Monterey, Virginia—The Perfect Mountain Getaway

by Dave Reynolds and Lynette Johnson

Monterey, McDowell, and Highland County Tourism Information

Monterey, the Highland County seat, is more than a quintessential small and uncomplicated American town. It is a way of life for 222 people—all friendly, some funny. They like their peace and quiet, and especially like having four distinct seasons, even when winter is a bear. The town (you and I may think of it as a village) can best be seen by gazing down from the surrounding mountains, when warm lights cast shadows on the snow.

Most of the county (one of Virginia's most sparsely populated), like much of Virginia's western highlands, is devoted to national forests and cattle grazing. Pastoral valleys are drained by the rivers called Bullpasture and Cowpasture.

Monterey knows how to celebrate the holidays, and it is definitely the place to be in early December, with the weekend-long Wintertide Celebration, Dec. 1-3. Enjoy music by strolling carolers in Victorian garb, maple pecan pie, and exquisite holiday crafts. If you can’t make it that weekend, don’t fret, because the celebration starts a few weekends before and ends a few weekends later. All the details are online.

Make plans now to visit Virginia's "Little Switzerland" in March for the renowned Highland Maple Festival. The 49th edition will take place March 13-14 and 20-21, 2010. Enjoy the 'opening' of the trees, as taps are drilled into the local sugar maples; take a sugar camp tour; and watch as maple sugar is processed into maple syrup. You'll certainly want to save room for pancakes, so you can try out that freshly-made syrup! The festival has been designated a Local Legacy by the Library of Congress and is one of the Southeast Tourism Society's Top 20 Events.

You'd be surprised how much there is to do and see in Monterey. Visit the Highland County Museum & Heritage Center, home of the Highland Historical Society, in the restored Mansion House. There you'll learn about the Battle of McDowell and take in fine exhibits on local archaeology, maple syrup tools of the past, Highland County quilts and coverlets, and general stores of Highland County.

The Highland Center, in addition to being the hub for county business development, is home to the Highland County Arts Council, which sponsors artists' exhibitions and performing arts in Monterey and the surrounding county. From a celtic harpist to traditional Appalachian musicologist and musician, Mike Seeger, to community theatre, the local performances are outstanding!

Stop in the H & H Cash Store, a local landmark since 1903. The store has been owned and operated by the Herold family since 1958, and you can find 'most anything there. Their motto (and they mean it!) is "If we don't have it, you don't need it".

For fine arts and country crafts, take a peek inside Morning Glories and Moon Flowers on Water St. or the Ginseng Mountain Store, six miles north of Monterey on US220. Be on the lookout for local gourmet foods and sauces, from Mad Maggie Farm.

As you head toward the battlefield in McDowell, detour into the Sugar Tree Country Store. You’re sure to find something good to take home!

Where to stay? Consider first The Highland Inn. It has been providing fine lodging and great meals for more than a century. The Inn is one of Monterey’s architectural landmarks. Innkeepers Gregg and Deborah Morse are waiting to welcome you! The dining room at the inn is open Wednesday evening thru Sunday brunch, serving wonderful meals.

Cherry Hill Bed & Breakfast and the Mountain Laurel Inn also offer first-class accommodations. There are also a number of rental homes, guest homes, and cabins in the area, from rustic to sublime. The Chamber of Commerce can help you find just the right place for your taste and budget.

Whether shopping in the town of Monterey, just looking around the village of McDowell or escaping up into the mountains, you should be able to catch a picture of America the way it was—and if you are lucky, catch a bit of yourself that you thought was gone.

Article text ©2003-2006, Shenandoah Specialty Publishing, LLC.
May be printed for personal use only.

Getting There: Monterey is located in the Allegheny Mountains, about 40 miles northwest of Staunton. Take US250 west from Staunton, or take US220 north from Covington. Monterey is at the junction of US250 and US220. Both routes are beautiful, but US250 is road is narrow and mountainous.

Article text ©2006-2010, Shenandoah Specialty Publishing, LLC.
May be printed for personal use only.

The Battle of McDowell

Early Summer, 2006
by Gregory Starbuck

The Battle of McDowell was fought May 8-9, 1862 in Highland County, Virginia. Also known as Sitlington's Hill, this battle was part of Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's famous 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign, a campaign which helped solidify Jackson’s reputation as a military legend.

The battle revealed Jackson's strategy of concentrating his forces against a numerically inferior foe, while denying his enemies the opportunity to concentrate against him. Jackson rode the momentum of his win at McDowell to victories at the Battles of Front Royal and First Winchester.

With audacity and lightning moves, Jackson's 17,000 men won a number of minor battles and successfully engaged three Union armies of over 60,000 men, preventing them from reinforcing the Union offensive against Richmond.

The battlefield of McDowell has been declared "100% pristine" by the US Department of the Interior, and it appears nearly exactly as it did back during the Civil War.

Visitors can learn more about this battle by visiting the Highland Museum & Heritage Center, located in the Mansion House, a building that served as a hospital during the battle.

Article text ©2006, Shenandoah Specialty Publishing, LLC.
May be printed for personal use only.

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