Things To Do
Take our Marriage Pact Quiz!
Here is the link and QR code to take the marriage pact quiz to be matched with a friend at our cocktail hour! It's most fun if everyone participates!
Wildberry Market
Coffee, pastries, breakfast, and açaí bowls! They sell season's yield farm (bread day!) products here. Highly recommend a build your own bowl with a variety of bases and toppings. In the heart of downtown Lex.
Legendary Eats
Great breakfast and lunch spot! They have bagels, sandwiches, and wraps. Just across from W&L campus.
Hardens
One of our favorite restaurants in town! The best place to go for a good cocktail and we haven't found a thing on the menu we don't like. Though we went to TAPS for our first date, we went for Bartender Bill, who now owns and tends bar here! If you liked Legendary Eats, you'll love Hardens. They are under common ownership. Just across from W&L campus.
Devils Backbone Brewing Company - Outpost Tap Room & Kitchen
This is a great hangout spot with a porch where you can grab BBQ and pub food while drinking local brews!
Heliotrope Brewery
Annie's favorite!! They have excellent wood-fired pizza and more. They also have some funky beers and ciders that they brew in house!
Pronto Caffé & Gelateria
This is Andrew's favorite coffee spot! They also have sandwiches, pastries, gelato, and more. Conveniently on Main Street next to the Gin Hotel.
Haywood's Restaurant
Haywood’s Piano Bar & Grill provides a sophisticated yet inviting dining experience, featuring stylish and approachable dishes, quality wines, craft cocktails, and the soothing sounds of live piano jazz. Also affiliated with the Georges and in the heart of downtown Lex.
Halcyon Days Cider Co + Orchard Labyrinth
A great place to grab a cider and food nestled in the blue ridge mountains!
Bread Day at Seasons' Yield Farm
So important that we put it on the schedule!! This would be a great way to spend your Saturday morning and it only happens on two days per month! It's the cutest farm and they sometimes have local artisan vendors, pizza, and BBQ. Use the link to order your goods in advance to skip the line.
Pure Eats
Great for breakfast and lunch. Homemade donuts and coffee in the morning! They also make a good burger and fries for lunch, among other things. On Main Street!
NapaThai Cuisine
Good Thai food in downtown Lex! One of Andrew's favorites.
Zunzun
Formerly known as the Red Hen! Advanced reservations are required as it is a quaint fine dining experience.
Franks Pizza, Subs & Pasta
Annie and friends' favorite spot to get grubby Italian food. Pizza, pasta, and subs. Andrew loves the penne vodka and Annie, the baked spaghetti. Think the type of place you'd go as a team after little league baseball.
Salerno Wood Fired Pizza & Taphouse
Two words: beer wall. This is another great wood-fired pizza place with a diverse Italian menu. In downtown Lex.
TAPS
This is where we had our first date! Great place for a drink and dinner. It's also in the lobby of the Georges Inn and conveniently on Main Street.
The Palms
Pub-like restaurant near W&L's campus and in downtown Lex that serves salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, and finger food. Will have sports on the bar TVs.
Sweet Treats
Dogs welcome, people tolerated! This is a great place for breakfast, brunch, and lunch (highly recommend their waffles)! They also make pastries and other baked goods, we particularly love their cookies! Downtown Lex.
Sweet Things Ice Cream Shoppe
Great old school ice cream shop. Make sure you bring cash! Right across from W&L campus.
Natural Bridge General Store & Natty B Cafe
If you're on your way out to Natural Bridge State Park, this is where you should stop for lunch! They have great sandwiches and more.
History
Lexington is a deeply historic town. There are so many things to see if you're interested in history! Please check out the Lexington Visitor Center's website (linked below) for information on historic things to do and places to see!
Washington and Lee University
See this historic university that Andrew and Annie graduated from! Points of Interest: The Colonnade, W&L Bookstore, KA Headquarters (not technically W&L but basically on campus), University (Lee) Chapel and Museum (resting place of Robert E. Lee).
Blue Ridge Parkway - Buena Vista Overlook
This is the best spot to catch a gorgeous sunset and see the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains and valley. Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway is a great way to see the scenery! If you're in Lexington, just type in "Blue Ridge Parkway" in your maps, and it should take you to the Buena Vista Access Point. Keep an eye out, you might see entry points to the Appalachian Trail. See link for more information! If you feel like seeing a waterfall (or jumping off one), Panther Falls is nearby and does not require an extensive hike to see! Info for Panther Falls can be found online.
Natural Bridge State Park
A National Historic Landmark! You won't want to miss this unique and famous place that's very close by! It's truly an impressive feat of nature and has a nice well-maintained accompanied nature walk. There are lots of stairs, but they have a shuttle down to the natural bridge and back up if need be. You do have to pay a small fee to enter, but it's well worth it. If you go here, stop by Natty B's Cafe for lunch! Tennis shoes.
Chessie Nature Trail
Only 1.5 miles from downtown Lexington! This is a great trail that follows along the Maury River that runs through Lexington. It is a veryyyy long trail that stretches all the way to Buena Vista, so you will probably want to walk until you feel like turning around and going back to your car. Good news is - it can be as long or short as you want it! There is no elevation gain and the trail is very well maintained. It's a very popular place to run, bike, and walk. Tennis shoes. If you want to just have a chill walk in nature, this is the place to go.
Boxerwood Nature Center & Woodland Garden
A lovely and whimsical botanical garden and arboretum close to the center of town! Walk around and explore all the different species of flora and fauna, meadows, forests, gardens, and more interspersed with sculptures and art! This is such a delightful place to take a walk and explore nature, and a great place for kids as they have playgrounds and other activities! For photography fans, this is the childhood home of Sally Mann. Tennis shoes.
