The Commonwealth of Virginia holds plenty of modern-day business savvy and sophisticated culture, with history as its foundation. More Civil War battles were fought on Virginia’s soil than any other state, and there will be plenty of educational programs, re-enactments and other events surrounding the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. Celebrations will run from 2011 to 2015.
Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy and is just one destination in central and western Virginia where groups can explore the state’s rich history. New and refurbished facilities throughout these piedmont and highlands regions combine with the deep heritage to ensure memorable meetings.
Central Virginia
Thomas Jefferson and several other American founders built their personal estates in this area so they could bask in its green mountain tranquility.
Today, meeting groups can also find solace and productivity in Virginias central area anchored by Richmond. It’s the location of the Greater Richmond Convention Center, with nearly 200,000 square feet of function space and 600 adjacent hotel rooms in the Richmond Marriott and Hilton Garden Inn Richmond Downtown. Richmond is also home to one of the Southeast’s largest art collections in the recently expanded Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where there’s more drama than ever for private event occasions.
Cleo Battle, vice president of sales and services for the Richmond Metropolitan CVB, says planners can find more reasons than contemporary facilities for choosing his city.
"We’re offering plenty of booking incentives right now," Battle says. "Some are based on whether you book multiple years with us, others on value times like August and December. Also, specific years like 2013 have some good options attached to them."
Going west into Charlottesville, Jefferson’s legacy continues to surround the city in his Monticello estate, University of Virginia campus and the many wineries that dot the landscape. Meeting groups can gather in the Boar’s Head Inn, where 22,000 square feet of function space includes a 9,000-square-foot pavilion. At the nearby Wintergreen Resort, one of the state’s leading green facilities, attendees can get inspired within 40,000 square feet of facilities and on various outdoor pursuits. Wintergreen’s Commonwealth Ballroom boasts views of the peaks.
Allie Baer, director of sales and marketing for the Charlottesville Albemarle CVB, says her bureau’s new website redesign has given special attention to meetings.
"We know that most planning and decision-making is now happening online, so we have paid special attention to the meetings section for www.visitcharlottesville.org. Information is easily accessible and helpful for planners. It includes details on our area facilities, meetings services and an easy-to-use RFP submission form."
Meanwhile, Lynchburg is a hub of outdoor recreation, entertainment and relaxation amid the Blue Ridge Mountains and scenic James River. Among its local attractions are the National D-Day Memorial; Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest retreat home; Natural Bridge; the Civil War’s Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park; and Patrick Henry’s Red Hill.
This is a true college town with five higher learning institutions inside the city and an array of amenities to please students and visitors alike. One of the newest is Liberty Mountain Snowflex, the only year-round artificial snow slopes in the U.S. It has an 8,000-square-foot lodge for ski equipment rentals, dining and spectator seating. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the Blue Ridge Mountains. Locals are fond of saying Lynchburg is the only city where one can kayak the James River and snow ski on the same summer day.
Lynchburg’s newly expanded Williams Stadium has a 15,000-square-foot divisible meeting space that accommodates nearly 800 people for seated dinners and other occasions, and features panoramic mountain views.
Beckie Nix, director of the Lynchburg CVB, says the new space greatly enhances the city’s accommodations, especially to the SMERF market it serves.
"Up until now we could seat only about 450 people for meetings," she says. "This new space gives us the capacity we need to host much larger groups."
New Amtrak rail service is also bringing in meetings business from as for north as New York City, she says, making Lynchburg a more attractive destination for international travelers who arrive by air in East Coast cities.
Mariners Landing at Smith Mountain Lake is a half-hour to both Lynchburg and Roanoke, and has 7,500 square feet of meeting space, plus a generous collection of recreational amenities, including an 18-hole golf course and a spa. The resort positions guests at the lake and near the D-Day Memorial, Booker T. Washington birthplace and other sites.
The region of Virginia near the North Carolina border was once a manufacturing and tobacco-growing center. Now it’s more likely to be an auto raceway engine that drives the economy. The Main Street communities of Danville and Martinsville are known for their historic architecture and Southern hospitality. Revolutionary War, Civil War and Civil Rights history resides in these communities surrounded by scenic byways and state parks. Buggs Island Lake and other area waters lure boaters and fishing enthusiasts to some of the country’s best sources for largemouth bass, crappie and catfish.
