"More history than I expected--Winchester" Top 5 Page for this destination Winchester by Ewingjr98

The downtown pedestrian mall

We stopped in to Winchester one evening on a whim after a day at Harpers Ferry. I was aware of some of the Civil War history surrounding the town, but I did not expect Winchester to offer so much for such a small town. Besides the amazing amount of Civil War history, the town was home to George Washington and other Revolutionary War heroes. During our visit we saw a few of these historic sites, but we really enjoyed the old downtown area, especially the Loudoun Street pedestrian mall. We stayed at the Washington Hotel, ate at Brewbakers Restaurant and the Piccadilly Grill, and had drinks at the V2 Piano Bar.

The Winchester area was first explored by the French in the mid-1600s and was first settled in 1729 by British Citizens then later German settlers. In 1738 Winchester was founded under the name Fredericks Town, and the town was used by General Braddock's army in the French and Indian War. Later the town provided numerous troops to General Washington's Army in the Revolution. By the time of the Civil War the town had grown as a major regional transportation hub, and hence it became the site of five major battles and numerous others.

Today the town has just 25,000 people in a thriving community that has maintained its history and continued to develop. Since 1924 the town has been known as one of America's largest apple growing regions, and it hold and annual Apple Blossom Festival.