The Best Things to Do in Lynchburg, Virginia

Lynchburg, Virginia, is a city in bloom. Pansies tumble out of window boxes at downtown bars and restaurants, peonies burst from front yards in the historic districts in the spring, and even the occasional flowering weed pops up from the sidewalk with cheery and hospitable flair.

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and situated along the James River, Lynchburg got its start as a trade center and tobacco town, thanks to a ferry service there. And over the years, the city has lived many lives: It’s been a railroad hub, a supply point during the Civil War, and (by the beginning of the 1900s) a manufacturing site with many factories. Today, it’s a college town and entrepreneurial playground with historic buildings thoughtfully transformed into shops, craft breweries, and art galleries.

Lynchburg is blooming in the proverbial sense, too, due to the dedicated locals working to preserve its history, foster its growth, and make this place the kind of city where even visitors feel at home. Here’s how to best explore this up-and-coming city, recognizing those who allow it to thrive.

Choose Your Home Base

Stay Downtown

Opt for one of downtown's two boutique hotels to experience the area’s walkability. At the heart of the action, there’s The Virginian Hotel, a beautifully restored circa-1913 building that’s home to one of the city’s only rooftop bars and restaurants—and a spectacular view of the skyline. Get a glimpse of Lynchburg’s past at the pet-friendly Craddock Terry Hotel. It’s located in a former shoe factory and tobacco warehouse on the Bluffwalk, where you can take in the James River scenery.

Head to the Country

For a more bucolic experience, drive about eight miles out of town and book one of Irvington Spring Farm’s (more on the farm below) three well-appointed Airbnb options, which range from a loft that sleeps four to a farmhouse with room for 14.

Sample the Food & Bev Scene

Start Your Morning with Caffeine

Fuel your day with an iced tea or cappuccino at Nomad Coffee Co., tucked into a wallpapered corner of a shop called Gilded, where you can peruse a variety of thoughtful gifts, amusing greeting cards, and an impressive collection of wines sourced from around the globe.

Enjoy Craft Beers

Sip on local brews at Starr Hill, the second oldest craft brewery in Virginia; do-gooders should order The Love, a light wheat beer that gives back to Lynchburg charities. Oenophiles can get their fix at family-owned Peaks of Otter Winery, Virginia's first all-fruit vintner, in nearby Bedford.

Plan for Dinner... and Dessert

Settle into a booth for an oyster dinner at The Water Dog; then grab a chocolate-dipped ice-cream cone for dessert at neighboring MayLynn’s Creamery.

What To Do in Lynchburg

Play Outside

Head to Percival’s Island Natural Area to stroll the RiverWalk, a former railroad bed that’s been transformed into a 3.5-mile paved hiking-and-biking trail that offers several access points to the James River for canoeing and fishing. To see the Blue Ridge Mountains and get a bird’s-eye view of the river, go to the Bluffwalk, an urban path that's also dotted with a number of eateries.

Check Out the Art Scene

Downtown Lynchburg is home to a respectable collection of public art, ranging from mosaics to sculptures, and you can experience the best of it in the James River Art & Culture District. See if you can find all the pieces listed here. Don't miss Commerce Street’s Art Alley, which features the work of 14 Central Virginia creatives.

Shop Around

Browse locally made goods and artwork at Lexie and Lee, find a souvenir at Mosaic Collective, and stop by Meanwhile Back on the Farm to choose your new go-to bag—and sneak a peek at how it’s made. 

Stop to Smell the Roses

Wander the Old City Cemetery, a 27-acre garden, historic site, and arboretum that’s home to the largest public collection of antique roses in the state (if these blooms are what you’re after, plan your trip for April or May to catch the annual Antique Rose Festival). For more flowers, visit the Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum, where you can learn more about the life and legacy of the poet and activist and tour her home and landscape.

Go House Hunting, Proverbially Speaking

Then drive over to the Rivermont Avenue Historical District, where you’ll find curb appeal in spades. The area was one of the country’s first planned neighborhoods, and it’s home to a fascinating array of architectural styles.

Lynchburg Locals to Know

Community Builders: Chris and Dave Henderson

Brothers Chris and Dave Henderson never planned to open up a restaurant in their hometown. “When we were growing up, we didn’t ever really think downtown Lynchburg would be a destination,” says Dave, owner of The Water Dog, a riverside oyster bar and tap house. “I kind of put it in the rearview mirror.” But the area is entirely different these days, notes Chris, the restaurant’s general manager. “Now, you come here at night, and it’s buzzing and vibrant. There are places to eat, fountains, beautiful colors, and kids running around everywhere having fun,” he says.

Since opening in 2016, The Water Dog has become a downtown fixture and is arguably a cornerstone in the transformation of the area, though the Hendersons are quick to give credit to others who saw its potential first. “We have to tip our hats to the people who were downtown long before us, as well as the investments the city made in the infrastructure six or seven years ago, which gave businesses like ours a chance to thrive,” says Dave. 

