Virginia

Once you’ve exited I-66, you have officially entered the cozy village of Marshall, any small town lover’s dream getaway where peace is paired with quiet, and invigoratingly fresh air comes right along with the big mountain views.

And you can take big bites too! Gastronomy is the art of making food, enjoying food, and celebrating how each person’s culture brings something special to our shared table. The American Heritage Dictionary defines gastronomy as the pleasures of the table, and gastronomic restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, and wineries dot the pretty hills of Marshall. To make your visit delicious and nutritious as well as easy-peasy, see our insider’s guide below. neighbors’ farms” with NO added hormones OR antibiotics (yes, please!). They offer fresh meats, eggs, produce and bread, and a various assortment of cheeses—all the right fixings for your cute wicker picnic basket—as well as a wonderful collection of seasonal prepared foods (from Italian meatballs and red pepper tomato soup to cranberry walnut bread pudding). The Whole Ox also serves up some pretty tasty entrees (the most highly esteemed of which is the house burger, but ask about their in-house smoked bacon too!). This cool local spot offers beer and wine, so whether you go for lunch or dinner, you can take a deep, long breath and really sit back in your chair.

For truly authentic hospitality, visit Hunt Country Coffee. They craft “designer espresso drinks and fine teas” (including organic), and guests are always raving about the almond milk latte, the shop’s comfy and cheerful ambiance, and the nice, bright daylight filtering through the windows.

For some beautiful outdoor seating with your morning buzz, go to Half Past Moon Coffee Buzz. Order the honey-cinnamon latte with a pastry, quiche, or some soup, and if your coffee gives you so much energy you just can’t stand sitting anymore, take an energizing walk to nearby one-of-akind local shops to experience some of the best that Marshall has to offer.

We’ve got a hidden gem alert for you: The La Palmita Market at the Citgo station has the most authentic Mexican food. Just ask a local pumping gas and they will nod their head vigorously at you! Tacos, burThe Whole Ox ritos, and the best spicy sauces to top things off, The La Palmita Market is a Marshall must. Sometimes nothing can quite hit the spot like a classic diner meal, so if that’s what you’re in the mood for, go to The Marshall Diner. They literally have everything: breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, sides (from English muffins to mozzarella sticks), and they also have Wifi for guests. Cozy up to down-home classics, and revel in the golden-fried perfection served up with a serious side of Southern hospitality.

Whether you’re wanting to dine in or grab what you need on the go, The Whole Ox is a place you really have to visit. This old-fashioned butcher shop specializes in “whole local animals from your

Field and Main is the perfect spot for dinner because the food is amazing AND it comes with a show! Take a seat near the kitchen and then watch in wonder as your chef prepares the meal: shrimp and grits, Bison steak, hearth-roasted sunchokes, seared scallops… the menu is diverse and delec-

of beers). For veggie fiends, try the Veetball Sub, Piedmont Harvest Lasagna, or Piedmont Tomato Pie. It’s an unforgettable dining experience with exceptional fare!

If you’re down to try something new, consider Tapatios; the area’s brand new taqueria that’s already getting stellar reviews, and their outdoor seating is so fun and festive complete with colorful flags, planters, and lights that we’d recommend going right around sunset and staying a while. As for what to order, you can’t go wrong with Birria (a special, savory stewed beef) tacos or a grilled-to-perfection chicken quesadilla.

For a no-regrets, make-everyone-happy kind of meal, order a cheesy hometown pie or other Italian favorite at Joe’s Pizza. Our vote: a large Bianca with a side of calamari. Now, that’s amore!

table, and because their desserts are ridiculously good (check out their flower-garnished ice cream, chocolate-chip-marshmallow cookies, classic carrot cake, and pumpkin creme brulee), be sure to save room for your sweet tooth. For fans of al fresco dining, be sure check out the lovely outdoor cabana to up the ante on the entire experience. Air conditioned in summer and heated in the winter, the outdoor portion of Field and Main is ready for you year-round (just be sure to book a reservation in advance!).

Johnny Monarchs is the ORIGINAL American bustaurant that serves fresh and delicious food from farm to table, so you can’t visit Fauquier County and not go here. The bus, where you’ll place your everything’s-so-good-it’s-hard-tochoose order, is surrounded by a field of green with pretty plants, a stage for live music, and cozy picnic tables (and when it’s cold out, they’ll even let you eat inside the bus!). The portions are larger than life, and when it comes to fan favorites, Steak Me Away and the Classic Adult Fried Bologna both get cheers (and deserve a second round

As a lover of all things epicurean, Fauquier has more than great coffee and food; the county boasts more vineyards and wineries than we could possibly list here! And be sure to check out our event calendar to stay in-the-know before you experience this relaxation destination for yourself!

For dessert, order apple pie at Red Truck Bakery, so delicious that former Pres. Obama posted about it on the White House website! When you come into town for your own sweet slice, also ask about their seasonal cake.The menu includes gluten-free sweets too, though it isn’t all desserts—you can come here for the great coffee and sandwiches alone.

RICHMOND - Today’s traveller demands more than the latest hotel and a checklist of must-see attractions. Following years of forced alienation and disconnect, people are seeking holidays that boost their mental and physical wellness. A recent American Express sur-vey, showed 76 percent of respondents want to spend more on travel that improves their well-being. Rapidly emerging as a top destination for wellness retreats, Virginia is ready to deliver on that demand.

