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Virginia boasts plentiful opportunities for recreation and entertainment, whether for outdoor lovers, spectators of fine art, or nearly any other pursuit imaginable.

The many museums of the Old Dominion showcase Virginia's unique cultural and historical legacy. The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk houses an impressive collection of approximately 30,000 pieces from nearly 5,000 years of history, including European and American painting and sculpture, and significant works of African, Asian, Egyptian, Pre-Columbian, and Islamic art. The Art Museum of Western Virginia in Roanoke serves western Virginia with its art collections and exhibits with an emphasis on American art. The Hermitage Foundation Museum & Sloane Collection in Norfolk contains an art collection, contemporary exhibition galleries, a Visual Arts School, and a Studio Artists Program, all housed in a 20th century historic house among formal gardens and woodlands. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond features over 20,000 works of art from around the world, with emphases on Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modern, and Contemporary American art, as well as impressive collections of South Asian, Himalayan, and African art. The P. Buckley Moss Museum in Waynesboro celebrates the works of artist P. Buckley Moss. The Edgar Allen Poe Museum in Richmond preserves the largest collections of Poe memorabilia in the world, including manuscripts, letters, and other effects documenting the life and career of author and poet Edgar Allen Poe. History buffs should not miss Colonial Williamsburg, the world's largest living history museum, in restored Williamsburg, which was the 18th century capital of Britain's New World empire; a 301 acre (1.2 square kilometer or 122 hectare) Historic Area features restored and historically furnished buildings; costumed interpreters complete the effect of being transported to the Colonial era. The Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond houses a collection of civilian and military Civil War artifacts related to the Confederate States of America. Civil War Life--The Soldiers' Museum in Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania features interpretive exhibits depicting military life during the American Civil War. Train buffs will enjoy visiting the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum in Fairfax Station, a rebuilt railroad depot and museum interpreting the railroad, Civil War, and local history. Maritime aficionados should visit the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, one of the largest international maritime history museums, with over 60,000 square feet (0.006 square kilometers or 0.6 hectares) of gallery space dedicated to figureheads, ship models, approximately 150 boats, and artifacts from the ironclad Civil War vessel, the USS Monitor. At the Hampton Roads Naval Museum in Hampton Roads, the 220 years of history of the fleet of the U.S. Navy in the Hampton Roads region is honored with exhibits and showcases the Iowa-class battleship USS Wisconsin. The MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk honors the life of Army General Douglas MacArthur, and features galleries depicting the life of General MacArthur and members of the American military who served in the Armed Forces from the Civil War up to the Korean War. At the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, the region's art, history, and culture are celebrated in a museum designed by renowned architect Michael Graves. The Mountain Music Museum in the twin cities of Bristol, Virginia-Tennessee, honors the middle Appalachian singers and musicians who contributed to Mountain Music, Bluegrass, and Country, and features photographs, musical instruments, recordings, stage attire, and more. The Virginia Living Museum in Newport educates visitors about Virginia's natural heritage, and features a tremendous array of exhibits showcasing geographic regions and habitats throughout the state; examples include the Noland Chesapeake Bay Aquarium, a 30,000 gallon (114 kiloliter) home to sea creatures found in Chesapeake Bay; the Virginia Underground Gallery, interpreting the fascinating cave habitats in the states; the Coastal Plain Aviary; and the Cypress Swamp, to name a few.

Virginia hosts exceptional opportunities for performing arts aficionados to enjoy throughout the state. Orchestral music lovers are treated to a wealth of performances: the Richmond Symphony, founded in 1957, giving over 200 public appearances per season; the Virginia Symphony Orchestra in Norfolk, with a history of eight decades and offering over 140 Classical, Pops, Family, Education and Outreach concerts annually; the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1954, serving Northern Virginia with a mix of classical and contemporary music; the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1957, giving seven concert performances annually; and the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1953, and billed as the largest professional orchestra in Virginia west of Richmond. Fans of the theatre will appreciate the Barksdale Theatre in Richmond, founded in 1953 as Central Virginia's first professional theatre; the Barter Theatre in charming Abingdon; the Virginia Stage Company in Norfolk; Opera Theatre of Northern Virginia in Arlington; and Richmond Shakespeare, offering shows from October to April and producing the Richmond Shakespeare Festival. Old-time, bluegrass, and country music lovers should make the pilgrimage to the legendary Carter Family Fold. Virginia is home to an amazing array of family friendly attractions to suit all ages. The Virginia Air & Space Museum in Hampton features a visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center and Langley Air Force Base, and features the Apollo 12 Command Module, the Riverside IMAX Theater, and more. Nauticus in Norfolk features a maritime-themed science center with hands-on exhibits, interactive theaters, aquaria, and other interpretive attractions. The Children's Museum of Virginia offers fun for all ages with over 90 hands-on exhibits, a toy train collection, and a planetarium, to name a few features. The Children's Museum of Richmond features wonderful hands-on exhibits and events within its 42,000 square foot (0.004 square kilometer or 0.4 hectare) facility. The Science Museum of Virginia Richmond encourages greater understanding of science and the environment with exciting and informative exhibits. The Science Museum of Western Virginia in Roanoke offers accessible, hands-on exhibits and a planetarium to encourage learning about science and technology. Animal lovers will enjoy Mill Mountain Zoological Park in Roanoke and the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach. At the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum in Winchester, interactive exhibits teach visitors of all ages about the sciences, mathematics, the humanities, and the arts.

