As we drive down back roads towards the main downtown, I begin to feel a quiet sense of excitement. While we pass a few major retail businesses, my sixth sense kicks in knowing there is a small downtown around the corner that is just waiting to welcome us with a smile and a story. I look at my friend as we slow down to 25 MPH, and we both know that we’re getting ready to have a great adventure in a town hidden between two cities…and we can’t wait to get out of the car and get started.
Culpeper is a town located almost 2 hours north of Richmond, and there are three official LOVE signs here – One at Rockwater Park, one at the Culpeper Depot, and one at Old House Vineyards. I decided this was going to be an overnight trip, so I invited a dear friend to join me as we explored Culpeper for the first time.
As we entered the area, we made a quick stop at Rockwater Park, a “32 acre Pocket Park” to visit our first LOVE sign (featured picture above). If you’re reading this blog years from now, please know…the summer of 2024 in Virginia was hot, and it was dry. So it was no surprise to see so many people enjoying the splash pad that was added to the park not long ago. In addition to the splash pad, the general public can also enjoy a fitness course, disc golf, hiking trails, children playground and picnic pavilion. It was great to hear the laughter of so many beating the heat by running through the multiple in-ground water sprayers at this park.
From there we made our way to the heart of town and checked out The Museum of Culpeper History. Tom was our greeter and shared that at one point, Culpeper had the “largest concentration of dinosaur tracks on Earth.” They even have on display 250 million year old dinosaur tracks you can see while you’re there – it was pretty cool to see something that old in real-life.
Two other amazing things we learned at the museum (1) The Audio-Visual Conservation at the Library of Congress is located in Culpeper – It “holds the nation’s largest public collection of sound recordings containing music, spoken word and radio broadcasts.” Who knew that?!. (2) Operation Skyglow helped set a Guinness world record in Culpeper in 1953 for “the longest supper table in the world.” This happened when hundreds came together to celebrate the first lighting of fluorescent street lights in that area. For those that know me well, this fact is super special to me as I believe there’s always room at the table to invite more, and create more friends 🙂
Next to the museum is the Culpeper Visitor Center, and while I don’t always make it to these I’m so glad we did this time. Karen who greeted us was wonderful and super helpful. She even took our picture next to the unofficial LOVE sign in the Visitor Center, and also the official LOVE sign outside the Culpepper Depot you see here. We also grabbed a bunch of flyers that inspired us to visit other places that didn’t come up in my pre-research.
It’s mid-day now, so we head over to It’s About Thyme for lunch, which provides a European inspired dining experience. Just the ambiance alone when you walk in will have you excited to be seated at a table (we were lucky enough to have a table by a window). The painted walls are beautiful, the staff is friendly and attentive, and the food was incredible (check-out this menu). I got the watermelon/ peach salad with chicken and my friend ordered the burger. With the hand-crafted cocktails to go along with the meal, our bellies couldn’t have been more happy. This place has definitely been added to my ‘recommend to others’ list.
I’m fortunate enough to have a lot of things in life that I enjoy – Two of which are chocolate and cheese. So when we learned that there were two stores dedicated to each of these in Culpeper, there was no way we were going to miss them.
The Frenchman’s Corner, is an “award winning chocolate boutique located in Historic Downtown Culpeper.” You will be amazed by the selection of gelato (brought all the way from Italy), Belgium and American made chocolates, and their French and Italian pastries. Everything is displayed beautifully and you will want to buy one of everything. We asked the owner to put together a small box of chocolates that go well with red wine, and we also each created boxes of truffles to bring home. Every piece was unique in texture and flavor and melted in your mouth. They were so good!
The Culpeper Cheese Company is a cheese lover’s heaven. When you walk in, you are welcomed with a circular display case of delectable cheese that comes from all over the world. In addition to cheese, they also provide customers with everything to support your charcuterie board needs to include crackers, boards, jams and wines. We were able to taste the cheeses before we purchased them (the brie was amazing), and also took home some cheese straws and thinly backed crackers. The staff who helped us loves cheese so much, she even painted her shoes with cheese – now that is a cheese master to be sure!
