The backroads of Americana music crisscross Southwest Virginia, from Rocky Mount to Pennington Gap. Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail—the Crooked Road—winds through Appalachia and leads from venue to festival, to the birthplace of country music and past homes of legends who forged a sound by blending gospel, African rhythms, and Western European folk traditions.
Millions of sports fans are planning their Great American Getaway to Pennsylvania. Why? In 2026, the state will host the NFL Draft, the MLB All-Star Game, the PGA Championship and FIFA World Cup matches, making it a “historic” year for sports tourism in the Keystone State.
“Something is happening in Danville, and it’s worth paying attention to,” wrote Cardinal News founding editor Dwayne Yancey in a 2024 op-ed. People are coming to Danville.
Much to my family’s embarrassment, I always ask Amish or Mennonite visitors in Chincoteague, Virginia, where they are from. Most say “Pennsylvania,” and when I explain I live in New Holland, there is instant amity. I have met folks from Gap, Leola and other places around Lancaster County in Chincoteague.
A sign can be more than just a well-recognized object. It can represent a historic moment, epitomize a place, or even herald a landmark idea. When it comes to iconic signs, the USA is full of them.
Long before the first European settlers ventured into the American wilderness, the Delaware and Catawba tribes tracked a buffalo trace through the Shenandoah Mountains. Abingdon—once known as Wolf Hills—emerged along this trail, today’s Route 11. Frequented by westward expansionists on the Great Valley Road, Main Street grew. Today, the city of 8,336 residents hugs Route 81 as it zips through Southwest Virginia.
Dan grew up playing baseball in the Manor Ridge area and went to school in the city at Sacred Heart. “I don’t have a single bad memory of my childhood growing up,” Dan says, leading me on a pre-dinner walk around the Elkridge Furnace Complex.
The rugged and awe-inspiring island nation of Iceland, steeped in centuries of tradition—including Norse mythology and Viking longships—has long captured the imagination of outsiders. According to Icelandic legend, Ingólfur Arnarson fled his homeland of Norway in 874 AD and became the first settler where its capital city, Reykjavík, now thrives.
