Legacy Museum of African American History is Central Virginia's first and only museum dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of African Americans in Lynchburg and the surrounding counties.  A diverse collection of artifacts, documents, and memorabilia highlights the struggles, sacrifices and accomplishments of African Americans in Central Virginia, from the first arrival of African's in the Lynchburg area to the present.  Located at 403 Monroe Street Lynchburg Virginia.  Thursday - Saturday 12-4 p.m, Sunday 2-4 p.m. 434-845-3455The Accademy of Fine Arts provides a variety of exceptional performances in music, dance and theatre throughout the year, as well as free art exhibits and arts related classes for all ages.  Box office 434-846-3804, For Kits' Stuff Tickets: 434-846-... 02/24/2008

Historic high Victorian Gothic style building with 180 foot steeple designed by New York architect John Rochester Thomas in 1886.  The dominating feature of the sanctuary is the use of stained glass made in Lynchburg by William A Hefferman.  Located at 11th and Court Streets, free, self-guided tours are offered Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. -2:30 p.m. 434-846-1345.  This beautiful building continues to be one of Lynchburg's most cherished landmarks. 02/24/2008

In June, the James River Bateaux Festival brings a week of one of the East Coast's most unusual waterborne celebrations, centered on reproductions of 18th century shallow draft merchant boats. In their time each 60 foot craft could carry up to 20 tons of goods to Richmond and back much faster than horses and wagons.  A few were discovered near Richmond in the early 1980's, allowing carpenters to rebuild the time tested design.  The festival follows the river, stopping at towns along the way for various activities.Also in June the Fair by the James happens in Riverfront Festival Park, with rides, live music, fireworks and food.  September's Kaleidoscope starts with the Italian Festival of Seven Hills and keeps going the entire month.  Kaleidoscope is Lynchburg's main fall celebration and... 02/22/2008

Aside from an eight-year time-out, the Lynchburg Community Market (1219 Main Street 434-847-1499, 7 a.m. - 2 p.m Mon - Sat) has been open since 1783, making it the third-oldest farmers market in the country.  It's the place in town for picnics fixings, baked goods, and exotic takeout. Just inside the entrance, Moore's at the Market 434-847-3647 serves a no-frills breakfast for 2-3 dollarsThe Farm Basket (2008 Langhorne Road, 434-528-1107, lunch Mon- Sat.) offers fresh produce in season, box lunches, and healthy fare along the lines of cucumber sandwiches on fresh-baked bread 4-7 dollars.Made from the original recipes, the cheese-steaks at Phila Deli (434-384-5972, lunch and dinner Mon-Fri, lunch Sat.) were voted "Best in the Burg".  They're in Boonsboro Shopping Center and also have goo... 02/22/2008

New Orleans cooking lives in Lynchburg at the Jazz Street Grill (3225 Old Forest Road 434-385-0100. lunch Mon -Sat, brunch Sun) in the Forest Plaza West Shopping Center. Louisiana favorites like catfish and Cajun popcorn shrimp share the menu with po'boys and andouille sausage sandwiches.  Try a Deep South micro-brew while enjoying the live weekend entertainment.A contemporary contrast comes in the form of Meriwether's Market Restaurant (434-384-3311, lunch and dinner daily) in the Boonsboro Shopping Center.  This cherry, "casual gourmet" upscale bistro offers various soup/salad/sandwich combinations (try the orzo salad and oyster spinach bisque) and healthy.  Mediterranean-style entrees during dinner.  Their menu uses many local ingredients and there changes with the seasons.  Lynchbur... 02/22/2008

One of the oldest continuous community theater groups in America, the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center (1815 Thompson Drive 434-846-8451, presents pop chorus concerts, ballet shows and assorted children's performances year-round.  A free gallery (10 a.m. 6 p.m. Tues-Fri 10 a.m. 2 p.m. Sat) shows changing exhibits with a reception from 5-7 p.m. the first Friday of every month. The Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra (621 Court Street, 434-845-6604) performs at the Lynchburg City stadium or the E. C. Glass High School Auditorium. 02/22/2008

The Old City Cemetery (401 Taylor Street, Daily dawn to dusk) came into use in 1806.  A loop trail starting at Taylor and 4th streets passes ancient family plots, Revolutionary War graves, and the final resting place of Blind Billy, a local street musician and former slave whose freedom was paid for by Lynchburg residents.  Beyond the Confederate section, containing 2,200 soldiers from 14 states, you'll find butterfly and medicinal herb gardens, a lotus-studded gold-fish pond and a row of 60 varieties of antique roses from the 16th to 19th centuries.The Cemetery Center includes the Museum of 19th Century Mourning Customs and along the path is the Pest House Medical Museum, once the medical office of local physician John J. Terrell.  During the Civil War, De. Terrell turned it inot a "Ho... 02/22/2008

