Virginia travel regions

Virginia’s travel regions are a helpful way to plan around the landscapes and experiences you want: mountain drives, historic towns, bay and ocean shores, or city museums and dining. Virginia Tourism Corporation’s published travel map currently shows ten regions. A newly approved Virginia Piedmont region is scheduled to become official on January 1, 2027, so regional labels may change as the state’s tourism map is updated.

Choose a region

The state’s tourism regions are marketing areas, not a single set of boundaries used for every purpose. Neighboring destinations and regional descriptions can overlap, so use the official tourism map as a starting point and check local destination guides when planning a route.

Heart of Appalachia
Virginia’s far southwest, with mountain scenery and Appalachian heritage. Start with the area’s outdoor destinations and communities such as Big Stone Gap and St. Paul.

Blue Ridge Highlands
Southwest Virginia’s music, mountain scenery, and outdoor recreation. The Crooked Road and communities including Bristol and Galax help orient a first visit.

Virginia Mountains
A broad mountain-and-valley itinerary can pair Roanoke-area city stops with nearby outdoor recreation. Check local guides to match destinations to your route.

Shenandoah Valley
A long valley corridor of towns, mountain views, historic sites, and outdoor stops. Harrisonburg, Staunton, and Winchester make useful starting points.

Northern Virginia
Close to Washington, D.C., this region combines urban destinations with historic towns, estates, and countryside. Alexandria and Leesburg offer different starting points.

Central Virginia
Richmond, Lynchburg, and other destinations anchor a varied itinerary of city experiences, history, and countryside. Confirm which regional guide best fits your specific stops.

Southern Virginia
Explore communities and landscapes across the state’s southern tier, including Danville, Martinsville, and South Hill.

Chesapeake Bay
Waterfront towns, maritime heritage, and bay-country scenery shape this region. Consider the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula when building a coastal route.

Coastal Virginia: Hampton Roads
An urban coastal region with major destinations including Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, and Virginia Beach, as well as the Historic Triangle.

Coastal Virginia: Eastern Shore
A narrow coastal peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean, reached from the south by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Cape Charles, Onancock, and Chincoteague are useful itinerary anchors.

What the regions help you plan

Use regional names to narrow the search, not as a substitute for a day-by-day route. The mountains and valleys suit scenic drives and outdoor trips; the Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore point toward waterfront communities and coastal landscapes; and Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia, and Central Virginia offer urban bases alongside nearby historic and cultural stops. Virginia’s official tourism guide describes the regions as a mix of cities and small towns, historic sites, outdoor areas, and local food and drink.

Planning a multi-region trip

Virginia’s regions can be combined, but a trip that crosses the state may involve substantial driving. Pick a manageable corridor, group nearby stops, and leave room for local exploration rather than trying to cover every region in one visit. The Virginia Tourism Corporation publishes regional plans as well as its visitor-facing regional guide; check current maps and destination information before settling on boundaries or travel details.

The Virginia Piedmont update

Virginia Tourism Corporation approved a new Virginia Piedmont tourism marketing region in March 2026. The announced area includes Albemarle, Culpeper, Fauquier, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson, Orange, and Rappahannock counties, plus Charlottesville. The region is scheduled to become official on January 1, 2027; until then, visitors may encounter older maps and guides that place these destinations in other regions.

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References

External links

• Regions in Virginia — Virginia Is for Lovers
• DRIVE 2.0 regional plans — Virginia Tourism Corporation
• Virginia Piedmont tourism region announcement — Virginia Tourism Corporation Pressroom