Backroads & Byways of Virginia: Drives, Day Trips & Weekend Excursions (Backroads & Byways) [Paperback]

Bill Lohmann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 14, 2010 | Series: Backroads & Byways

With natives as your guides, this series leads you down the road less traveled.

Diverse Virginia has always attracted visitors and residents alike with its mountains, beaches, and cities. In this book you’ll find 15 itineraries for inviting drives and day trips. Follow the Crooked Road, a music trail; hit all the points in the historic triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown; and wend your way along the Blue Ridge Parkway through some of the loveliest scenery the region has to offer. If you’re looking for great places to go beyond the DC suburbs and Virginia Beach, reach for this guide; there’s something here to please everyone. 50 black-and-white photographs

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bill Lohmann was born and raised in Virginia. He has been sports writer, feature writer, and columnist, most recently for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Lohmann and his family live in Richmond.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Countryman Press; 1 edition (June 14, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881509043
• ISBN-13: 978-0881509045
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #383,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Virginia travel book for the whole family, June 13, 2010

By 

Edward Kelleher (Richmond, Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Backroads & Byways of Virginia: Drives, Day Trips & Weekend Excursions (Backroads & Byways) (Paperback)

For travelers who like to leave the research to others, Bill Lohmann's "Backroads and Byways of Virginia" might be the perfect gift.

Lohmann, a veteran reporter, feature writer and columnist for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, takes the reader to both well-traveled and lesser-trod but equally captivating destinations in the Old Dominion.

He begins with the state's Eastern Shore and winds up more than 500 miles to the west at Cumberland Gap, which offers spectacular views of parts of Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky.

In between, you'll find tips on where to find the best barbecue (in Pounding Mill near Tazewell, it's Cuz's Uptown Barbecue) and the most scenic views (Breaks Interstate Park in Dickenson County), where to expect good biking for the whole family, and how not to bypass such relic-filled museums as the White Oak Civil War Museum outside Fredericksburg.

On Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay, where the residents speak in a quaint British accent, you'll learn that kayaks are available free of charge to take a watery tour of the island and that the Tangier Combined School is one of those rare schools in Virginia where classes K-12 are all still held under one roof.

Lohmann has gained a special affection for U.S. 58, once a largely two-lane road that was so dangerous in places that Greensville County in the 1980s posted a sign reading: "Caution: Approaching Suicide Strip." The author (along with Times-Dispatch photographer Bob Brown) developed a long-running series for the newspaper on people and places along the U.S. 58, the state's longest road, which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to Cumberland Gap.

The book's largest chapter is devoted to "The Crooked Road," Virginia's twisting, 300-mile living monument to mountain music, a road that makes its way through 10 counties in western Virginia. This section on the area's musical traditions, ranging from well-known events such as the annual Galax Fiddlers Convention each August to weekly Thursday morning jam sessions at the Dairy Queen in Rocky Mount.

Each chapter includes factoids of the type you'd expect in a good travel guide: what to see, how to get there, how long you can expect to stay, and where to eat and sleep, along with pertinent phone numbers websites and e-mail addresses.

Lohmann pretty much bypasses the big cities except when necessary (to mention, for example, Richmond's historic St. John's Church). His purpose, after all, is to draw attention to places that might be missed - Dot, for instance.

Dot is just that - a dot on the map of Virginia. The Lee County community is so small, Lohmann says, that the "Welcome to Dot" signs for traffic going in opposite directions on U.S. 58 are posted back-to-back on the same signpost.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem of a book, June 9, 2010

By 

Tom Mullen (Glen Allen, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Backroads & Byways of Virginia: Drives, Day Trips & Weekend Excursions (Backroads & Byways) (Paperback)

It doesn't take long for readers to feel like they're traveling through Virginia with Bill Lohmann, whose vivid writing shines through in this book. Lohmann, a veteran journalist and columnist at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, creates a connection with his marvelous storytelling skills and rich anecdotes. From the more celebrated sites to the less traveled, Lohmann paints a detailed tour of the state that whets the appetite for exploration.

Lohmann gets "inside" on his travels, and brings readers insights that only come from strong reporting. He takes the time to meet the people along the backroads and byways and to offer local perspectives on places to food, lodging, and visiting. Want to know the best places to eat along your journey? Looking for diverse food in the Northern Neck, or down in the Valley? Lohmann made the "sacrifice" to find out. Want to know more about Tangier Island? Looking for history? Lohmann goes beyond the tourist signs and gets into the details that make any trip an incredible experience.


The format of the book makes it an easy and excellent resource for anyone planning an excursion, and you'll find yourself visiting the pages again and again as you prepare for the next trip. This is a gem of a book and a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the state.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get off the Interstate!, July 8, 2011

By 

Jon L. Albee "Faulkner Wannabe" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Backroads & Byways of Virginia: Drives, Day Trips & Weekend Excursions (Backroads & Byways) (Paperback)

Virginia is, without question, one of the most beautiful and culturally rich states in the country. Tourists blasting through Virginia on I-95 or I-81 on their way to (or from) Florida or the North Carolina mountains know Virginia primarily as the state where "Radar Detectors are Illegal."

That's too bad, because you can't see Virginia AT ALL from I-95, and only in fleeting glimpses along I-81. So buy this book, get off the super-slab, and make Virginia a destination rather than a pass-through. There are 19 well-written reasons why you should do this included in this book.

The book is organized into 19 driving tours through the Virginia countryside, from the Eastern Shore to the southwestern mountains. The author knows Virginia like the back of his hand, and has written this book with an authentic insider's perspective. The tour routes, destinations, lodgings and attractions are genuine and up to date. This is the real thing.

What makes this guide so good is its authentic "off the beaten path" quality. Many of the tours and sites are among the most interesting and culturally rich destinations in the state, that few people outside Virginia know about. This book is a real eye opener in that way. Yes, it includes a chapter on Williamsburg, but the author writes about that place with a depth and respect lacking in mainstream travel publications. There are tours for every age and taste, with an emphasis on rural and small town locations. Those looking for Richmond nightlife or art museums in Norfolk can find better sources for that information.

While there is a definite emphasis on history and historical sites, the author does not ignore modern attractions. Suggested stops include everything from local eateries to modern music venues to historic plantations to state parks. It's all here, written in clear, polite (and sometimes witty) prose that will entice you to make that detour.