Staunton Welcomes Theatre Lovers

"A culture vulture’s delight” -- The New York Post

 With more than 300 performances given all year round, the Blackfriars Playhouse has made Staunton into America's top destination for Shakespeare and Renaissance theatre. Now, there's yet another reason for culture lovers to visit our gorgeously preserved Victorian town at the heart of the breathtaking Shenandoah Valley: the Red Brick District.

Named for the red bricks found on its Victorian homes and in the sidewalks of this walkable area, the Red Brick District is the place to enjoy arts and culture in Staunton. Located at the heart of the district, the Blackfriars Playhouse can be your base to discover chic galleries, quirky cafes, surprising museums, and lively music venues throughout the RBD.

Find out more about the Red Brick District »

Big City Enticements, Small Town Charm

Come for the Shakespeare. Stay for everything else that our hometown has to offer.

Stay to explore a mecca for historic preservation, with more than a thousand significant buildings in several historic districts. Walk our cobblestone streets and discover antique shops, coffeehouses, yoga studios, and dining that will remind you of Dupont Circle or Washington Square but won't break your budget.

Stay for one of the most beautiful places in America to hike, backpack and bike, according to the 2007 book 101 Best Outdoor Towns: Unspoiled Places to Visit, Live & Play by Sarah Tuff and Greg Melville.

Stay to experience a lively scene in the performing and fine arts, with year-round community theatre, a cinema showing independent films on two screens and more than a dozen art galleries.

It's Easy to Visit Us

We're only two-and-a-half hours from Washington, DC and eight hours from New York City. Yet, we're a world away from big city traffic, sprawl, and bustle.

Staunton, Virginia (pronounced STAN-ton), is luckier than many small towns...Indeed, Staunton is lovely. It shadows the contours of the Shenandoah like a blanket. When viewed from the town's high points, the hilly terrain and church steeples lend a European feel. Fine shops, a coffeehouse, and antiques stores crowd Beverley Street and the wharf district. -- Southern Living magazine

And the National Trust for Historic Preservation has declared Staunton a Distinctive Destination:

A cultural center in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, Staunton, Virginia, (population 24,461) is delightfully situated between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains. Because the town was unscathed in the Civil War, its 18th and 19th century buildings survived and have been beautifully restored and preserved in this "Queen City."

Your friends may not yet have discovered Staunton. Come discover us for yourself before they do!