Lake Robertson
Hiking, fishing, camping. There's a great loop that goes around the lake that we love and takes only about an hour. Gorgeous views of the area and a pretty man-made lake. This is also one of our frequent "quick hike" spots and it's not too far from town! The drive is beautiful. Hiking boots or tennis shoes.
Washington and Lee Back Campus Trails
Harriet's favorite place in Lexington! See where Andrew proposed to Annie at the gazebo on these very trails. Park at the Washington and Lee soccer fields or the Outing Club barn and start on the trails from there. See link for a map! Hiking boots or tennis shoes. A great place if you're looking for something between a normal walk in nature and a more involved hike.
Brushy Hills Preserve Trailhead
This is our favorite place for a quick hike! Very close to downtown Lexington, tons of different trails so you can pick just how long you want to hike. See the link for a map of the trails and more information! Hiking boots or tennis shoes.
R/C State Cinema 3
Our little local theatre nestled in downtown Lexington - we just love it. (Great place to get an icee to go if, like Annie, you sometimes just need that)
Pumpkinseeds
The cutest darn store ever!!!!! One of our favorite places to shop in Lexington. Gifts, trinkets, decor, and more! It recently moved, so if you're used to it being where the "Millinery de Rousselot" mural is, check out Clover's old storefront (the one with the blue trim).
Lavender Fields at Tantivy Farm
A little further out but so cute!! They have gardens, trails, and a waterfall on site, but best of all are the Lavender fields! They sell tons of homemade lavender products, dried lavender, and even potted lavender for you to take home!
Ladles & Linens Kitchen Shoppe
You'll find the most fun and unique kitchen and home items at this store on Main Street! A great place to find gifts and other high quality items while supporting local! Currently in a new location temporarily just a bit further up the road on Main (where the old furniture store was across from Haywoods).
Downtown Books
A precious little local bookshop on main street by the Gin Hotel! Support local!
Walkabout Outfitter
Annie's favorite!! She can't go in here without trying to buy something. Your go to for any outdoorsy, crunchy, activity things. Need hiking boots, water shoes, hiking socks, camping stuff, or the cutest outerwear you can find? Here is your spot. They have the best selection.
Duke’s Lexington Antique Center
A Furr family favorite! They have EVERYTHING here and are open 365 days a year! It's a great place to get lost for a few hours and see what buried treasure you can find to take home with you at great prices! Furniture, clothing, decor, serveware, discontinued toys, you name it - they've got it.
Earth Fire and Spirit Pottery Art Gallery
No, not Earth, Wind, and Fire, but just as good! Amazing local art, pottery and more for sale here! Support local artists! In the heart of downtown Lex.
Artists In Cahoots
Another great place to support local artists! If you want some Lexington brick jewelry or pottery, this is the place to go! In the heart of downtown Lex.
Lexington Pappagallo
Our favorite place to shop for clothes, accessories, and more in Lexington! We love this sweet shop and they have a great selection. The woman who owns it has great taste - she'll tell you her New Yorker daughters help her decide her inventory and always know what's trending.
Lexington Mercantile
A great place to go for wine, cheese, snacks, and more! Your local artisan food market. They have premade meals, dips, and salads as well.
Big House Mountain
This is one of the more strenuous, time consuming hikes, but it's a classic Lexington staple. You'll see House Mountain (shaped kinda like a house) from the interstate as you enter Lexington - it's the classic "skyline" of the county. The views are great from the top, but it'll take you a considerable part of your day to make it there. The top gets pretty rocky, but the panoramic views are so worth it and it's definitely a Lexington bucket list item! See the link for more details. Hiking boots. *Pay attention to trail guides and directions to make sure you take the right trails!
Cole Mountain
Annie calls this "the best view-to-effort ratio hike around here." This is an uphill climb, but not a super long one, and once you get to the top it's flat for awhile with stellar panoramic views. This is technically part of the Appalachian Trail, so you'll be able to say you've hiked part of the AT! It's a little further out and the elevation is high, so make sure you bring layers - it gets windy at the top! Hiking boots or tennis shoes. As you drive in, you're looking for the trailhead on your right! If you go left you'll end up hiking to Hog Camp Gap and Mount Pleasant - also great options.
St. Mary's Falls
Annie's favorite hike!! A longer out and back trail that terminates in a beautiful waterfall. You can even jump off the rocks above into a pool below! This trail follows a creek the whole way, and you cross it several times. It's a little farther out than Brushy Hills, and Lake Robertson, but well worth it! Expect your feet to get a little wet. Hiking boots or water shoes. You should be able to put St. Mary's Wilderness or Falls into your map to navigate to the trailhead. See link for details!
Devil's Marbleyard
One of the coolest, most unique hikes you'll ever go on. This rare natural geological phenomenon is a huge collection boulders covering the side of a mountain. You'll take the Belfast Trail to get to the marbleyard, and once you get there you can scramble onto the rocks to get a view of this incredible scenery. Great views and a very cool experience, but don't bring dogs because they won't be able to follow you scrambling on the rocks. Hiking boots.
Goshen Pass
A great place for fly fishing, hiking, swimming, or taking a scenic drive! Goshen is a beautiful gorge made by the Maury River through the mountains. There's a very cool suspended bridge and many beautiful overlooks. Make sure you get a permit if you decide to fish here, they do check here frequently! Tennis shoes or hiking boots. To get to the swinging bridge and hiking trails, keep driving on Route 39 until you see a turn off on your right with a sign for the Goshen Pass Natural Area Preserve.