If you go The Bard in Virginia Treats in tiny Monterey
More on the South
A Shenandoah Valley hideaway
Finding architecture, a love of Shakespeare, and old-time charm in Staunton, Va.
By Diane Daniel, Globe Correspondent, 7/31/2002
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If you go The Bard in Virginia Treats in tiny Monterey
More on the South
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Staunton is a city in transition, and I hope it's a slow one, because so far there's nothing cookie cutter about the place. Founded in 1747 and unscathed through the Civil War, the city is as real as it gets. So are its friendly residents, who will take an even greater shine to you if you know how to pronounce their hometown. It's STANT-un.
City leaders, who for five years or so have been pushing to attract investors and tourists, are banking on Staunton's superb mix of Victorian cottages and mansions, Greek Revival homes, and Romanesque and Italianate buildings, along with its newest and most-touted attraction, the $3.7 million Blackfriars Playhouse. This re-creation of an indoor Shakespeare theater anchors Shenandoah Shakespeare, which stages plays year-round.
Of course, Staunton's setting near Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway is a huge draw as well, and any direction you head, there is at least one full day's worth of sights.
I have a personal connection to Staunton: My parents met there in 1948. Mom was a visiting nurse with the Public Health Department, and Dad was a health inspector. They had moved before I was born, but I spent summers with their friends the Quicks. Each summer Cindy Quick and I would vacation at my home in North Carolina or at her family's farm about 20 minutes north of Staunton. One of the highlights was going into Staunton to hang out at ''the store,'' Quick's Newsstand, on Beverley Street, where we got to help ourselves to fireballs and bubble gum. Beverley is still the main drag, though the family sold the store decades ago. Beverley Restaurant, down the street, is still open and has barely changed.
Much of Beverley Street is going upscale, but the old-fashioned storefronts remain. In fact, much of old Staunton is still intact largely because the city lay dormant for decades. Staunton has received several significant preservation awards and is starting to get media attention, especially since the Bard moved in.
After I arrived in town on a sultry night in late June, I kicked back on the wraparound porch of the Thornrose, run by Suzanne and Otis Huston. Several bed-and-breakfasts are downtown, but the Thornrose is about a mile north, across the street from Gypsy Hill Park, a charming city park and recreational area, with golf, tennis courts, a kiddie train, and a huge outdoor pool open to the public. In the summer, the Stonewall Brigade Band plays every Monday night. It's the oldest community concert band in the country, performing since 1855, the Hustons said. Shows always start with the Southern anthem - ''Dixie'' - and close with ''The Star-Spangled Banner.''
Saturday morning, after a scrumptious breakfast that included broiled grapefruit, I scurried out for the walking tour held every Saturday from late May through October by the Historic Staunton Foundation. The group distributes a wonderful self-guided map as well, and if you don't want to walk the entire time, take the town's free trolley service. Staunton is quite hilly; my mother recalls it being a stressful place to learn to drive in the days before automatic transmissions.
The volunteer guide on this particular morning was Michael Organ, a 20-year resident who runs the Belle Grae Inn and Restaurant, known for its Victorian architecture and fine dining. Looking like a Southern gentleman in button-down shirt, straw hat, and cane, Organ led us through the districts of Gospel Hill, Beverley, Newtown, and the so-called Wharf area (there's no water). Organ, who owns nearly two dozen properties, is part jolly huckster and part cheerleader, a man clearly invested in Staunton's growth, both financially and emotionally. During the tour, I had to stop myself from writing a check for a cute little Victorian cottage in need of a face lift.
Notable stops along the way included the Greek Revival Woodrow Wilson Birthplace and Museum, storefronts designed by Thomas Jackson (''T.J.'') Collins, the town's ''architect of note,'' and the Trinity Episcopal Church, which boasts several magnificent Tiffany stained-glass windows. Wilson spent all of six months in Staunton, but that hasn't stopped the city from making him their golden boy. (President Wilson's parents were longtime residents.)
On Sunday, my childhood friend, now Cindy Wilson, drove up from Roanoke, about two hours south. We strolled through Gypsy Hill Park, where she used to play as a child, and drove 20 minutes north on Route 11 to Burketown, where the Quick farm, which has been divided and sold, still stands. Except for a truck storage shed, everything appeared as it had 35 years ago. When does that ever happen?
We lunched back in Staunton, at the famed Mrs. Rowe's Family Restaurant & Bakery, open since 1947. (Rhyme Rowe's with ''cows,'' and you'll seem in the know.) Vegetables are served Southern style - mushy, seasoned, and salty. Yummy. Main dishes are moderately priced and delicious. The pine-paneled walls are lined with framed national magazine articles about Mrs. Rowe's. If you can, go on Sunday after church and see the folks in their finery.
My extra days were spent riding my bike on the Blue Ridge Parkway and on local country roads, following routes from the Shenendoah Fall Foliage Bike Festival (www.shenandoahbike.org). Staunton has two interesting museums. The Frontier Culture Museum re-creates American frontier culture. And if you're in town during the week, don't pass up the Statler Brothers Museum (501 Thornrose Ave., 540-885-7297, www.statlerbrothers.com). It's open only during its daily tour, at 2 p.m. Band members still live in the area, though they are retired. If you're a fan, you'll be in heaven. If not, you'll be amused.
Diane Daniel can be reached at ddaniel@globe.com "> ddaniel@globe.com .