Nestled at the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley, the City of Winchester, Virginia is often referred to as “the Top of Virginia.” Comprising a mere 9.3 square miles, the City of Winchester has a population that swells from approximately 27,000 at night to 70,000 in the daytime. The Winchester-Frederick County area is home to nationally-recognized tourist attractions, such as the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum, Belle Grove Plantation, Wayside Theatre, and the Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre. Some fun nearby destinations include:

• VA’s Shenandoah Caverns and American Celebration on Parade (40 miles)
• Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah National Park (22 miles)
• Harper’s Ferry National Park (31 miles)
• Washington, D.C. (72 miles)
• Udvar-Hazy National Air & Space Museum (56 miles) Luray Caverns (51 miles)
• Manassas Park Battlefield (55 miles)
• Antietam National Battlefield (39 miles)

Winchester boasts a small town feel and maintains a beautiful pedestrian mall in the heart of downtown complete with a unique, eclectic mix of locally-owned gift shops, clothing stores, sidewalk cafes, art galleries and museums, all housed in beautiful buildings dating back to the 1800s. Since Old Town Winchester is in the heart of a 45 square block of buildings on the National Historic District, visitors and residents alike can enjoy amazing architecture and stories from long ago.

Winchester also offers an array of shopping excursions – from the beautiful pedestrian mall in the heart of downtown to the Apple Blossom Mall, Apple Blossom Corners, and Creekside Station. All of these shopping destinations offer a unique blend of outstanding national chain and independent retailers and dining venues.

Few places in the United States are as steeped with history as Winchester. Once a Shawnee Indian camping ground, Winchester was founded in 1744 by Colonel James Wood and is the oldest city in the Commonwealth west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Four years later, 16 year old surveyor George Washington came to Winchester, where during the French and Indian war, he commanded the Virginia Regiment from a small log building in downtown Winchester, which still stands today in its original location. The site of five Civil War battles, no other east coast city was more intricately involved in the war, changing hands more than seventy times in four years. At alternate times, both Confederate General “Stonewall” Jackson and Union General Philip Sheridan were headquartered in buildings still standing less than two blocks apart. Visit www.oldtownwinchesterva.com or www.visitwinchesterva.com for more exciting details.

Winchester also has all the modern amenities and recreation facilities that make staying in Winchester a delight. Enjoy the picturesque Jim Barnett Park, the site of the 2011 Cal Ripken 10-Year-Old World Series which features an outdoor pool, a recreation center (including a gymnasium, racquetball courts, indoor pool, fitness room and more), walking/jogging trails, a disc golf course, regular and accessible playgrounds, a BMX track, picnic shelters, putt-putt golf, a dog park and many ball fields.