After leaving Statesville, NC, we headed up to the KOA in Staunton, VA. Staunton is located in Northern Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley in between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains. I grew up in Northern VA, near Washington DC, so I really wasn’t expecting much more than city and crowds. I was pleasantly surprised.
We were met by beautiful rolling hills of fresh green grass. Honestly, the hills went on for miles! Dotted with barns and silos, and covered with beautiful grass. My first thought was, “who the heck keeps all that grass mowed?”
Turns out that cows do! Who knew?
Well, apparently Dave did, but you see I am a city mouse trying to blend in with all those cool country mice.
And the RV park even had it’s share of wildlife. Geese, ducks and I even happened upon a bunch of deer on an early morning walk with the dogs. They stood so still that the dogs didn’t even notice them.
And while I may be a city mouse, my dogs are apparently southern born and bred. The minute the temperature dropped into the 50’s, both dogs disappeared into quilt cocoons on my couch.
Quick quiz- can you find the dogs in the photo above?
We took a drive out to downtown Staunton. If you are in the area and want to blend, we discovered that the correct pronunciation of the town name is STAN-ton.
I love the old architecture! The city is known for beautiful buildings. Staunton is also the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson, the 28th US President and the home of Mary Baldwin College, and the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind.
We bank with SunTrust, so we were particularly intrigued that this beautiful building actually houses our bank! We suddenly felt the need to visit our accounts.
The inside is just as spectacular as the outside.
Also in Staunton is The Cheese Shop! It is a local family owned Amish-style bulk foods store. They offer a huge selection of cheeses from the Amish Country in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin along with baking items, and bulk package food.
We highly recommend the Amish Farmers Cheese. It is amazing. Also if you haven’t ever had it, you need to try Lebanon Bologna. It is similar to Salami, but with a tangier, smokey flavor.
Ralph highly recommends it too!
Dave took advantage of the nice weather and built several campfires while we were there. Like most KOA’s, you can purchase wood at the office and they will deliver it for you.
Do you love authentic German food? When in Staunton, be sure to check out the Edelweiss German Restaurant. The food is amazing! They also have a huge selection of German beer and wine.
I ordered Knackwurst with sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. Dave was feeling daring and ordered the Schweineroulade. It is a tender pork cutlet stuffed with pickles, herbs and spices, covered with a tasty sour cream sauce and Bavarian dumplings. We both agreed that both meals were delicious, but his was the best!
The meal came with lots of sides including green beans, cooked cabbage, pickled red cabbage (yumm!), and dumplings. Oh, and be sure to check the German Wine Menu.
We definitely will be coming back next time we are in the area!
After a wonderful three day stay, we left Staunton and headed out toward Hershey, PA. We both decided that if we ever have the opportunity, we would be back for a longer stay. Staunton was a beautiful place and is definitely one of our favorite stops on this trip.
Great post!!! I think the dogs are under that blanket on the couch.
It looks like a very peaceful place to stay and relax along your route. I love the narrative and pictures. I was going through a bunch of old paper stacks this morning as I was headed to the county landfill. I ran across all our brochures, maps and stuff from our 2013 Bar Harbor trip and thought of you. Keep the updates coming 🙂
This stop was so lovely! Are you sure the dogs were in that photo?!
Staunton is our favorite stop so far!
The dogs? Well, Faith is under the quilt on the couch and Ralph is wrapped up in the quilt on the floor. You’d never know it, would you?
suzy
Lovely looking place. Food looked great too:)
I could not find the dogs either unless they were hiding under blankets.
I just love authentic German food. I grew up on it!
The dogs are there, believe it or not. Faith is under the quilt on the couch, and Ralph is wrapped up in the quilt on the floor. If I yell “treat!” both blankets will jump up. LOL!
suzy