Rappahannock.com - Activities and Tours

Activities and Tours

The Rappahannock Farm Tour

The Rappahannock County Annual Farm Tour is a free, two-day, self-guided tour that takes place each fall. It offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of our working farms. Rappahannock County's early settlers were small farmers; officially founded in 1833, it has long been deeply rooted in agriculture. The mission of the Rappahannock County Farm Tour is to present an unforgettable, educational and enriching experience of Rappahannock County's (Agri)Culture.

Artists of Rappahannock Studio & Gallery Tour

Sponsored by the Rappahannock Association for the Arts and the Community (RAAC), the tour draws hundreds of art lovers to Rappahannock County. This self-guided driving tour begins at the Washington School, which is set up as an art gallery for the event, with samples of artists' work. Tour attendees receive a map that directs them to the participating artiststst studios and the county's many fine art galleries. For further information, visit raac.org or call 540-675-3193.

Parks and nature

Shenandoah National Park, which encompasses the Blue Ridge Mountains along the entire western border of Rappahannock County, offers a wealth of seasonal activities spring through fall at its resorts, campgrounds and visitor centers — and is open year-round (except for occasional winter-weather closings) for hiking, birding, nature photography and sightseeing along Skyline Drive. Many trails, including the main route to Old Rag Mountain, start in Rappahannock — and, unlike those same trails accessed via Skyline Drive, the hike back is generally downhill. Call 540-999-3500 or visit nps.org/shen or goshenandoah.com for more.

Flint Hill’s Caledonia Farm 1812 B&B (see listing under Places to Stay) is stop No. 1 on the Virginia Birding & Wildlife Trail, and the only B&B in the county with a direct link to the trail (and lots of birder-friendly reference books on hand). Visit BNB1812.com or call 540-675-3693.

Painting Lessons

If combining art and nature appeals, consider outdoor painting lessons in the Rappahannock countryside with Washington plein air painter Nora Harrington, who supplies everything you'll need to create an oil painting on-site, including a French field easel, oil paints and a 12-by-16-inch canvas. Lessons ($160) are taught in three-hour sessions and are timed to start near sunrise or end near sunset. More at noraharrington.com/events.

Horseback riding

Within hacking distance of Thornton Hill Fort Valley Hounds and a dozen great trails into and around Shenandoah National Park, Turkey Hill Stables offers private rides, lessons, full board and field board; indoor and outdoor arenas, horse training and local events. At 268 Fletchers Mill Rd. in Woodville, contact Turkey Hill at 540-987-9778 or turkeyhillstables.com.

Golf

Schoolhouse Nine, the county’s first and only golf course, opened in the summer of 2015 next to the Sperryville Schoolhouse complex, where U.S. routes 211 and 522 meet. The gently rolling nine-hole course is deceptively challenging and, especially in wildflower season, quite beautiful. The course is open 8 a.m. till dark daily; rounds start and (especially) end at the adjacent Headmaster’s Pub (see Places to Eat). Call 540-987-5008 or visit schoolhousenine.com.

Civil War history

While there were no large-scale military actions in Rappahannock, several dozen skirmishes and many troop movements occurred here, a major thoroughfare and gateway to Shenandoah Valley for both Union and Confederate forces. The Rappahannock Historical Society’s John Tole, who produced most of the county’s 30-plus Virginia Civil War Trails markers, also produced a map and guide to those markers, and those troop movements and skirmishes, which is available at the Visitors Center (7 Library Rd., Washington; 540-675-3153 Friday-Sunday, 540-675-5330) and through the Rappahannock Historical Society (328 Gay St., Washington; 540-675-1163 or rappahannockhistsoc.org).