$50-$100 Of the many chain hotels in town, two of the better choices in this price range are the Hampton Inn (5604 Seminole Avenue., 434-237-2704, fax 434-239-9183, and the Comfort Inn (3125 Albert Lankford Drive 434-847-9041, fax 434-847-8513)$110-$150 In the Garland Hill district stands the 1880's Madison House Bed and Breakfast (413 Madison Street 434-528-1503 or 877-901-1503, info@madisonhousebb.net,) an Italianate Victorian mansion built for a tobacco baron in the 1880's.  Beautiful wrought iron porch decorations and leaded glass in the front door window are only the beginning.  Inside you'll find a library with volumes dating to the 18th century, crystal chandeliers, and original china bathroom fixtures from the early 1900's.  Meals come on Limoges and Wedgwood china, and tea is s... 02/22/2008

Integral Yoga guru Sri Swami Satchidananda (1914-2003) was born in India and established the Satchidananda Ashram - Yogaville (800-858-9642. Call for current opening hours) to further his goals of peace, universal understanding and enlightenment.  The 750 acre rural retreat centers around the Light of Truth Universal Shrine (L.O.T.U.S.) shaped like a 100-foot blooming lotus.  Inside it is a neon-lit meditation chamber and 12 altars symbolizing the 10 major religions, "Other Known," and "those Still Unknown."The ashram hosts workshops and retreats year-round and guests are welcome to stop by for an afternoon, day, week or longer.  Lodging options include camping ($60-$70), dorms ($60-$65 pp with shared bath or $125-$135 d for private rooms with shared bath). and the Lotus Guest House ($1... 02/21/2008

If you want to get outta town it is easy.  Eight miles south of downtown on U.S. 29 the Lynchburg Regional Airport(434-582-1150) is served by US-Air Express/Shuttle America and Atlantic Southeast/Delta Express.  K & J Limousine (866-577-3326) will take you into town, or you can rent a car from Avis (434-239-3622), Budget (434-237-1444), or Hertz (434-237-6284).  The Crescent line between New York and New Orleans stops at the local Amtrak station (825 Kemper Street at Park Avenue 434-847-8247) daily.  Greyhound/Trailways (434-846-6614) is in the same building.If you choose to stay in our fine town for a while it is easy to get around.  The Greater Lynchburg Transit Company (434-856-2489) serves the city and surrounding area from its main terminal at the Plaza Shopping Center.  Local fare... 02/21/2008

Cattle Annie's(4009 Murray Place, 434-846-3206) features both kinds of music - country and western - as well as three bars, a restaurant, and a 4,500 square foot dance floor.  The music ranges from live bands to DJs.  Patrons of Mudpuppy's Pub and Sports Emporium (434-385-4304, in Forest Plaza West Shopping Center) can choose from numerous TVs usually showing sports, have a beer at the bar, and listen to live blues on Friday and Saturday nights until 2 a.m.The Jazz Street Grill (434-835-0100) is in the same shopping center, sounds like Dixieland on weekends. 02/21/2008

Five of Lynchburg's seven hills are now historic districts near the river.  Two Baptist Churches spires bookend Court House Hill, where the 139 steps of Monument Terrace lead past a row of war memorials to the steps of the Old City Court House Museum (901 Court Street. 434-847-1459), daily 10 a.m. - 4 .m. $1 pp over 12).  The dome-capped Greek Revival temple was used from 1855-1955 with weights that drop through hollow columns in front.  It was opened in 1976 as a local history museum that is entered through the restored Hustings Courthouse.  Exhibits range from native Monacon tribes to life in Lynchburg during the tobacco boom.Many of the grand houses on Diamond Hill were built during Lynchburg's golden age near the turn of the 20th century.  Once one of the city's most exclusive neigh... 02/21/2008

Virginia's classic tobacco town goes by a few different monikers.  As the "City of Seven Hills," Lynchburg (pop. 66,000) bulges with lofty historic districts and stately inns.  As the center of Virginia's conservative religious heartland, it's also called the "Buckle in the Bible Belt," with more than 130 houses of worship, Jerry Falwells's Liberty University, Dial-the-Bible listings in the White Pages, and radio preachers who end every sentence in "-uh."  (The years 2002 was Falwell's 46th year preaching at the Thomas Road Baptist Church.)  Even its tourist slogan "The Real Virginia" rings true thanks to Lynchburg's combination of the new  (ideas debated in several medium-sized colleges) and the old (Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest and Appomattox Court House, both nearby).After earnin... 02/21/2008

