"Lynchburg, Blue Ridge Parkway, and Natural Bridge" Lynchburg by Ewingjr98

Me at the natural Bridge

I stopped in Lynchburg for a night while driving back from the Blue Ridge Parkway in western Virginia. For a town of 60,000+ there is little to do or see in downtown. After about 8pm, I could only find two restaurants open. It seems as though this is one of those cities whose downtowns have completely fallen by the wayside in exchange for the malls and chain restaurants of suburbia... shame. Even the Lynchburg Guide could only find one or two restaurants worth mentioning downtown.

If you decide to stay in Lynchburg, get a hotel near the shopping areas around the city, because you will be bored downtown.

Lynchburg is the largest city along the Blue Ridge Parkway, thus it has become of of the major gateways to the park. Also not far from Lynchburg is Natural Bridge, Virginia, a place loved by Thomas Jefferson. To the east of Lynchburg only about 20 miles is Appomattox, where the Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Potomac.

Note... population numbers (60k+ residents in Lynchburg) come directly from the US Census Bureau. I didn't make them up, despite what some opinionated Lynchburg locals might. Some of the nasty e-mails I've received also state just how wonderful downtown is; maybe they should leave town once in awhile!

• Pros:The name is the same as Lynchburg, TN... home of Jack Daniels!
• Cons:Downtown is a ghost town
• In a nutshell:Visit Charlottesville instead!