Even if they weren’t the first to go all-in here, there’s no denying the impact that they’ve made since then. Dave serves on the boards of multiple local organizations, and each week, The Water Dog hosts Rosé Thursday, when they sell deeply discounted bottles and give $2 from each purchase to a local nonprofit partner. (Chris says that in 2021, The Water Dog sold the most Rosé All Day on the entire East Coast, which is a testament to folks’ support of this spot.)

“Chris and I thought that we could create something really special that Lynchburg needed. And to some degree, I think we got it right,” says Dave. “I love that whenever we walk into The Water Dog, we’re not just heading to the place where we work or the business that we built. We’re going into another part of the community that’s really rooted in downtown.”

The Legacy Keeper: Shaun Spencer-Hester, Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum 

Shaun Spencer-Hester didn’t learn her grandmother was a celebrated poet of the Harlem Renaissance until she was in the eighth grade. But today, as the executive director and curator of the Anne Spencer House & Garden Museum, she has become the guardian of her rich legacy.

Beyond Spencer’s contributions to the literary world, she was a visionary and advocate for the African American community in Lynchburg, helping establish the local branch of the NAACP, fighting to open a library for Black residents, and hosting a rotation of thought leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in her home. “You think about her life in the early 1900s and that she couldn’t even vote,” says Spencer-Hester. “She was a Black woman who was different from the other ladies. She was wearing pants and was vocal.”

Spencer’s rose garden, with its robin’s-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. She called it “Edankraal,” a combination of her name and her husband’s (Edward) and kraal, a South African word for “enclosure” or “place.” Spencer-Hester explains, “People like her who give a lot need time to themselves to think and make sense of [something] before they speak or act on it.” 

While the Pierce Street property became a museum in 1976, just one year after the poet’s death, it wasn’t until 1983 that the gardens were restored with help from a perhaps unexpected source—the Hillside Garden Club, composed primarily of women from the Rivermont neighborhood. “Lynchburg was divided by the Rivermont Bridge,” says Spencer-Hester. “On one side, there was an affluent White neighborhood, and on the other, a middle-class White and Black one.” The restoration of Anne Spencer’s garden proved to be a unifier. “I had never been to Pierce Street before,” recalls Jane Baber White, a longtime fixture in the local garden community and a leader of the 1983 restoration. “I didn’t know Anne Spencer, but I feel like I know her well now. It’s as if she’s my good friend because we share a lot. I understand why she planted what she did, and I love digging in her soil.”

As with her beautiful garden, Spencer’s memory requires tending, and Spencer-Hester does so tirelessly, ensuring her grandmother’s legacy endures along with her roses. “This small garden is half my world,” she says, quoting her grandmother’s poetry. “I am nothing to it—when all is said. I plant the thorn and kiss the rose, but they will grow when I am dead.”

Forward-Thinking Farmers: Ben, Kaye, And Maggie Moomaw, Irvington Spring Farm

Just as good things come in small packages, unpaved roads tend to give way to soul-soothing landscapes. At least that’s the case with the drive to Irvington Spring Farm, a flower-blanketed plot of land about 8 miles from downtown. Lynchburg native Ben Moomaw’s grandfather bought the former dairy farm in 1940, and today it’s focused on cut flowers. Open from March through October, it welcomes guests in search of blooms and a little quiet. Ben, Kaye, and their daughter Maggie (the only one of their six children who works with them full-time) prioritize regenerative practices, pouring back into the land with every harvest. “We want to leave this place better than we found it,” says Maggie. “We are trying to help the entire ecosystem.”

Locals can buy flowers with a seasonal membership, or they can grab a bunch from the self-service cooler (payment is collected via the honor system). “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; here’s $100.’ That’s the kind of relationship we have with folks here. It makes a huge difference.”

The Creative Changemaker: Christina Davis, Christina Davis Studio

You can barely walk a block downtown without encountering art. Murals splash color across the sides of buildings, and painted pianos placed around the city invite you to tickle the ivories. But it wasn’t always this way. “Even since 10 years ago, the town has made leaps and bounds,” says painter Christina Davis, who grew up here and teaches art to kids and adults. 

Lynchburg’s support of public art is a key piece of its growth, as are all the locals who invest their talents and resources to make these spaces sing, Davis notes. Beyond adding beauty, the works also send a message. “I [learned in school that if] you have a portrait done of you, then you are someone who’s important,” she explains. “That spoke powerfully to me. A portrait is all it takes for someone to think that a person has significance, that they have something to say.” 

In late summer 2020, Davis covered the side of a building in Midtown with her Make Waves mural—an empowering image of a Black woman, featuring bold strokes and saturated hues. “We’ve got these pictures of colonial dudes all over this town,” she says. “I wanted to put up a reminder of who the movers and shakers are here, and women are some of the biggest ones. Teachers and moms don’t get enough thank-yous. This [representation] gives them something that they can be proud of.”