Eupepsia Wellness Resort, located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, was recently voted #1 Best Health & Wellness Resort in the U.S. for 2022 in USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards. This is the second year in a row the Virginia-based resort has earned the top spot. Re-cently, Eupepsia has even further elevated its wellness experience, with new cutting-edge treat-ments and premium additions to its already-stellar facilities.

Sleep wellness is one of the foundational pillars at Eupepsia. To further enhance guest’s sleep, rooms are now furnished with a top-of-the-line bed exclusively designed for the resort by special-ist sleep wellness company Bear, for the ultimate ‘zero-gravity’ cloud-nine experience.

Taking full advantage of its location, Eupepsia encourages guests to forest bath, with daily hikes and newly added mountain biking on one of seven trails connecting to the Appalachian Trail and nearby Jefferson National Forest. A lush new labyrinth garden allows guests to experience walk-ing meditation, to quiet the mind, calm anxieties, enhance creativity and encourage insight, self-reflection and stress reduction.

Grounded in Ayurveda, Eupepsia’s programs are curated in real time to deliver optimal wellness aligned with each guest’s specific health condition and goals. The latest in the resort’s pioneering offerings is the Hocatt™ Infrared Ozone Sauna, offering exceptional preventative and manage-ment benefits for a wide variety of health conditions, including immunity boosting.

Yoga provides the perfect foundation for a spiritual journey and when practiced mindfully in the beautiful surroundings of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, the benefits to the soul are even more enhanced. Satchidananda Ashram–Yogaville offers sadhana intensive retreats under the guidance of skilled Integral Yoga practitioners. From programs focused on the benefits of gratitude and giving back, to those highlighting self-discovery through silence, the teachings at Yogaville synthesize the various branches of Yoga into a comprehensive lifestyle system, benefitting guests long after they depart Virginia.

Heading from the mountains to Virginia’s shore, Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. Health Center & Spa in Virginia Beach has been helping individuals transform their lives with holistic healing, including massage therapy, bodywork, hydrotherapies, acupuncture and chiropractic care since 1967.

Treatments such as Manual Lymph Drainage, Craniosacral Therapy and Conscious Breathing are just a few of the cutting-edge offerings provided. Programs such as the Women’s Integrative Wellness Retreat, coming up in February of 2023, offer tailored treatments along with daily medi-tation, alkaline meals and dream work to enhance personal rejuvenation, while helping solo travel-ler’s connect with others for a shared wellness experience.

Located in beautiful Virginia horse and wine country, Salamander Resort & Spa recently re-ceived a AAA Five Diamond rating. Already, the only Forbes Five-Star hotel and spa in the Capi-tal Region, Salamander is also only one of 24 U.S. properties with individual Forbes Five-Star rat-ings for both the hotel and spa, AND a AAA Five-Diamond rating for the hotel. The resort’s Sala-mander Spa offers a unique health and wellness journey tailored to guests’ specific well-being needs featuring integrative and regionalized treatments as well as holistic and result-driven therapies, while the luxurious, nature-inspired location seamlessly balances both mind and body.

Salamander Resort & Spa also recently held its groundbreaking for the planned Residences at Salamander, with a target completion date of spring/summer 2023. Owners at Residences at Salamander will enjoy a variety of benefits and services at Salamander Resort & Spa including 24-hour concierge service, room service, overnight accommodation preferred rates, and member discounts on Salamander’s dining, spa and other resort activities. Owners may also add their home to Salamander Resort’s luxury rental program, the addition of which will further expand the luxury accommodations available for guests – especially beneficial to those looking for longer lux-ury stays without having to give up the many amenities of a wellness retreat.

Mere minutes from Washington Dulles International, in DC’s Wine Country, Lansdowne Resort, offers carefully curated wellness packages designed to bring guests closer to harmony in their daily life. In addition to therapeutic massage and wellness bodywork, the resort’s culinary team uses local, sustainably grown produce guided by the Five Elements – wood, fire, earth, metal, wa-ter. Channeling the principle that food is medicine, the menus deliver cuisine that enhances health and strengthens the body.

Extend a stay at Lansdowne and visit nearby Om Float for a rejuvenating REST treatment - Re-stricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy – then explore Cannabreeze CBD Hemp Farm & Co to discover the healing powers of CBD. Don’t forget a stop at Farmer John’s Market for some lo-cally grown Misty Meadow Mushrooms to enhance the immune system.

Coming to Virginia in late 2024, Simply Shenandoah will be a truly distinctive wellness and na-ture resort. Beyond helping guests to disconnect from their day-today and reconnect with nature, the vision of the planners is to extend beyond the individual to impact family, community, social, agricultural, and environmental causes. Follow the project on Facebook to learn their progress and get updates on their opening.

Check here for more Virginia wellness retreats and spas throughout the state, each providing trailblazing treatments and unique offerings that go far beyond massages and diet advice, instead offering a true respite from physical and mental stress.

A vacation to Virginia is all about discovering what you love. Learn more about the topics above or plan your travels at www.Virginia.org.