The vibrant Virginia town was first defined by the river that runs alongside it.
Now its shaped by the people who call it home.
Robbie Caponetto
Key Takeaways
Lynchburg, Virginia, is a city in bloom.
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Heres how to best explore this up-and-coming city, recognizing those who allow it to thrive.
Get a glimpse of Lynchburgs past at the pet-friendlyCraddock Terry Hotel.
Oenophiles can get their fix at family-ownedPeaks of OtterWinery, Virginia’s first all-fruit vintner, in nearby Bedford.
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See if you’re free to findall the pieceslisted here.
Don’t missCommerce Streets Art Alley, which features the work of 14 Central Virginia creatives.
I kind of put it in the rearview mirror.
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But the area is entirely different these days, notes Chris, the restaurants general manager.
Now, you come here at night, and its buzzing and vibrant.
Chris and I thought that we could create something really special that Lynchburg needed.
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And to some degree, I think we got it right, says Dave.
Were going into another part of the community thats really rooted in downtown.
Du Bois and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in her home.
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You think about her life in the early 1900s and that she couldnt even vote, says Spencer-Hester.
She was a Black woman who was different from the other ladies.
She was wearing pants and was vocal.
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Spencersrose garden, with its robins-egg blue-painted arbors and tidy grass paths, was her sanctuary.
She did the majority of her writing in the bitty cottage at its center.
Lynchburg was divided by the Rivermont Bridge, says Spencer-Hester.
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The restoration of Anne Spencers garden proved to be a unifier.
I didnt know Anne Spencer, but I feel like I know her well now.
Its as if shes my good friend because we share a lot.
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I understand why she planted what she did, and I love digging in her soil.
This small garden is half my world, she says, quoting her grandmothers poetry.
I am nothing to itwhen all is said.
I plant the thorn and kiss the rose, but they will grow when I am dead.
Open from March through October, it welcomes guests in search of blooms and a little quiet.
We want to leave this place better than we found it, says Maggie.
We are trying to help the entire ecosystem.
During the pandemic, so many people left us money and notes.
I could cry just talking about it, recalls Kaye.
They would write, I want this business to make it; heres $100.
Thats the kind of relationship we have with folks here.
It makes a huge difference.
But it wasnt always this way.
Beyond adding beauty, the works also send a message.
That spoke powerfully to me.
Weve got these pictures of colonial dudes all over this town, she says.
Teachers and moms dont get enough thank-yous.
This [representation] gives them something that they can be proud of.
