Abingdon

On its founding: "The settlement was known as Black's Fort prior to being incorporated by the Commonwealth of Virginia as Abingdon in 1778."¹ As Virginia's Department of Historic Resources puts it, "Abingdon was founded in 1778 and flourished almost immediately."²

On what set it apart: "Abingdon is the best-preserved of the numerous linear communities that developed in the late 18th century along the Great Valley Road."² "This Washington County town is unusual for its large quantity of brick Federal and antebellum buildings, which served to give the community an air of permanence and prosperity."²

On its cultural turn: "The Barter Theatre, the state theatre of Virginia, was opened in Abingdon in 1933 during the Great Depression."¹

Abingdon's anchor is the Barter Theatre, which "opened on June 10, 1933 making it the nation's longest running professional theatre"³ and was "designated as the State Theatre of Virginia" in 1946.³ Catch a show if a visit allows. The town is also the northern trailhead of the Virginia Creeper Trail — a rail-trail that runs largely downhill from Whitetop Mountain into town — and home to the Martha Washington Inn, an 1832 mansion turned historic hotel. Main Street's galleries and a small, well-regarded food scene (spots like The Girl & The Raven and The Pakalachian) round out a weekend.