As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, it’s an ideal time to visit the most meaningful historical sites in Virginia. The Shenandoah Valley offers a rich concentration of those experiences, from early American landmarks to Civil War history. At L’Auberge Provençale, you’re perfectly positioned to explore it all—starting with a stay in a place that has been part of that history since the 1700s.
What Makes the Shenandoah Valley One of Virginia’s Most Important Historic Regions?
The Shenandoah Valley stretches roughly 200 miles through northwestern Virginia, flanked by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Allegheny Mountains to the west. Long before European settlers arrived, it served as a natural corridor for Indigenous peoples. By the early 1700s, it had become one of the most strategically significant landscapes in colonial America. Here’s why historically-minded travelers consistently rank Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley among the nation’s most compelling destinations:
- Revolutionary roots: A young George Washington spent part of his early career surveying this valley for Lord Fairfax in the 1740s and 1750s, laying the groundwork for his career as a military leader and statesman.
- Civil War significance: The Valley changed hands more than 70 times during the Civil War. Major campaigns by Stonewall Jackson and Philip Sheridan played out across this landscape, making it one of the war’s most contested corridors.
- Preserved architecture: Unlike many regions that have been heavily developed, large portions of the Shenandoah Valley retain their 18th and 19th-century character — including stone farmhouses, historic churches, and mill sites that have stood for centuries.
- Natural beauty: The valley’s rolling farmland, limestone springs, and mountain vistas look remarkably similar to how they appeared in Washington’s time, offering a visual connection to the past that more urbanized historic sites simply cannot provide.
L’Auberge Provençale: A Historic Virginia Inn Built in 1753
At the heart of this historically rich landscape sits L’Auberge Provençale, originally constructed around 1753. That date alone is remarkable- the building predates the Declaration of Independence.
The Original Stone Home
The land on which L’Auberge Provençale stands was originally granted to John Bell, who built the home using native fieldstone gathered directly from the property. The result was a structure of remarkable durability — stone walls nearly two feet thick that have stood for more than 270 years.
Set on what was once close to 880 acres, Mt. Airy functioned as a working farm, known particularly for sheep and wool production. Over the generations, the property passed through multiple families, each adding a chapter to its story, yet the bones of the original home survived essentially intact.
George Washington’s Connection to the Property
What elevates Mt. Airy from a simply old building to a genuinely significant historic site in Virginia is its connection to George Washington himself.
During the 1750s, Washington lived nearby at Greenway Court, Lord Fairfax’s estate, while conducting surveys across the Shenandoah Valley. Given the proximity and the social customs of the era — when hospitality was both a practical necessity and a cultural expectation — Washington is believed to have traveled through and visited the home that now welcomes guests as L’Auberge Provençale. Washington served as a trustee when the property was sold in 1753 to Mordecai Redd, confirming he knew the home firsthand.
For visitors drawn to Virginia’s historic sites connected to the Founding Fathers, few experiences are as intimate as staying in a home that Washington himself likely walked through.
A House That Witnessed the Civil War
The property’s history doesn’t stop with the colonial era. During the Civil War, the Shenandoah Valley became a major theater of conflict, and Mt. Airy sat squarely in the middle of it. Both Union and Confederate troops passed through the surrounding area, yet remarkably, the house itself was never destroyed. Among the notable figures associated with the region, Colonel John Mosby, the famous Confederate guerrilla commander known as the “Gray Ghost,” and his raiders are said to have stopped at the spring on the edge of the property to water their horses.
Today, the grounds continue to yield physical evidence of that turbulent era. Small artifacts have surfaced during groundwork — bullets, belt buckles, and personal items — tangible reminders of the soldiers who passed through during the 1860s.