Central Virginia is a 4-season destination where you can join in the fun or escape into the wilderness.  Central Virginia is laid-back, year-round vacation destination with much to see and experience.  Consider starting with the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are perched atop the region like a crown.  You can view them at a distance throughout most of Central Virginia or drive a few miles to a section of the Appalachian Trail and immerse yourself in trees and solitude.Be sure to check out the festivals.  Central Virginians are always celebrating something - art, rivers, garlic, railroads - that entails plenty of good food and great live music.If yo're intrigued by history, this area offers the entire spectrum of American yesterdays, from the homes of founding fathers to Civil War battlefie... 02/14/2008

South of Lynchburg in Altavista, the Avoca Museum is the home-site of Colonel Charles Lynch, the Revolutionary patriot and brother of John Lynch, founder of Lynchburg. The house is an excellent example of 19th Century American Queen Anne architecture. The property was given to the Town in the 1980s and is operated by the non-profit Avoca Museum and Historical Society.  The house is an excellent example of 19th Century American Queen Anne architecture. The property was given to the Town in the 1980s and is operated by the non-profit Avoca Museum and Historical Society.  The house contains a unique collection of local antiques, including Native American artifacts and Civil War memorabilia. Avoca also hosts an annual wine festival in late September.Hours of operation:  (April 20, 2008 - Oc... 02/13/2008

Lynch's Landing is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the development and revitalization of Lynchburg's Historic Downtown and Riverfront.  Since 2001, Lynch's Landing volunteers have contributed over 45,000 hours of service to projects for the redevelopment of downtown.Volunteers contribute their time at one of the 25 events held annually downtown, or by serving on one of the Lynch's Landing committees.Lynch's Landing also manages Lynchburg's Virginia Main Street program which has helped to revitalize the economic vitality of Lynchburg's downtown.  The results have been remarkable - new businesses are opening, and investors are putting their money into once vacant buildings; tourists are visiting new shops and restaurants, and residents are enjoying renewed community pride... 02/11/2008

The Old City Cemetery, located at Fourth and Taylor Streets, is a restored 200 year-old cemetery founded in 1806.  It is a Virginia Historic Landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the oldest, still in use, public cemetery in the state of Virginia.Admission to the Cemetery is free, open daily from dawn to dusk, and with the use of plaques, signage, and brochures encourages self-guided visits.  More than 20,000 people are buried in the cemetery's 26 acres - most before 1925 - including political, religious, social, and cultural leaders, the city's indigent and "strangers";, veterans of every major American war and conflict, and 2,200 Confederate soldiers from 14 states.  Three quarters of burials are of African or Native American descent, both free and enslaved... 02/11/2008

In February, the City Manager's proposed budget for the coming fiscal year is posted on the City's website for citizens to review.  In April, City Council holds a public hearing to gather citizens' input on budget issues.  City Council deliberates the budget between March and June and adopts the budget in late May or early June.  The Adopted Budget is posted on the City's website in July of each year.  For additional information, contact the Budget Office at 434-455-3970 02/11/2008

"Volunteer!  Lynchburg" is a network fo citizens who donate their time and energy in a broad range of community services.  From coaching and mentoring to neighborhood cleanup campaigns to companionship and advocacy for th elderly and youth, volunteers are making a difference in Lynchburg.Volunteer opportunities range from one-time projects and special events to long-term commitments.  You can choose from a variety of positions to fit your schedule and interest.  Whether you have a new hours a week or a year or a month to contribute, the City can use your help.To apply for a volunteer opportunity, please download the "Volunteer! Lynchburg" application from www.Lynchburgva.govand select the Communications and marketing Department web-page and then select "Volunteer! Lynchburg."In addition... 02/10/2008

"The Light Artillery Blues and the Zouaves were out in force.  They made a stirring sight as they paraded across the bridge," reported Lynchburg's newspaper, The Daily Virginia, the day after the opening of the bridge linking Rivermont and the downtown business area.  The time was 3 p.m. on April 17, 1891, cannon boomed, steam whistles shrieked and a crowd of cheering Lynchburgers promenaded across Rivermont Bridge - 1,157 feel long, 144 feet high, 60 feet wide.The citywide celebration, followed by a dinner at the Opera House, was called Rivermont Day in honor of the company that financed the bridge running from the western end of Main Street across the gorge of Blackwater Creek and into Rivermont - Lynchburg's first planned community.Leading the procession across the bridge was Maj. Ed... 02/10/2008