Virginia Trivia & Tidbits
Looking for Virginia trivia? Try our list Virginia little know facts, tidbits and trivia.
Golfers can take a swing at the longest hole in the United States-841 yards and par 6-at Meadows Farms Golf Course, in Locust Grove.
first appeared: 3/7/2010
The world’s largest wine cork Christmas display, created with about 60,000 corks, decorates Gray Ghost Vineyards & Winery each holiday season in Amissville in Rappahannock County (pop. 6,983). Cork sculptures have included an 11-foot Christmas tree, Santa’s chair, a sleigh, a reindeer and a snowman.
first appeared: 2/21/2010
The last poled ferry in the United States is historic Hatton Ferry, on the James River near Scottsville (pop. 555), which has been transporting people and vehicles across the river since the 1870s. Donors are raising money to keep the seasonal state-owned ferry afloat in the face of budget cuts.
first appeared: 2/7/2010
In 2007, the state became the first to require public schools to teach Internet safety classes, a measure taken to protect young Web users.
first appeared: 1/24/2010
Visitors at Kiptopeke State Park, in Cape Charles (pop. 1,134), can camp in a yurt, a circular domed tent with a wooden framework and fabric covering.
first appeared: 1/10/2010
The first highway legislation in America was passed in 1632 by the Virginia House of Burgesses, giving the Colonial governor and other officials the right to build roads "in such convenient places as are requisite."
first appeared: 12/27/2009
Frog Level, near Tazewell (pop. 4,206), is said to have earned its name in the 1930s because the fog was so low that it was at "frog level." The Frog Level Service Station is a popular tavern, gathering spot and home of the fictitious Frog Level Yacht Club.
first appeared: 12/13/2009
The Presidential Pet Museum in Williamsburg (pop. 11,998) highlights past and current White House pets, from George Washington's horse, Nelson, to the Obama family's Portuguese water dog, Bo.
first appeared: 11/29/2009
Michael Petrina Jr., 64, of Arlington, won the 2009 AARP National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling "woad," a plant with leaves that yield a blue dye. The national title comes 51 years after Petrina won his state spelling bee at age 13.
first appeared: 11/15/2009
Open since 1924, New Dominion Bookshop in downtown Charlottesville (pop. 45,049) is the oldest independent bookstore in the state.
first appeared: 11/1/2009
Built entirely of foam, Foamhenge near Natural Bridge is a full-scale replica of the ancient ruins of Stonehenge. Sculptor Mark Cline also painted the foam to look like the real Stonehenge in England.
first appeared: 10/18/2009
The oldest continously chartered town in the state is Dumfries (pop. 4,937), chartered on May 11, 1749. The town began as early as 1690 when Richard Gibson erected a gristmill on Quantico Creek.
first appeared: 10/4/2009
The oldest, continuously occupied governor's residence in the United States is the Executive Mansion in Richmond. The mansion has been home to Virginia's governors and their families since 1813.
first appeared: 9/20/2009
Founded in 1869 by Confederate veteran William Barber Goolrick, Goolrick's Pharmacy in Fredericksburg (pop. 19,279) is one of the area's oldest pharmacies. While customers wait for prescriptions, they can refresh with a milkshake, fresh lemonade or other treat at the store's soda fountain, installed in 1912.
first appeared: 9/6/2009
On a clear day, five states can be seen from the 100-foot-tall Big Walker Lookout in the Appalachian Mountains near Wytheville (pop. 7,804). A swinging bridge leads to the observation tower.
first appeared: 8/23/2009
The world's tallest and first floorless "dive" roller coaster is Griffon at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg (pop. 11,998). From 205 feet, Griffon drops riders 90 degrees in a floorless dive at nearly 75 mph.
first appeared: 8/9/2009
Some of the state's most fertile farmland is in a mountain-ringed valley called Burke's Garden in Tazewell County (pop. 44,598). The area is named for James Burke, who surveyed the region in the late 1740s and left potato peelings at his campsite. Afterward, a fine crop of potatoes sprang up.
first appeared: 7/26/2009
—William Becknell, who was born about 1787 in present-day Nelson County (pop. 14,445), is considered the "Father of the Santa Fe Trail." In 1821, he made his first trip on the route, carrying goods from Franklin, Mo., to Santa Fe, N.M.
first appeared: 7/12/2009
—Thomas Jefferson, the nation's third president, was born in 1743 at Shadwell plantation in what today is Albemarle County (pop. 79,236).
first appeared: 6/28/2009
—In 1957, Arthur Frommer published Europe on 5 Dollars a Day, based on his budget travels while he was in the military, and launched his line of travel books. Considered one of the foremost travel authorities, Frommer was born in 1929 in Lynchburg (pop. 65,269).
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first appeared: 6/14/2009
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