Lynchburg, VA Road Trips

Lynchburg began in 1757 as a ferry town, fording traffic across the James River. The city is built on centuries of history, boasting strong connections to Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other early American patriots. Because of the city's use by the Confederacy as a supply and hospital center, it served as a battlefield in the American Civil War. Lynchburg has been designated a portion of Virginia's Rail Heritage Region. Lynchburg's historic districts contain many beautiful homes from the 19th century. Lynchburg's name is derived from its founder, John Lynch, who, at the age of 17, began a ferry service across the James River to facilitate travel to and from New London. He would later be responsible for the bridge which would make his ferry service obsolete. Despite common misconceptions, neither John Lynch nor Lynchburg is associated with the origination of term, "lynching," though it may have originated with John's brother, Charles. Lynchburg's nickname, the "City of Seven Hills," is very descriptive of the geography of the city. Though it refers most directly to the hills near where the city was founded, these hills extend far beyond the riverfront at the James River. The area includes much of Candlers Mountain. Spring in Lynchburg is short-lived, often it is simply a period of wide fluctuation between mid-late winter and early-mid summer temperatures. Summers are humid and hot with temperatures generally reaching 90°F. Autumns are mild; temperatures stay somewhere between 40°F and 55°F.

1 Daura Gallery, 1501 Lakeside Dr (In the Dillard Fine Arts Center at Lynchburg College), ☏ +1 434-544-8343. M-F 9AM-4PM, Su 1-4PM (one Sunday a month). Open during the college academic year only. Free, donations encouraged. 2 Historic Sandusky, 757 Sandusky Dr, ☏ +1 434-832-0162, fax: +1 434 832-0182, [email protected]. This historic house served as the Union Headquarters during the Civil War Battle of Lynchburg. Sandusky is open for guided tours by appointment. Adults $7, seniors/military $5, children/students $3. (updated Oct 2025) 3 Lynchburg Museum, 901 Court St, ☏ +1 434-455 6226, [email protected]. W-Sa 10AM-3PM, Su Noon-3PM. In the former Lynchburg court house. Parking is available in the Clay Parking Deck immediately behind the building. Free. (updated Oct 2025) 4 Maier Museum of Art, 1 Quinlan St (on the campus of Randolph College), ☏ +1 434-947-8136. Academic year: Tu-Su 1PM-5PM; Summer: W-Su 1PM-4PM. Free, donations encouraged. (updated Mar 2017) 5 Monument Terrace, 9th St and Church St. Commemorates Lynchburg citizens who fought and died in the Civil War, Spanish American War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. A 139-step staircase, the terrace's base is at the intersection of 9th and Church Streets and ends at Court Street in front of the Lynchburg Museum. 6 Old City Cemetery, 401 Taylor St, ☏ +1 434-847-1465, fax: +1 434 856-2004, [email protected]. Daily dawn-dusk. The oldest continuously-operated public cemetery in Virginia, museums on-site give a glimpse into rituals of mourning over the centuries.

Lynchburg's hills make the city great for hiking and recreational biking. Percival's Island Trail, which connects with the Blackwater Creek Trail, forms a 13.5-mile paved trail that travels through Lynchburg. The trail can be accessed at three major points off Washington St, Jefferson St, and Langhorne Rd. The trail follows both the James River and the Blackwater Creek. Off of the trail there are several hiking and mountain biking opportunities. Liberty University also maintains a system of mountain biking and hiking trails on Candlers Mountain. 1 Bikes Unlimited, 1312 Jefferson St, ☏ +1 434-385-4157. M-F 10AM-7PM, Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 1PM-4PM. Offers bicycle sales, repair, and rentals. Near the connection between the Blackwater Creek Bikeway and RiverWalk trails. (updated Oct 2021) 2 FunQuest, 327 Graves Mill Road, ☏ +1 434-239 6411. M-F 5-9PM, Sa noon-9PM, Su noon-6PM. Roller skating, laser tag, and a game arcade. $5-23.50. (updated Oct 2021) 3 LaHaye Ice Center, 1971 University Blvd (directly across from Extended Stay America at 1910 University Blvd), ☏ +1 434-592-3953, fax: +1 434 522-0549, [email protected]. M-F 11:30AM-1:30PM; F Sa 7-9PM, Su 1-3PM. Open year round, hours subject to change for summer. $5 admission, $3 rental. 4 Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre, 4000 Candlers Mountain Rd, toll-free: +1-866-504-7541, [email protected]. M-Th noon-midnight, F noon-1AM, Sa 10AM-1AM, Su 1PM-midnight. This year-round ski resort is made possible with an artificial terrain technology that makes the resort the first of its kind in the United States.