Now I know what you all must be thinking, “Leah, you all are missing the most important beverage to accompany all of this cheese and chocolate!”, and you’d be right. So we made the short drive to Old House Vineyards to get our wine glasses filled and to capture the final official LOVE sign in Culpeper. While the actual vineyard was closed that day, we were pleasantly surprised by the expansive and beautifully built Taproom and Irish Pub on the premises.
At the pub, we could experience everything from their wines, beers and spirits (the website proudly boasts they are “Virginia’s First Trifecta.”) As one of the locals said, anyone can find anything to drink and enjoy at this place. We each picked a flight of their reds, which went well with the cheese and chocolate we purchased. Both of us agreed we could bring a big group of friends and family here and have an amazing good time.
After driving back into town, we checked-in at West Park Gardens, a bed and breakfast type place about a 10-minute walk from downtown. When we walked in, I immediately felt like we were a special guest in someone’s home – Everything is thoughtfully decorated and ready to accommodate a single group, or multiple guests traveling through.
The outside gardens are spacious and beautiful, with plenty of places to relax and enjoy being outdoors (and you can bring your dogs!). We reserved a room in the main house with a shared bathroom in the hallway – Our room was well furnished and the bed looked cozy and inviting. I knew we were going to sleep like babies at the end of the day lol!. (And while I’m jumping ahead a bit), they laid out a quaint breakfast buffet in the morning that was lovely.
After we dropped off our overnight bags, we walked to Flavor on Main, a restaurant that offers modern American foods and “fine dining with a causal vibe”. It is a very unique dining experience with a 20s/ 30s feel where they also serve “Prohibition and craft cocktails daily”. While the menu offers mouth-watering options, they had a special menu that night where you can select an appetizer, main course and dessert for a set price. My friend’s main course was egg noodles in a red vodka-type sauce, and I ordered the gnocchi in a truffle sauce. Both were amazingly delicious. We were well taken care of and agreed that we’d both come back here again.
After a comfortable night’s sleep and grabbing a quick breakfast snack at West Park Gardens, we wanted to enjoy a cup of coffee on the road. Raven’s Nest Coffee House immediately caught our attention. Their website says it best…”Welcome to the community living room…” What a fun place to grab some caffeine and meet with friends or family. They also serve beers/ciders on tap, wine and specialty drinks (Mimosas anyone?). They even offer a latte or coffee flight – how fun! My friend ordered a regular cup of coffee and I enjoyed a cold lavender chai tea that was divine. It was the exact thing we needed as we made our way back home.
Culpeper is a place to love…
Culpeper is one of those hidden treasures that will have you leaving and saying “what took me so long to visit here?” When you talk to business owners, they share that either they or their business have been there for years because they are so happy here. Where the locals can’t wait to share the town’s history and their favorite places to eat, shop and explore – because they want you to love it as much as they do. If you are ever in between the Richmond, DC area, please make sure you pay a visit to Culpeper…you won’t regret it.
Thank you Meghan for joining me on this special LOVE sign adventure. You are a great traveling companion.
| VA ♥️ Signs Now Visited | Official VA ♥️ Signs |
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Other points of interest in Culpeper:
- Pinto Thai Culpeper
- 201 Reclaimed Vintage Relics
- Jane of all Trades
- Minuteman Antique Mall
- Beer Hound Brewery
- Culpeper Battlefields State Park
- Overall Visit Culpeper Site (an awesome overall resource!)
Is this your first Leah LOVES Virginia blog post read? Thank you for taking the time to visit. If you’re wondering how this adventure got started, check-out my first blog post and my about page. Want to stay connected? It’s super easy and you’ll only hear from me when a new blog gets posted. You can also follow along by friending me on my Leah LOVES Virginia Facebook page.
Important note: I always do my best to ensure everything I include in my blogs are factual and that I also give credit and use quotations when pulling information from sources. If you believe there is something included here that needs to be addressed, please email me directly as I want to be sure it is fixed. Thank you and happy LOVE sign hunting.
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