Buchanan and Covington and Lexington, oh my!

Have you ever wished you could jump into the pages of the book you were reading? As a life-long bookworm, I have definitely felt this way. I don’t know if it’s the teacher, the theater nerd, or the bibliophile in me, but when a book comes along that can easily be brought to life, I’m going to try and make it happen.

Last summer, we read Tara Z. Fisher’s book Virginia is for Adventurers, a new novel about a girl named Meg who embarks on a 10-day, statewide scavenger hunt with friends and family. Shortly after reading it, we had the privilege of joining the author herself for a scavenger hunt in Orange, Virginia (for details about that awesome event, please read this blog post). Our fun continued in December when Ms. Fisher surprised Daughter #1 during a visit to her school.

Now here we are, many months later, and we still talk about all of the unique points of interest, LOVEworks, and natural wonders that are featured in the book. Since we’ve made it our mission to visit as many of them as possible, we decided to devote this year’s four-night spring break trip to completing as many of the activities in one of the chapters as we could. We decided to focus on Chapter 3 of Virginia is for Adventurers, which begins in the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley and stretches north through the valley and then west into the Alleghany Highlands. Without further ado, here are some highlights from our Chapter 3-inspired vacation (as well a few bonus adventures):

Buchanan

Since we couldn’t make it to the Roanoke Star, which was Chapter 3’s opening point of interest, I’ll begin with the chapter’s second stop. The little village of Buchanan is home to a swinging bridge over the James River, which the novel’s characters must cross and photograph. The 366-feet-long swinging bridge has been in existence for more than 80 years, though parts of the stone piers actually predate the Civil War, when a different bridge stood on the spot. We walked across the bridge and back, and Daughter #1 had fun trying to make it shake as much as possible.

While on solid ground, we were sure to take a photo with Buchanan’s LOVEwork, which offers a view of the bridge and river behind it.

We also walked a few hundred feet through Buchanan Town Park to its playground. Both of my girls adored this play area because of the quirky swing that they could ride together, complete with a view of the mountains.

We were there on a sleepy weekday morning, but the town park draws big local crowds for its many festivals, such as the Community Carnival, the Botetourt County Fair, and Mountain Magic in Fall, just to name a few. Planning a visit to Buchanan that coincides with one of these events sounds like a great idea for a weekend excursion.

Falling Spring Falls (Covington)

The third official stop in the Chapter 3 portion of the scavenger hunt was Falling Spring Falls. Located in the Alleghany Highlands and nestled several miles up the mountain from downtown Covington, this 80-foot waterfall is a stunning shock when it suddenly comes into view along the side of the road. We easily found parking in the small roadside pull-off and walked down to the overlook. The photos of this place do not do its beauty justice, nor do they capture the waterfall’s magnitude.

Adjacent to the parking lot is a small area with a couple of picnic tables and an information kiosk, which made for a very convenient lunch spot.

Humpback Bridge (Covington)

The characters’ final stop of the day is less than 20 minutes from Falling Spring Falls. Spanning the width of Dunlap Creek, Humpback Bridge is a little over 100 feet in length and is the only bridge of its kind (both covered and humpbacked) left in the country.

In a sweet stroke of luck, the creek deepens and swells right under the bridge, and a rope swing has been tied to the bridge’s underside. The swinging rope creates a thrilling jump into a bona fide swimming hole. It was rather chilly when we were there, but Daughter #1 braved the water for a few minutes anyway.

While we enjoyed walking across the bridge (and in Daughter #1’s case, swimming underneath it), my favorite part of the whole experience was a very unique LOVEwork. Since the parkland already boasts a large tree that has grown into a V shape, the LOVEwork architects only had to construct the L, O, and E, which were made of local materials like bricks, a gear from a paper machine, and railroad ties. The result is a beautiful work of art with Humpback Bridge as the perfect backdrop.

Natural Bridge State Park

At the conclusion of Chapter 3, Meg and her friends receive a clue about the first place they must find in Chapter 4. This clue tells the team to locate a “natural wonder” and explains that it “was once owned by Thomas Jefferson, and once surveyed by George Washington” (p. 85). The natural wonder in question is none other than Natural Bridge State Park, which is located in Natural Bridge, Virginia, about 18 minutes south of downtown Lexington. Although we’d explored Natural Bridge before (see this blog post), it is always worth a visit, especially since our Airbnb was only 15 minutes away.

Even the parking lot at Natural Bridge has a must-see feature. Who can turn down a photo opportunity with yet another lovely LOVEwork? Not me!

More Local Fun in Lexington

While that was the extent of the novel-inspired portion of our trip, we still had other great experiences while staying in the Lexington area. For example, we adored exploring the grounds at our Airbnb. We love the Yurt at Stillhouse Farm and its hosts so much that this is actually the only Airbnb we have ever stayed in more than once. Located on a sheep farm mere minutes from downtown Lexington, the property boasts an inviting creek, adorable livestock, and stunning sunsets. The host’s delectable baked goods are just the icing on the cake (no pun intended).

We also took advantage of our location and wandered around Lexington one evening. We had been there before, but a stroll through Washington and Lee University’s beautiful campus is always a nice way to spend some time. We really enjoyed our meal at Napa Thai, a family friendly restaurant with delicious food and lovely employees. One of the staff members even went and got her toddler so he could meet my toddler. A tasty dessert at Sweet Things Ice Cream Shoppe rounded out our evening.

Last but certainly not least, we visited Boxerwood Gardens for the very first time, and this place was magical. A $5 donation per vehicle gains you access to a beautiful garden, as well as a spectacular enclosed play trail for children ages eight and under. It happened to be raining pretty consistently when we were there, so we suited up and spent about an hour exploring with the place all to ourselves. I let my 12-year-old play a bit because no one else was there, and because she wanted to construct a fort for her sister. Daughter #2 was perfectly happy to try out the mud kitchen and build block towers inside of the human-sized birdhouse. I cannot wait to revisit this place in nicer weather.

Boxerwood Gardens was our last major stop before our trip sadly came to an end. I am super grateful to Tara Z. Fisher for inspiring such a fun spring break experience through her novel Virginia is for Adventurers. This trip got me even more excited for our summer vacation this August, when we will visit many of the places mentioned in Chapter 2. Stay tuned!

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Update: In August of 2023 we managed to visit the first destination mentioned in the chapter – the Mill Mountain Star! This landmark sits up on Mill Mountain with an incredible view of downtown Roanoke. It resides within a park that also contains a zoo, nature center, and sweet little playground. There are two different overlooks with sweeping vistas: one directly in front of the star, and the other near the playground. We’re so glad we were able to squeeze in a special trip there!