Rediscovering America_ Exploring the Small Towns of Virginia & Maryland - Bill Burnham [57]
Railroad buffs should check out the elaborate layouts of the RF&P Model Railroad Club in Hanover Springs Shopping Center, at routes 54 and 1. An open house is held each second Saturday, 10 am-5 pm. (tel. 804-798-0250)
Patrick Henry, Virginia’s first elected governor, rode from Scotchtown, his home nine miles west of Ashland, to Richmond to deliver the famous words that helped spark the Revolution: “Give me liberty or give me death.” Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10 am-4:30 pm, April-October. (off SR 54, tel. 804-227-3500)
Dining
Ashland Coffee & Tea serves quesadillas and grilled specialties. Live music Thursday through Saturday night attracts nationally known blues, jazz, bluegrass and folk artists. Wednesday is comedy night. Grab a coffee, sink into a deep cushioned chair or sit out on the deck. (100 N. Railroad Avenue, tel. 804-798-1702)
Brunch on the porch of the Henry Clay Inn is a real treat, served weekends only, along with the popular nouvelle cuisine dinner buffet. This Georgian Revival-style building is actually a 1992 replica of the 1906 original that burned in 1946. Photographs inside the lobby tell the story. (114 N. Railroad Avenue, tel. 804-798-3100)
The deli counter at Homemades by Suzanne makes dozens of different salads, fresh sandwiches and quiches daily to take-out or eat in at the café tables. Open for continental breakfast and lunch. (102 N. Railroad Avenue, tel. 804-798-8331)
The Ironhorse Restaurant is located in the old Cox Department Store, built in 1900. The descendants of the Cox family, and many who remember their parents shopping here, are lunchtime regulars. The name is from the 1960s Dale Robinson movie of the same name. The menu features tapas, bison steaks, seafood, lamb, salads of field greens, and an extensive wine list. Open for lunch and dinner. (100 S. Railroad Avenue, tel. 804-752-6410)
Lodging
The Henry Clay Inn may have been built to replicate a 1906 inn, but the amenities are modern all the way. Twelve guest rooms, including two suites, all have telephones, cable TV, computer modem hook-ups, and private baths. There’s a handicapped-accessible room, corporate and honeymoon suites, Jacuzzi tubs in some rooms, balconies and canopy beds in others. The front porch is a great place for train-spotting. Continental buffet breakfast included. (114 N. Railroad Avenue, tel. 800-343-4565, www.henryclayinn.com, $$)
There are nearly 20 chain hotels, motels and motor lodges in the Ashland area. The closest ones to downtown are a Hampton Inn at 705 England Street and Route 54 (tel. 804-752-8444, $$), a Quality Inn at 810 England Street (tel. 804-798-4231, $), and a Comfort Inn at 101 N. Cottage Greene Drive (tel. 804-752-7777, $$). For a complete list, contact the visitor center for the visitor guide to Ashland & Hanover County (tel. 800-897-1479).
It’s surprising that there aren’t any B&Bs in town, what with the abundance of fine old homes and the college, which draws visiting parents and alumni. Perhaps by the time you read this, someone may have decided to open one.
Information
Ashland Visitor Center, open daily 9 am-5 pm, tel. 800-897-1479, www.ashlandhanoverva.com.
Events
The Fourth of July parade sometimes has more participants than on-lookers, as anyone who shows up 15 minutes before the start can march. It’s non-motorized, so townsfolk use their imaginations to come up with clever and humorous themes. There’s been the croquet brigade, the folding chair brigade, and every year the Bassett Brigade brings hounds from throughout central Virginia. No one seems to mind that they slow the parade down a bit. “They have to sniff and lick all the children along the way,” said Barbara Franklin, manager of the visitor center.
The Strawberry Faire in May is a celebration of spring under the big oak trees of Randolph-Macon College.
TRIVIA: The town received national attention in 2001 as the