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 Concierge - Sightseeing - Touring Highland County

A good place to start sightseeing in Highland County is with Monterey's Walking Tour. This link will give you a copy of the map that is also available at the Chamber's Welcome Center at the Highland Inn.  The map will walk you past some of Monterey's oldest homes and businesses. The Highland County Chamber of Commerce also has a Driving Tour brochure in acrobat reader pdf format. A map of the county is usually available at the Front Desk.   The Chamber is also developing a walking tour of McDowell.

Debbie and I enjoy touring the county and have started working on a more detailed guide of Highland County that is mostly about the county's country architecture.  It is a large project and will probably be a couple of years in the making.  We will be happy to show you interesting sites on the county map from our own Highland day trips.  We usually get a sandwich at one of the places mentioned on our Dining Out page and picnic somewhere along the route.  Restrooms are not plentiful along the rural routes and few are public. Courtesy would suggest you buy something if you want to use the restroom at a country store.  Likewise if you think your only alternative would be to use an outhouse at one of the country churches, remember to leave it exactly as you found it.

There are other courteous and safety touring items to consider;
~ Cell Phones will not work in many parts of the county.  Verizon is the major company and mostly covers areas around Monterey and McDowell. None of the Blue Grass Valley is covered by an antenna.
~ Think about where you are stopping.  If you don't get off the road or you decide to slowdown just over the crest of a hill accidents can happen.
~ Respect private property.  Many county residents allow access to their property, but don't assume everyone will. Laws regarding rivers and creeks in Virginia are complicated.  Once you are in a sizeable river, usually it is state property.  Getting to the river is a different matter and may involve private property.
~ Some County roads will have cattle-guards.  Sometimes this may mean the County road ended.  Watch for the "End of State Maintenance" sign to know when you are going onto private property.

In the 1930's the Work Progress Administration did guide books on every state.  The Virginia Guide from this period is online and is an interesting source to see what was thought noteworthy back then.  Click to see the Guides Tour 21 which is U.S. 220 in Highland.
Recently a new brochure has become available on the Historic Staunton to Parkersburg Turnpike (U.S. 250 in Virginia). The Brochure is available at the Welcome Center. Although West Virginia is actively developing this scenic byway, Virginia is still working out details.  This  Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike link will give you some history.

Another source for historical information is the Virginia Historical Inventory Project at the Library of Virginia. This online reference tells about buildings, cemeteries and historical sites up until the Civil War. Compiled by the WPA in the 1930's this inventory provides information and a few pictures on some of the County's most historic places. A surprisingly good number of the places are still here. On the search page type in "highland county" and you will get over two hundred hits.

The Highland Inn
Post Office Box 40
68 West Main Street
Monterey, Virginia 24465-0040

Telephone: 540-468-2143
Toll Free: 888-466-4682
info@highland-inn.com

© 2006 Old Dominion Hotels, LLC