue sidewalk café table, then head inside to order a thick wedge of quiche or the excellent croissant with ham and melty Gruyère. For lunch, chef Justin Hershey’s colorful Chicano Boy simply can’t be beat, especially if your taco trio includes chile-braised brisket. Duck into Ciders from Mars because of the clever name, then linger over a sampler flight crafted from local apples and served in mini laboratory beakers. Or indulge in a scoop of gelato made from local, grass-fed milk at everybody’s longtime favorite treat stop, the Split Banana Co.
A difficult dinner choice may be winnowed to two distinctly different options from chef Ian Boden: Opened eleven years ago and now helmed by protégé Michael Skipper, the Shack specializes in sustainable ingredients and creative pastas (e.g., duck confit mafaldine in mustard sauce) that elevate the diminutive former doughnut shop’s concrete floor and mismatched chairs. Boden’s undeniable talent is now focused on the newer, decidedly fancier Maude & the Bear, where he composes four- and seven-course tasting menus that often meld seasonal Appalachian ingredients and Russian-Jewish cookery. Course after course provides a treat for both the eyes and the palate without ever crossing into chef-y pretension.
Stay
If you fall so hard for Maude & the Bear that you don’t want to leave, you’re in luck, as its 1926 Montgomery Ward kit house doubles as a “culinary inn” with two handsome rooms upstairs and a cottage out back. (Boden whips up breakfast for guests.) Another gracious stay awaits where Beverley Street reaches into a leafy neighborhood filled with gorgeous Victorian homes. Perhaps the most striking of them, a three-story Queen Anne built in 1893 for a Virginia lieutenant governor, was converted recently to the Historic Inn at Oakdene. A streetside turret gives off castle vibes, but beyond the threshold, it’s all about comfort. Join traveling companions around patio firepits or sneak away to peruse old photos in the clubby billiard room. The eight suites are havens unto themselves, spoiling guests with spa-like bathrooms and king-size beds. Don’t slumber too late, though—you’ll require another full day to appreciate all that Staunton has to offer.
Discover more must-visit towns in G&G’s 20 Dreamy Summer Weekend Getaways here.
