• Staunton was founded in 1747 and incorporated in 1871.
• Staunton’s celebrated downtown has been recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as a “Great American Main Street” and a “Distinctive Destination.”
• Stunning 19th century architecture and compact downtown make for great walking and exploring opportunities.

Food & Dining

• Check out the city’s newest offering: “Savor Staunton.” Culinary enthusiasts will delight in our innovative restaurants and artisanal bakeries.
• Staunton is located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley and features a special emphasis on fresh cuisine emphasizing our rich agricultural heritage. Farm tours are available.
• We have unusually high concentration of farm-to-table restaurants and local food chefs with emerging national reputations.
• The seasonal Staunton/Augusta Farmer's Market has been a "producer only" market since it was founded in 1993.
• From bistro to fine dining, and from retro Americana to international cuisine, Staunton offers menus and options at all price levels.

History, Arts & Culture

• Often called the "Queen City" of the Shenandoah Valley, Staunton has six separate historic districts. Historic Staunton Foundation provides free, guided walking-tours of neighborhoods full of 19th and 20th century architecture every Saturday morning from May through October.
• A deep ethic of preservation, combined with an unusually strong cultural climate, has been cultivated in Staunton for decades.
• Staunton has a rich history of arts and culture going back to its days as a nineteenth-century rail junction and a center for travelers to stop over and enjoy opera, vaudeville, and rollicking nightlife. That tradition lives on today in Staunton’s arts and culture district, called the “Red Brick District.”
• The American Shakespeare Center, a theatrical company centered at the Blackfriars Playhouse, is the only existing replica of Shakespeare's Blackfriars Theatre.
• The living-history Frontier Culture Museum offers an insider's look at life in early America.
• Staunton is the birthplace of the 28th U.S. President, Woodrow Wilson and the home of the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library.
• Mary Baldwin College, a women's college that features a number of unique programs, including the Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership and the Program for the Exceptionally Gifted, is located on the hilltops above downtown.

Accommodations

• There are 670 lodging rooms located in the City of Staunton. Visitors will find a variety of hotel options from elegant to modest. Visitors may also choose from eight intimate B&B’s or a one-unit downtown designer loft.
• The Stonewall Jackson Hotel & Conference Center is one of the Historic Hotels of America (HHA.) HHA has identified 220 quality hotels that have maintained their historic architecture and ambience and the Stonewall Jackson Hotel & Conference Center is one of only eleven in Virginia.