La Carreta Mexican. M-F 11AM-2:30PM & 5PM-11PM, Sa noon-10PM, Su noon-2:30PM & 5PM-9PM. Authentic Mexican restaurant with several locations in the area. $7-11. 1 , 2245 Langhorne Rd, ☏ +1 434-528-6800. 2 , 8210 Timberlake Rd, ☏ +1 434-239-9701. 3 , 120 Simons Run, ☏ +1 434-237-4009. 4 Texas Inn (The T-Room), 422 Main St, ☏ +1 434-846-3823. M-W 7AM-midnight, Th-Sa 7AM-2AM, Su 9AM-5PM. A staple of Lynchburg, "The T-Room" (as it is known to locals) is a diner serving classic American fare such as burgers and chili-dogs. Its signature item is the "cheesy western", a cheese burger loaded with onions, relish, and a fried egg. $10-20. 5 King's Island Restaurant, 2804 Old Forest Road, ☏ +1 434-384-0066, fax: +1 434 384-0068, [email protected]. Voted best Chinese year after year. 6 WaterStone Pizza. M-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM, Su noon-10PM. $10-15. 7 Depot Grille. M-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 11AM-9PM. 8 Koto, 2160 Wards Rd, ☏ +1 434-237-9134. Teppanyaki-style Japanese steakhouse with sushi bar. Offers free dinner meals for birthdays (dine-in only, show ID for verification). 9 Shoemakers American Grille, 1312 Commerce St, ☏ +1 434-455-1510, fax: +1 434 455-1511. M-F 11AM-2:30PM & 4:30PM-10PM, Sa 4:30PM-10PM. Offers private rooms and extensive wine selection. $12-40.

1 The Muse Coffee Company, 1509 Enterprise Dr. M-W 7AM–10PM, Th F 7AM–11PM, Sa 8AM–11PM. Local coffee roaster.

1 Acorn Hill Lodge, 2134 Old Forest Road, ☏ +1 434-528-0983, [email protected]. (updated Jul 2022) 2 Craddock Terry Hotel, 1312 Commerce St, ☏ +1 434-455-1500. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: noon. On the waterfront of the James River a few hundred feet off of Main St. $169-209. 3 Bella Vista Hotel & Suites Lynchburg, 2900 Candlers Mountain Road, ☏ +1 434-237-6333, fax: +1 434 237-4277. $83-360. 4 Hilton Garden Inn, 4025 Wards Rd, ☏ +1 434-239-3006, fax: +1 434 239-3007. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. $103-169. 5 Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Lynchburg Liberty University, 3777 Candlers Mountain Rd, ☏ +1 434-845-1700, fax: +1 434 845-1800. 6 Lynchburg Grand Hotel, 601 Main St, ☏ +1 434-528-2500, fax: +1 434 528-0062. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. $90-150. 7 Extended Stay America, 1910 University Blvd, ☏ +1 434-239-8863, [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. $67-77. 8 The Virginian, 712 Church St, ☏ +1 434-329 3200. Opened in 1913, The Virginia was renovated and reopened in 2015. This six story hotel overlooks downtown. It has two restaurants, Skyline on the roof, and William and Henry underneath. $200+. (updated Oct 2025)

Enter Lynchburg by one of four major routes: U.S. 29 North and South Runs along the southeast side of the city. Take the business route for quick access to downtown. U.S. 460 East and West Runs along the south side of the city, providing quick access to Liberty University and most of the city's industrial facilities. U.S. 501 North and South Arrive via U.S. 501 North for a slower, more scenic route through the Blue Ridge Mountains. It also intersects with the Blue Ridge Parkway, a beautiful route that follows the mountains. U.S. 221 East Terminates in midtown (about a mile west of downtown) U.S. 29 merges with U.S. 460 at a three-way junction. When traveling to Lynchburg via U.S. 29 South, a right exit is required to continue along U.S. 29 South / U.S. 460 West. After US 29 and US 460 align together, they mostly bypass all of Lynchburg. To really enter Lynchburg from US 460, one can take US 460 Business (Timberlake Rd.) and to enter Lynchburg from US 29 one can take US 29 Business (Wards Road). 1 Lynchburg Regional Airport (LYH IATA), 350 Terminal Drive (just south of the city limits on U.S. 29), ☏ +1 434-455-6090. American Eagle operates a regional flight between Lynchburg Regional Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT IATA) about every two hours. United Express operates daily flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD IATA) and from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD IATA). The airport offers a café, free wireless access, and car rentals.

Driving is perhaps the most convenient way to get around Lynchburg. Apart from the Downtown area and the area on and around the campus of Liberty University, most of the city is not very friendly to pedestrian traffic. The Lynchburg Expressway connects most of the major roadways in Lynchburg, intersecting and merging with the business segments of U.S. 29, U.S. 460, and U.S. 501. Newcomers can find the roads in Lynchburg highly confusing. A few major roads change names with no clear indication as to where these changes take place. For examples, Lakeside Dr becomes Forest Rd, Fort Ave becomes Timberlake Rd, and Memorial Ave becomes Fifth St. Further, the highway alignments can be confusing as there are multiple places where the "Northbound" lanes of one highway are aligned with the "Southbound" lanes of another. Also there are multiple sets of unrelated roads with confusingly similar names. One example is Langhorne Road, Langhorne Lane, Langhorne Avenue which are all totally separate roads in different parts of the city. Several lots and limited on-street parking are available in Downtown Lynchburg. Two lots, the Midtown and Clay Street Parking Decks, are metered, operating on the mPARK system used in several other cities in the United States and abroad. During the afternoon rush hour (4:45PM - 5:45PM), Candlers Mountain Rd, Wards Rd, and Timberlake Rd experience significantly increased traffic. Several dispatch taxi services operate in Lynchburg. Lyh Taxi, 413 Jackson St, ☏ +1 434-847-5555. Hill City Cab, 200 Oakley Ave, ☏ +1 434-845-8554.

For emergencies occurring on the campus of Liberty University, call the Liberty University Police Department, ☏ +1 434-592-3911.