Find your Staunton alter ego in this Virginia city

Maybe vacation-you lingers over dinner instead of checking the time. Maybe you’re suddenly the person who hikes before breakfast, knows exactly which wine pairs with dinner, or disappears happily into a record store for an hour. Sometimes, the best part of getting away is meeting a version of yourself that everyday life doesn’t leave much room for.

Staunton has a way of bringing those personalities out: creative, curious, dramatic, outdoorsy, romantic. There’s room here for all of them.

So forget the standard sightseeing checklist for a minute. Which Staunton alter ego is calling your name?

Romantic

You notice the glow of café windows after dark. You believe dinner should take two hours, handwritten notes beat text messages, and there are few problems that can’t be improved by a beautiful hotel room, a bottle of wine, and nowhere you absolutely have to be. When the day slows down, your conversations get deeper, and Staunton can help you speak your love language, whether with another person or in pursuit of romanticizing life.

• Share a weekend at the Blackburn Inn. Think cocktails on the patio, an elegant room, massages and skin treatments at the onsite spa.
• Settle in with your favorite person on a Virginia Scenic Railway excursion. Lean back, hold hands, and revel in the views as you roll through some of the Valley’s prettiest scenery.
• Indulge your senses with natural and artisanal candles, soaps, and body products at Ovid & Lane.
• If you believe in sharing your feelings through writing, both the words you choose and the materials you craft your words onto make a difference. Words Matter carries books, poetry, and beautiful tools like pens, handmade journals, and handmade papers.
• Splitting dessert. Ordering another glass of wine. Taking the long way back to your hotel. You know — the important local research.

Theatre kid

Are you the kind of person who is disappointed by front-row tickets because you want to be on the stage yourself? Is attention, of any kind, good attention? Do you suspect the world would benefit from hearing your rendition of the Act III monologue? You may be a theatre kid. Here’s what your ticket to the limelight in Staunton includes.

• See a show at the Blackfriars Playhouse. Sit on the stage if you can so you’ll be close to the action and maybe even part of it. Theatre kids will also get a kick out of learning what goes on behind the scenes, so schedule a backstage tour.
• We know you’re not shy, so we expect to see you at Silver Line Theatre’s Saturday Night Improv show.
• If you’re a theatre kid and a know-it-all, you need to attend pub trivia or sing at an open mic or karaoke night. Find your spotlight on Staunton’s events calendar. Or save the day by solving puzzles as the clock ticks down at Crack the Code Escape Room.
• And for the city’s biggest set change of the year, Queen City Mischief and Magic turns downtown Staunton into your stage. Costumes aren’t just accepted; they’re practically part of the scenery.

Foodie

You ask where the cheese came from. You want to know what’s seasonal. You will ask your server what they’re most excited about on the menu, and you probably have a reservation somewhere before you’ve even checked into your hotel. If so, it doesn’t take all of our senses to deduce that you’re a foodie. Staunton’s big-city depth of dining and wealth of farm-to-table restaurants is going to make your mouth water.

• Take an early morning stroll downtown to Reunion Bakery and discover the magic they can perform with pastries like pain au chocolat, rum and custard-infused canelé, and fresh-roasted Broad Porch coffee.
• USA Today just named Accordia Wine Bar one of its top bar destinations in the country for its warm hospitality and ability to expertly pair a great selection of wines with food.
• Lauded by The New York Times, Esquire, the James Beard Foundation and others, Maude and the Bear’s multi-course progressive menus feature “all the region has to offer.”
• Meals and cocktails at Zynodoa are designed around the fine, fresh ingredients supplied by Virginia’s independent farmers and producers, focusing on what is seasonally available in the Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont regions.
• Shop for your own recipes at the Staunton Farmers’ Market. You’ll also want to stop at Casa Rosa and Staunton Olive Oil to stock your kitchen and pantry.

History nerd

You read every plaque. Old buildings make you wonder who lived there. Historic photographs send you down research rabbit holes. And when someone casually says, “This building dates to…” you’ve already leaned forward. If you take tours and correct the guides, just in the interest of getting the facts straight, you might be a history nerd.

