Martinsburg/Berkeley County, WV

Charles Town/Jefferson County, WV

Winchester/Frederick County

Clarke County

Front Royal/Warren County

Shenandoah County

Luray/Page County

Harrisonburg/Rockingham County

Staunton/Augusta County

Highland County

Lexington, Buena Vista/Rockbridge

Bath County

Alleghany County

Fincastle/Botetourt County

Roanoke, Salem/Roanoke County

Front Royal / Warren County, VA

When it’s time to get out of the car and go for a walk, you’ll find the Town of Front Royal to be the perfect place to do just that. It is just plain gorgeous, though the name of the town can be confusing. Royal—doesn’t that mean kings and queens or castles? This is America, and we don’t have those things.

The locals tell an interesting story… Remember that this had been the frontier, and there were Indian attacks on the settlers. The settlers organized themselves into a militia, or home defense force. They weren’t very organized, or professional for that matter. There was a drill sergeant who got frustrated with his “volunteers” trying to get them to all face the same direction, and the only way he knew to tell them was to say “Front the royal oak!” That was what they called this huge old tree on the town square. Apparently people heard about this and as it happens, the name stuck.

For your walkabout, start at the Visitor Center on Main Street and get your Walking Tour brochure. There’s no charge and the folks are really friendly. The whole tour is only a mile long and starts and stops right there. You’ll see some wonderful sites.

Front Royal is also the “Canoe Capital of Virginia,” so you might want to contact the folks at the Front Royal Canoe Company on US 340 to help you plan a memorable trip down the Shenandoah River. Or if you’d like to do some underground exploring, be sure to visit Skyline Caverns, one of the only places in the world that features a unique formation known as Anthodites, or “orchids of the mineral kingdom.”

Ready to get back in the car now? It’s off to the famed Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park, which is only a mile from Front Royal.

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