Auto racing fans find a half-dozen speedways and raceways where they may indulge their passions. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) raced at The Martinsville Speedway first in 1948.
Meeting groups find a good variety of gathering spaces in Southern Virginia, including Danville’s IACC-certified Institute Conference Center, with 20,000 square feet of function space. Stratford Inn and Conference center has 10,000 square feet of meeting space, a full-service restaurant and live entertainment in its lounge.
Western Virginia
Mountain vistas and down-home hospitality are hallmarks of this Virginia region where Daniel Boone cut a wilderness trail in 1776. This was the western frontier of fledgling America, and the pioneer spirit that defined a nation lingers in today’s local culture. Highlands visitors enjoy toe-tapping mountain music, shop for handmade crafts like ladderback chairs and quilts, and gaze on the state’s highest peaks and deepest valleys. Clogging and square dancing events are part of the scene, too, as are seasonal outdoor theatrical performances.
The 200-mile Shenandoah Valley between Winchester and Roanoke winds through the scenic Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains. Two centuries ago it drew Scotch, Irish and German farmers whose descendants still work the land. Civil War history characterizes the region as surely as its streams, rivers and forests. Natural attractions include the dramatic stalagmites and stalactites of Luray Caverns and Natural Bridge, a Natural Historic Landmark once owned by Thomas Jefferson.
The Homestead, situated on 15,000 acres in Hot Springs, is the valley’s leading resort, as it has been since visitors began arriving over two centuries ago to "take the waters." Meeting facilities encompass a generous 72,000 square feet, including a 20,000-square-foot ballroom with a 6,000-square-foot prefunction area.
There’s small-town ambience along with a larger than expected cultural scene in Staunton. Visitors can stop at President Woodrow Wilson’s Victorian home and library and the Frontier Culture Museum. They can also partake of the sophisticated culinary scene at restaurants like The Dining Room, Zynodoa and Mill Street Grill. Productions at the American Shakespeare Center’s world-famous Blackfriars Playhouse and guided historical tours are also in the cultural mix.
"Staunton is emerging as a top choice for planners of small to medium-sized meetings," says Sheryl S. Wagner, Staunton’s director of tourism for the Staunton CVB.
We can offer comprehensive meeting and lodging facilities in the heart of a walkable downtown district that is rich in arts and culture and foodie finds," she continues. "We are easily accessible by car, rail or air, and the downtown trolley system offers a great shuttle or tour service."
In Lexington, there are carriage tours of the restored historic district that pass Civil War icons like the Stonewall Jackson House, Virginia Military Institute and Washington & Lee University. Outdoor plays depict Appalachian mountain heritage at The Theater at Lime Kiln near Lexington.
Roanoke offers a downtown arts and rail district where self and guided walking tours are popular. Museums include the Taubman Museum of Art; Virginia Museum of Transportation and O.Winston Link Museum. Out and about, there are day trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and recreational choices like hiking and biking.
Roanoke Civic Center (RCC) has a Special Events Center with 46,000 square feet of space that can host up to 5,000 attendees. It complements the RCC’s Coliseum, 14,000-square-foot Exhibit Hall and Performing Arts Theatre. All are within walking distance of the Roanoke Hotel & Conference Center, a Doubletree hotel with 332 guest rooms and 63,000 square feet of meeting space. Salem Civic Center lies in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Roanoke, and its 24,000-square-foot arena and 10,000-square-foot annex are only two miles from the famed Appalachian Trail.
The Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center on the campus of Virginia Tech is one of Western Virginia’s premier group facilities. Features include 24,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 700-seat ballroom, and 147 guest rooms.
Virginia’s highlands area can mean a complete urban getaway or something in between for business groups. Lodging and conference facilities are in Hungry Mother State Park in Marion and Breaks Interstate Park on the border between Virginia and Kentucky. The quaint Martha Washington Inn at Abingdon features a grand ballroom and two boardrooms, and the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center offers an 89,000-square-foot conference center. Abingdon is also the location of the historic Barter Theatre. As the oldest professional theater in the U.S., the Barter launched actors Ernest Borgnine, Gregory Peck, Hume Cronyn and Patricia Neal.
