Use Your Paid Time Off with a Long Weekend in Staunton, VA

So many Americans don’t use banked paid time off and lose it at the end of the year. Don’t be like them! Even if you don’t have the time (or budget) to take a far-flung vacation, you can still take your vacation days by planning a “micro-cation,” a long weekend in which you travel less than 100 miles and stay fewer than four nights.

It’s time to enjoy your paid time off. Use it, don’t lose it with this long weekend itinerary full of shopping, entertainment, and dining, in Staunton.

Day 1

It’s an easy, pretty drive on I-81, with long views framed by the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains. If you want a leisurely route, drive along Skyline Drive or the Blue Ridge Parkway. Here’s a guide to scenic overlooks in Shenandoah. Visitors from the east and west will enjoy driving up and over the mountains. Take advantage of scenic waysides and hiking trailheads.

Staunton offers great lodgings for all preferences. Book an elegant room in a luxurious, historic hotel like Hotel 24 South or the Blackburn Inn. You might also like a cool, upbeat space like Gibson’s Warehouse or Tru by Hilton. Travelers with families might prefer budget lodgings like Howard Johnson or Days Inn. And if you’re outdoorsy at heart, there are several nearby campgrounds to pick from like Walnut Hills Campground and Shenandoah Valley Campground.

We know you’re hungry after all this traveling and settling in. We recommend starting your trip with a big meal at Shenandoah Pizza and Taphouse or Remedy Burger.

Day 2

Meet the locals when you visit the Saturday morning Staunton Farmer’s Market in the historic Wharf District. Listen to live music, talk to farmers, and taste seasonal fruit and fresh baked goods. This is a great way to catch a quick snack and get a sense of Staunton’s bustling community.

Explore charming downtown Staunton on foot. Check out our wealth of independent shops, galleries, and antique stores. You’ll find a range of wares including books, artwork, specialty housewares, and unique gifts. Bonfire Begonia sells original artwork as well as beautiful one-of-a-kind jewelry made with repurposed materials. For other places to buy gifts, try Jude’s, a Fine Emporium, Made; By the People for the People, The Sparrow’s Nest, and The Foundry Pop-Ups.

Grab a quick bite before you set out for more adventure. Try one of the lunch specials made with fresh tortillas at Chicano Boy Taco. Gloria’s Pupuseria prepares authentic Salvadoran cuisine with locally sourced ingredients.

Take a bike ride through town, on the trails at Montgomery Hall Park, or out into the countryside with one of our local bike routes. Independently-owned Black Dog Bikes can help outfit you if you need gear

Scrub off the dirt and river water and put on your clean clothes for dinner. For your main course, try Blu Point Seafood Co., which specializes in fresh seafood and has bars for both cocktails and oysters. Looking for steak? Get your fill of that and more at Mill Street Grill.

Have you seen a show at the American Shakespeare Center? The upcoming seasons at the world’s only recreation of the Blackfriar’s Playhouse includes MacBeth, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Merry Wives of Windsor and for the holiday season the classic of A Christmas Carol.

Day 3

For breakfast classics like eggs and stacks of pancakes, you can’t go wrong with local favorite, Kathy’s Restaurant

Stop in to see a glass-blowing demonstration at Sunspots Studios. Using extreme heat, artisans blow and shape molten glass into globes and art pieces. You’ll want to watch this process over and over before visiting the gallery to purchase a reminder of the fun.

A historical and educational gem is the Frontier Culture Museum, where costumed interpreters tending working farms share all the details of early settler life in the Shenandoah Valley.