Touring the Shenandoah Valley Backroads [Paperback]

Andrea Sutcliffe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1999 | Series: Touring the Backroads Series

The Shenandoah Valley, which stretches some 200 miles from Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, to Roanoke, Virginia, is rich in both history and natural beauty. Highlights from the 14 day-trips in this book include such sites as the New Market Battlefield, where 247 teenage cadets from VMI halted advancing Union troops; 6,000 acres of rare virgin forest in Ramsey's Draft Wilderness Area; the Mennonite towns of Dayton and Bridgewater, where the horse and buggy is still a primary mode of transportation; Highland County, where sheep outnumber people; and Fort Valley, which was the planned route for George Washington's final retreat had the Revolutionary War turned out badly for the Americans.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Shenandoah_most often translated as "Daughter of the Stars"_is one of the loveliest names in the language. Backroads travelers will find that it fits the Valley perfectly.

Most people know the Shenandoah Valley for its Civil War-era history, from Robert E. Lee's capture of John Brown at Harpers Ferry in 1859 to Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign of 1862 to the Battle of New Market in 1864. Fewer know that the Winchester area was home to George Washington, explorer Richard Byrd, novelist Willa Cather, and singer Patsy Cline. Or that Thomas Jefferson owned the geologic wonder known as Natural Bridge. Or that the McCormick Farm near Steeles Tavern was the site of a revolutionary breakthrough in agriculture.

The word Shenandoah may have had as many spellings and definitions as there are stars in the sky, but travelers will know they've reached the Valley when they see rugged Goshen Pass, the beautiful country roads between Lexington and Staunton, the Mennonite farms around Harrisonburg, and the mineral springs that first attracted visitors over 200 years ago.

The 13 tours in this book explore areas of unspoiled wilderness and mountain landscapes within easy range of metropolitan centers like Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Richmond, and Norfolk.

About the Author

Andrea Sutcliffe has been a writer, editor, and editorial project manager for more than 25 years. She planned the content and led the team that wrote The New York Public Library Writer's Guide to Style and Usage. She now lives in Bayse, Virginia.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: John F. Blair Publisher (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895871815
• ISBN-13: 978-0895871817
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #434,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Virginia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I-81 Road Warriors: This Is The Road Less Traveled, September 5, 2006

By 

Craig Warman (Blacksburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Touring the Shenandoah Valley Backroads (Paperback)

This book is truly a work of art. Each of its thirteen driving/walking tours is thoroughly researched, exquisitely detailed, and wonderfully arranged in such a way that they can be enjoyed in as little as two hours, or savored over an entire weekend. In all my years of driving up and down I-81, I never appreciated the depth and intensity of these places that seemed nothing more than exit signs along the interstate. Andrea Sutcliffe's delightful stories of the people that once lived in this valley would be entertaining enough by themselves; seeing first-hand their homes and the towns in which they lived has brought them to life in a way that I am thankful to have experienced and highly recommend to fellow travelers.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TOURING THE SHENADOAH VALLEY BACKROADS, April 18, 2002

By 

Christine W. Roberts (Texas, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Touring the Shenandoah Valley Backroads (Paperback)

HOW WONDERFUL TO RELIVE THE VIRGINIA BACKROADS OF MY "GROWING UP YEARS" THE DESCRIPTIONS AND LOVELY PICTURES WERE A PURE DELIGHT. I ORDERED SEVERAL FOR MY FRIENDS. I FELT I HAD RENEWED ALL THE BEAUTIFUL SITES OF MY CHILDHOOD. THANKS ANDREA

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touring the Shenandoah Valley Backroads, October 1, 2008

By 

Louise Olivi (New Haven, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Touring the Shenandoah Valley Backroads (Paperback)

For those who want an indepth and historically interesting book to help explore the Shenandoah Valley area, this is the book to buy. It has a number of short (up to two hours) car tours complete with maps, historical facts and places of interest to visit or drive by. I highly recommend this book to locals and visitors alike. I gave this book as a gift to friends who live just north of the Shenandoah Valley area for their own use and that of visitors to their area.