We know that for many of our guests, Lynchburg IS a destination wedding! We're so happy for all who can travel to enjoy the area with us. We hope our hastily-compiled guide to area restaurants, shopping and attractions keeps you well-fed, looking great, and having fun during your stay!
Downtown from Madison Heights. Not sure what the water spout is. It just kinda showed up around 2000. We don't know how we feel about it.
Restaurants
Most of your chain favorites are in Lynchburg, feel free to plug them into google. If you're looking for local favorites, here's a small list:
Don't be surprised when they yell your order. It works for them.
The Texas Inn - open 24 hours, but closed on Sundays, The T-Room features legendary late-night favorites and bowls of buttermilk deep enough to swim a horse - a very small horse. Try the Cheesy Western, all the way. Don't talk back to Miss Debbie.
Isabella's - Italian favorites in the Boonsboro area.
Neighbor's Place - American food & pub. It once had a famous visitor and about broke the Lynchburg internet. Neighbors also turns into a busy nightspot after the dinner hours if you're looking for some adult beverages.
It used to have a sign. Don't know when it disappeared, where it went, or if it's back up.
The Cavalier - hamburgers, hot dogs, legendary season salt fries, ice cold beer. Carve your name into a table or try to find where Molly and Andrew have carved theirs over the decades. Fun fact: a painting of the Cavalier hangs in a special place - in Molly & Andrew's master bathroom.
La Caretta - Four area locations. All have great Mexican food and very strong margaritas.
Waterstone Pizza - Great wood-fired pizza and microbrews in the lower basin of downtown Lynchburg.
Shoemaker's - Surf & Turf in the Craddock-Terry Hotel, renovated from the Craddock-Terry shoe factory building - at it's height, Craddock-Terry was the fifth-largest shoe manufacturer in the world.
Shopping
J. Crew – Ever noticed the address on the back of your catalog from J. Crew? Yep, that’s us. J. Crew’s distribution center is in Lynchburg, making for amazing deals in their clearance center, located about 5 minutes from our wedding venue.
Bank of the James, the tallest building in Lynchburg, in the background. See it while it's still king, LU is building a tower on their side of town that's going to be taller.
Downtown Lynchburg features many tight-knit and beloved locally-owned stores, restaurants and coffee shops. Molly even got her wedding dress at Church Street Bridal, where brides make the trek from as far away as Europe to secure never-before-worn designer bridal gowns at rock-bottom prices for a good cause – run by the YWCA, 100% of Church Street Bridal proceeds benefit local area domestic abuse prevention and rescue programs.
Wards Road. Traffic gets gnarly, but sometimes you gotta go to Target.
Wards Crossing/River Ridge Mall - It’s a bit of a traffic nightmare, but if you forgot something and need your typical big-box stores, almost all are centered around Wards Crossing, located near the Lynchburg airport and Liberty University. River Ridge Mall is nearby and has Macy’s, Belk, and JC Penney, among other mall brands.
No, we don't make the whisky. That's Lynchburg, Tennessee. But somebody around town will probably sell you an antique jug.
Antiques – they’re everywhere! Some of our favorites include The Peddler in Forest and the many shops downtown.
Attractions & Stuff to do
Haven’t seen Lynchburg…ever? Or recently? Don't worry, there's plenty to fill your day before the wedding festivities kick off. Be sure to check websites and/or call for updated hours of operation and any admission costs.
"Can everyone go home please? I already moved once because y'all couldn't get along."
-Wilmer McLean
Appomattox Court House - the little tiny front parlor where our nation ended the Civil War on April 9, 1865. About 15 minutes east of Lynchburg, the grounds are owned and operated by the National Parks Service. Admission is $10 per vehicle.
True story: Jefferson put a dome in every building he designed, but thought stairs were ugly. Not sure why he liked octagons so much.
Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest - private retreat and laboratory of our third President, offering tours of the recently-restored home, estate grounds, and ongoing archaeological dig projects. Fun fact: after Jefferson's death, Poplar Forest was inherited by Jefferson's grandson Francis W Eppes, who was also the great-grandson of Revolutionary War Captain Francis Epes, Molly’s 6x great-grandfather. For our Seminole fan guests, Francis W. Eppes also founded Florida State University.
I know, it seems weird to go skiing in hot weather to us, too. We hear it's fun, though.
Liberty University Snowflex Centre: Want to ski, snowboard or tube? What? It’s only going to be early September! Lynchburg’s Candlers Mountain features the nation’s first year-round ski slope. Yes, you read that right, and no, we don't fully understand how it works. You can rent gear on the mountain.
Most are still private homes, so don't go knocking on doors.
Federal Hill Historic District – On the National Register of Historic Places, Federal Hill features gorgeous Edwardian and Federal style homes and cobblestone streets in many areas. Notable former residents include the Langhorne family, (the namesake of the notable Langhorne Road, pronounced “Lang-ern” among locals), whose five daughters went on to be great women, one known for becoming Lady Astor of England, and another became the model for the Victorian Era Gibson Girl - a supermodel before the word even came into use.
Cabell was a successful physician, but not really a good one. He was fond of treatments involving quicksilver...which is a pretty good way to get mercury poisoning. He did build a rather beautiful home, however.
Point of Honor – currently operated as a museum by the City of Lynchburg, Point of Honor was the home of Dr. George Cabell, a friend of Thomas Jefferson and the personal physician of Patrick Henry. It was later home to United States Senator John Warwick Daniel, among others, and overlooks the James River in downtown. In 2015, Point of Honor became the setting for a television series of the same name, written and produced by Academy Award-winning Randall Wallace, who was born and raised in the area.
The view from Sharp Top. Andrew says it's a pretty easy hike, but Molly wouldn't know. She somehow never hasn't done it before, but would like to at some point.
Blue Ridge Parkway – Free to drive and features gorgeous mountain views. Hikes to the Sharp Top summit, Devil's Marble Yard, and Panther Falls are favorites. Please remember to respect the Leave No Trace rules of the trail - take only pictures, leave only footprints.
What did the fish say when he ran into the wall?
"Dam."
Smith Mountain Lake - Celebrating its 50th year, Smith Mountain Lake's nearly 500 miles of shoreline were created by the damming of the Roanoke and Blackwater Rivers in Bedford and Franklin Counties and is home to lots of fun boating and water activities. About a 45 minute drive from Lynchburg, a spacious state park offers swimming beaches and lots of recreation areas. Cult classic What About Bob was filmed on SML and is one of our favorites.
Amazement Square – an award-winning hands-on museum for children of all ages.
The museum was once the Lynchburg tobacco market. Don't know how, but people had to haul their crops all the way up the hill from the James after disembarking from John Lynch's ferry. There was likely a lot of cursing, it's a pretty big hill.
Monument Terrace – connecting Church and Court Streets (you’ll notice that the courthouse is on Church Street and the churches are on Court Street), Monument Terrace consists of 139 steps, lined with various memorials to area service men and women. At the base is the famous doughboy statue, and at the top is the Lynchburg Museum.
National D-Day Memorial – Built to honor the World War II invasion of Europe. Bedford was chosen for this site as their 35-man local company was one of the first to storm the beaches of Normandy, where 19 lost their lives, representing the greatest proportional D-Day loss of any town or city in the United States.
And if you care to go on a wild goose chase, feel free to chase down the lesser-known Lynchburg attractions, just don't get too distracted hunting them down - we don't want you to be late to our wedding!