Virginia Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff

If you're reading this review, then you probably already know that there are dozens of books promising to show you interesting places around D.C. for weekend trips. This book is different. The focus is entirely on Virginia, and the listed sites aren't so much just offbeat or odd, but genuinely interesting. In fact, I learned so much about places I'd never even heard of that I want to plan a few trips just to see them.As a pure travel guide, this book has serious limitations. The book is broken down by major geographical regions (Shenandoah Valley, Northern VA, etc.), but within each section, sites weren't presented in any useful order, which required a lot of flipping back to check the maps. Nor were there recommended itineraries, but that was forgivable in a book that's more useful for browsing than for searching.There were several curious errors, such as the year of JFK's assassination (1963, not 1961). Whenever I find easy-to-spot errors like these, it makes me have serious doubts as to the accuracy of more important information, like phone numbers and addresses. Be sure to double-check these before planning your trip.Overall, though, I rate this guide more highly than other, similar books, like the usual Off the Beaten Path and Fodor's guides. Those books tell you how to get to where you want to go, but this one tells helps you decide /where/ you want to go in the first place.

An absolutely facinating book. I like to travel to unknown places within driving distance, and this book provides interesting insight on many places to visit right in my backyard. It is a easy read that is both entertaining and informative, and a must have for anyone who likes to learn about historic or cultural rich places to visit in Virginia.

As a Virginian and a traveler I find this little book informative, interesting and sort of like the "underground books" popular in lots of tourist destinations.I've lived in Virginia all my life and most of the details and oddities in the book I had never heard before. This book is a delight and a must for Virginians who love the Commonwealth also a must for the tourist to Virginia who would like to see things off the beaten track, things that add greatly to your visit. Enjoy!