When Celeste and Alain Borel restored the property in the 1980s, transforming it into L’Auberge Provençale, they made a deliberate choice to preserve rather than replace. Over the decades, the inn has evolved into a celebrated destination for fine dining and hospitality in the Shenandoah Valley. Today, guests can see and touch:
- Original stone walls are nearly two feet thick throughout the structure
- Period woodwork and flooring that date to the 18th century
- Historic mantels retained from the home’s earliest incarnations
- A traditional center-hall design that reflects colonial architectural conventions
- A former basement kitchen is now repurposed as an extensive wine cellar
Top Historic Sites in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley to Visit
One of the great advantages of staying at L’Auberge Provençale is its proximity to some of the most significant historic sites in Virginia. The Winchester and Shenandoah Valley area offers one of the most concentrated collections of historically important destinations in the region.
George Washington’s Headquarters Museum — Winchester, VA
Before he was a general or a president, Washington was a young military officer stationed in Winchester during the French and Indian War. The George Washington’s Headquarters Museum preserves the office he used during that period — one of the few remaining structures associated with Washington’s early military career in Virginia. For visitors interested in understanding how the Shenandoah Valley shaped the man who would lead the Revolution, this is an essential stop.
Stonewall Jackson’s Headquarters Museum — Winchester, VA
During the winter of 1861–62, Confederate General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson used a modest Winchester home as his headquarters. The Stonewall Jackson’s Headquarters Museum preserves the building largely as it was during his occupancy, including personal artifacts, maps, and items that bring Jackson’s famous Valley Campaign to life. This is one of the most authentic Civil War officers’ headquarters open to the public anywhere in Virginia.
The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley — Winchester, VA
For visitors who want a broader understanding of the historic Shenandoah Valley — from Indigenous history through the present day — the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley offers an exceptional overview. The museum combines regional history, decorative arts, and rotating exhibitions, and is set within a beautifully designed complex that also includes historic Glen Burnie House and its surrounding gardens. It’s an ideal starting point for first-time visitors to the valley.
Tasting the Valley’s Heritage
History in the Shenandoah Valley isn’t confined to battlefields and museums. It’s also embedded in the region’s agricultural traditions — including its long and often underappreciated history of wine and spirits production.
Virginia’s Wine History
Virginia is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the United States, with a history of viticulture stretching back to the earliest colonial settlements. Thomas Jefferson famously championed Virginia wine, believing the state’s climate and soils were capable of producing wines that could rival those of Europe. At L’Auberge Provençale, guests experience this heritage through curated Virginia wine tastings that highlight the valley’s terroir — a direct connection between the land you’re standing on and the wine in your glass.
Buffalo Trace: One of America’s Oldest Distilleries
Complementing the Virginia wine experience, L’Auberge Provençale also offers a tasting of its private single-barrel bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery — founded in 1775, making it one of America’s oldest continuously operating distilleries. The timing is not coincidental: Buffalo Trace was established in the same era as the American Revolution, and its history runs parallel to the nation’s own. Tasting a single-barrel selection from a distillery with 250 years of continuous operation is, in its own way, as much a historic experience.
The History & Vines of Virginia Experience: A Curated Midweek Getaway
In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, L’Auberge Provençale has designed a curated package that brings together the valley’s historic sites, its wine heritage, and the inn’s own remarkable history: the History & Vines of Virginia Experience.
Day One:
Your stay begins with an early arrival welcome — fresh coffee and house-made breakfast breads served in the historic inn, giving you time to settle into the 1753 stone home before the day’s exploration begins.
At 11:00 AM, a private chauffeured tour departs for the Shenandoah Valley’s most significant historic landmarks, with admission included at each stop. Your guide will bring context and depth to what you see — connecting the sites you visit to the broader arc of American history, and to the history of the property where you’re staying.
After returning to the inn in the early afternoon, the experience continues with a curated tasting of four Virginia wines alongside a tasting of L’Auberge’s private single-barrel Buffalo Trace bourbon. This pairing of regional wine and historic American spirits captures two distinct but complementary threads of the valley’s agricultural heritage.
Day Two:
A full country breakfast is followed by a late checkout, giving you time to walk the grounds, explore the inn’s historic spaces at your own pace, or simply sit with a cup of coffee and take in the landscape before departing.