Virginia's extraordinary historic legacy is preserved and interpreted at several historic sites throughout the state. Colonial National Historical Park preserves the site of the first settlement of English Colonial America, at Jamestown; Cape Henry Memorial memorializes the landing of the first colonists in 1607, and Historic Jamestown marks the first settlement of those colonists. At the George Washington Birthplace National Monument marks the reconstructed plantation where America's first president was born and spent his youth. Historic Mount Vernon, in Mount Vernon, preserves the former estate of George Washington as well as a farm, formal gardens, and historic structures, and provides an interpretive museum. Monticello, in Charlottesville, preserves the famous house designed by and for Thomas Jefferson, in addition to plantation grounds and gardens. Yorktown Battlefield marks the location of the 1781 surrender of General Charles Lord Cornwallis to George Washington's combined American and French Army, thereby signaling the end of the Revolutionary War and the beginning of America's independence from Great Britain. At Manassas (Bull Run) National Battlefield Park, visitors can witness the site of two great battles of the American Civil War, and can watch reenactments of volunteers in uniforms. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park marks "the Bloodiest Landscape in North America", at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania, where over 85,000 men were wounded and 15,000 were killed during the Civil War. Additional battlefields include Petersburg National Battlefield and Richmond National Battlefield Park, both marking crucial Civil War battle sites. Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, in Appomattox, marks the site of the surrender in 1865 of General R. E. Lee to Lt. General U.S. Grant, ending the American Civil War. Booker T. Washington National Monument, located in Franklin County, memorializes the birthplace of influential African American adviser, author, and orator Booker T. Washington, born in 1856, who founded the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School. Woodrow Wilson Birthplace and Presidential Museum in Staunton features a museum adjacent to the former president's birthplace, in addition to a Presidential Library and formal gardens.

Outdoor recreation enthusiasts will find a wonderland of opportunities to enjoy nature in the Old Dominion. Shenandoah National Park provides a quick escape from the Washington, D.C. area, where visitors can cruise along scenic Skyline Drive along mountain crests, or hike along the Appalachian Trail. The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, located in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, is comprised of over 111,000 acres (449 square kilometers or 44,920 hectares) of forested wetlands, and included Lake Drummond, the largest natural lake in the state, in the heart of the swamp; trails are available for hiking and biking this unique habitat. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is a World Biosphere Reserve that contains over 14,000 acres (57 square kilometers or 5,666 hectares) of beach, dunes, marsh, and maritime forest, most of which is located on the Virginia end of Assateague Island (the refuge is shared with Maryland). Chincoteague Refuge includes barrier islands and lagoons, and ample opportunities for fishing, hunting, wildlife observation, interpretation, and photography, and it is a major resting and feeding spot along the Atlantic Flyway for many species of birds. Assateague Island National Seashore offers additional beaches, dunes, forest, salt marsh, and bay habitats along the Atlantic Ocean and Chincoteague Bay; it is famous for its wild horses and provides camping, hiking, and bicycling opportunities. Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, located close to Virginia Beach, contains over 9,000 acres (36 square kilometers or 3,642 hectares) of habitats such as beaches, dunes, woodlands, farm fields, and marsh, and is visited by thousands of snow geese and ducks during fall migration; additional threatened and endangered species find safe haven in this scenic refuge. The Eastern Shore of Virginia & Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge, at the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula, marks a major avian migration area in North America, with millions of songbirds, monarch butterflies, and thousands of raptors funneled into the area each fall. George Washington and Jefferson National Forests extend across the state and into Kentucky and West Virginia, and encompass the Appalachian Mountains, providing all manner of outdoor pursuits such as hiking, fishing, camping, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, and wildlife viewing opportunities. The popular Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail is a shared-use trail connecting Abingdon with the North Carolina border near Whitetop Station, and extends 33.4 miles (53.7 kilometers) through both private and public land. Considered the state's finest rail-trail, the Creeper Trail passes through tremendously scenic southwestern Virginia and is enjoyed by approximately 100,000 visitors each year. Gorgeous southwestern Virginia is also graced by Natural Tunnel State Park, home to Natural Tunnel, formed eons ago; Natural Bridge, another geologic marvel; and Breaks Interstate Park, shared with Kentucky and home to the deepest gorge east of the Mississippi River. Virginia is also home to a number of caverns which can be toured. These include Grand Caverns Regional Park, billed as America's oldest show cave; Shenandoah Caverns; Luray Caverns in Luray; Dixie Caverns in Salem; and Endless Caverns in New Market, to name a few.

Virginia also hosts several ski resorts for wintertime fun. The largest among these are Bryce Resort in Bayse, Massanutten Resort in McGaheysville, The Homestead Ski Area in Hot Springs, and Wintergreen Resort in Wintergreen.

With its position along the Atlantic Ocean and Chesapeake Bay, Virginia offers limitless activities along the seashore or in the water. Approximately 5,000 miles (8,047 kilometers) of combined shoreline beckon beachgoers. Water sports range from scuba diving, snorkeling, charter fishing excursions, surfcasting, and more.

Virginia's scenic beauty and bounty of recreational opportunities includes nearly everything one could desire.

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