You won’t have to do much digging to appease your Staunton alter ego:

• Learn about Woodrow Wilson’s life and “consequential and controversial” presidency at the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace and Presidential Library. Of special interest are the archives, the trench warfare exhibit, and Remember the Ladies: Fashion, Freedom, and the Fabric of a Nation, a temporary exhibit that “explores American history through the clothing women wore and the lives they lived” from 1776 to 2026.
• If you’re in town on a Saturday morning, start the day with a Historic Staunton Foundation walking tour and explore multiple historic districts. Next, learn about the history of photography at the Camera Heritage Museum, which houses over 6,500 historic cameras.
• The Frontier Culture Museum offers a glimpse of how early settlers lived and worked in the Shenandoah. This family-friendly museum is open air with animals and costumed interpreters.
• If you enjoy your history with a side of goosebumps, take a Ghosts of Staunton Ghost Tour. Each guided walking tour will share “chilling tales of restless spirits, unexplained activity, and true ghost stories.”

Music lover

You have a playlist for the drive here, another for the hotel room, and strong opinions about what should be playing over dinner. Music isn’t background noise to you. It’s part of how you remember a place. Staunton has a soundtrack just for your music lover side.

• Depending on when you visit, that might mean hearing some of the world’s most talented young musicians during the Heifetz International Music Institute, experiencing classical performances during the Staunton Music Festival, catching live music bring new energy to over a dozen businesses and venues during Staunton Jams, or simply turning a downtown corner and finding a busker providing the soundtrack to your afternoon.
• Browse the stacks at Eccohollow or The Vinyl Asylum for something to take home, check Staunton’s events calendar to see who’s playing while you’re here, and don’t be surprised if your “quick drink” turns into an entire evening because somebody brought out a guitar.
• And this is, after all, the hometown of the Statler Brothers. Music runs a little deeper here than you might expect.

Outdoorsy

Are you the kind of person who can only truly relax when your quads are burning from an epic bike or climb? Do you feel fancy when you’re sporting new hiking socks or a helmet hairdo? You probably already know that you’re the outdoorsy type. Here’s how rugged, active adventurers can find some serious dirt time in Staunton.

• Nearby Shenandoah National Park boasts 516 miles of hiking paths, including 101 miles of the Appalachian Trail. The park is packed with wildlife, waterfalls, and opportunities to bond with the natural world.
• This area is popular for biking, and Bike The Valley has collected an extensive and well-documented database of rides of all distances and difficulties for mountain bikers, road bikers, families, and everyone else looking to take on the world one pedal push at a time.
• Staunton is no slouch in the park department. The city’s greenspaces have miles of trails, bike paths, sports courts, playgrounds, and other ingredients required to get your daily recommended dose of touching grass.
• Did your equipment wear out before you did? Stop at Wilderness Adventure, Sole Focus Running, and Black Dog Bikes to shop for replacements.
• Check out the Bears, Birds, and Bikes post for more.

Hobbyist

Are you the kind of person who never gets bored? Do you like to learn, play, create, and collect, and never stop unless you’re sleeping? Is your basement, garage, storage unit, and backpack stuffed with cooking implements, art supplies, tools, books, and collections of all sorts of things?

You’re not a hoarder, you’re a hobbyist, and here’s how Staunton can feed your curiosity and love of collecting.

• If you love immersing yourself in the fantasy worlds of board games, tabletop games, and video games, you can find them at Pufferbellies Toys & Books, the Dragon’s Hoard, and Staunton’s Art-Cade, which blends games and gems.
• Creators can get crafty or purchase supplies at the Art Hive, play in the mud at the Staunton Clayground, and bring their ideas to life on the equipment at Staunton Makerspace. If you like to build models, look for your next project on the shelves at Frontline Model Kits & Hobbies, and if you sew or quilt, or want to learn, stop by Loose Thread Studio for fabric, notions, and advice.
• Collectors will find their happy place wandering the aisles of Staunton Antiques Center and Juniper Lane. The Vinyl Asylum sells albums on LP and CD, and Know Knew Books has a large, well-organized selection of second-hand books.
• If you’re looking to check off items on your hobby bucket list, read the post on taking a Staunton Skillcation.

So, which Staunton are you?

Maybe you’re obviously one of these people. Or maybe you’re a foodie by noon, a history nerd by afternoon, a music lover after dinner, and an unapologetic romantic once the streetlights come on.

You don’t have to choose just one version of Staunton or one version of yourself. Just find you.