This Blue Ridge Mountain community sits less than eight miles from the entrance to Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park, putting many great hikes at the tip of your boots. Reward your steps with a seasonal meal from the town’s indie restaurant scene.
Distance from DC: 78 miles
Where to Stay
At the center of town, the bed-and-breakfast Hopkins Ordinary, dating to 1820, pairs modern amenities with old-fashioned touches such as fireplaces, antique dressers, and original hardwood floors. Pick from five rooms in the main house, many of them with private porches, or retreat to one of the two-bedroom cottages. Breakfast in the main-house dining room is included, and there’s a brewery in a 19th-century cellar tavern. Less than five minutes from downtown Sperryville, Blue Rock is a luxe spot with five breezy rooms. A more secluded five-room farmhouse is also available. Start the morning with a gourmet breakfast delivered to your room, and bookend the day with a five-course dinner on the veranda at the Restaurant at Blue Rock, helmed by Inn at Little Washington alum Aaron Bachoon.
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Things to Do
Proximity to Shenandoah National Park means easy access to a network of trails culminating in beautiful vistas. The peak of Marys Rock Summit is reached via a moderate, 3.7-mile hike along the Appalachian Trail. The out-and-back path starts at the Panorama parking area and climbs to the rocky 3,500-foot peak with sweeping views of bucolic Page Valley, including Luray and the Massanutten Mountain range. Looking for a longer trek? Follow the Pass Mountain Trail from the US 211 parking lot to the Appalachian Trail and jaw-dropping vistas at Double Bear Rocks. The 7.1-mile out-and-back moves through meadows and mature forests. If chasing waterfalls is the plan, drive 30 minutes from Sperryville to the Whiteoak Canyon parking area. The 4.6-mile Whiteoak Canyon Trail leads to the ravine’s largest cascade, and you can add an extra 2.7 miles to see another five waterfalls. While driving along Skyline Drive, pull off at scenic spots such as Buck Hollow Overlook (mile 32.9) for views of the valley and mountains.
Beyond hiking, the town has plenty of indie small businesses to check out, including Copper Fox Antiques, a 27,000-square-foot emporium for vintage furniture, and Wild Roots Apothecary, a cute shop with herbal tinctures, tonics, and teas. Next door, Copper Fox Distillery helped put dirt-to-glass American single-malt whiskey on the map and is one of five distilleries in the country with an onsite malting floor. Take a 45-minute tour around the facilities (an overhauled barn that was once a cidery), learning about the process before sampling a whiskey flight by the river.
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Dine and Drink
Sample some of the state’s most interesting wild-fermented beers and ciders at Pen Druid Brewing, where a fleet of fruity, funky concoctions make a stellar après-hike treat. Beers are crafted from regional ingredients using niche, historical Belgian methods. Nestled into the woodline beside the brewery, Sumac is a tiny, wood-fired kitchen in a trailer where chef Daniel Gleason builds menus from ingredients sourced or foraged within a 150-mile-radius. Dine at picnic tables with views of the surrounding mountains.
Another place to sample the best of fall is Three Blacksmiths, the globetrotting, Shenandoah Valley–inspired dining room on Main Street. The multi-course menu rotates weekly to accommodate the season’s ingredients, and with one seating per evening and just 20 slots, you’ll want to make reservations well in advance.
This article appears in the September 2025 issue of Washingtonian.
