Where to take it
The Plains sits in the middle of some of the best country on the East Coast. Here’s what’s close.
Shenandoah, 1 hour
Skyline Drive and 500 miles of trail. Big Meadows and Lewis Mountain open late March; Mathews Arm and Loft Mountain from late April. Autumn here is the best week of the year and most people miss it.
Gold Cup, 10 minutes
The Virginia Gold Cup runs at Great Meadow the first Saturday in May, and the International Gold Cup the third Saturday in October. Both are right here in The Plains.
Martinsville, race weekend
NASCAR runs 16–18 April and 5–7 November 2027. A coach on a powered pitch beats a hotel an hour away, and the good sites go early.