Founded in 1782 (when it was originally known as Liberty), Bedford VA is one of our favorite small towns in the Shenandoah Valley.
Located about 28 miles east of Roanoke VA, Bedford is a popular place to stop during Blue Ridge Parkway road trips.
The 469-mile scenic route passes right by two of the most beloved Bedford VA attractions, the Peaks of Otter Lodge and Sharp Top Mountain (one of the three “Peaks of Otter”).
But Bedford also has its fair share of historic sites (including the National D-Day Memorial), artisan crafts, Appalachian music, and opportunities for outdoor recreation.
Read on for our in-depth guide to the best things to do in Bedford VA, including all of our favorite museums, restaurants, hiking trails, waterfalls, and Blue Ridge Parkway overlooks!
READ MORE: The 10 Best Small Towns in Virginia to Visit
Best Places to Stay Near Bedford VA
- Restored 1840’s Downtown Bedford Loft (upstairs pet & kid-friendly 2bd/1ba, w/fireplace)
- Remodeled 1920’s Downtown Bedford Loft (upstairs kid-friendly, 3bd/1ba apt w/Kitchenette)
- Private Main Level House (kid-friendly, 2bd/1ba kid friendly w/porches & fire pit)
- Private Farmhouse Apartment (adults only, 1bd/1ba tranquil getaway w/pond & mt. views)
- Quaint Cottage (kid-friendly, 2bd/2ba on beautiful country rd w/mountain views)
- Mayhew Farms Cottage (kid-friendly, 2bd/1ba on old farm w/mt. view, pond & horses)
- Restored 1800s Buchanan Log Cabin (kid-friendly, secluded 2bd/1ba on 9-Mile Creek w/firepit)
Best Things to Do in Bedford VA Guide
- Bedford Museum & Geneaological Library
- Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway
- Explore Downtown Bedford
- Family Fun at Johnson’s Orchard/Peaks of Otter Winery
- Hike the Fallingwater Cascades Trail
- Honor WWII Veterans at the National D-Day Memorial
- See Stunning Views From Sharp Top Mountain
- Stroll Around Abbott Lake at the Peaks of Otter Lodge
- Tour Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest
- Visit Smith Mountain Lake State Park
READ MORE: The 10 Best Virginia Mountain Resorts to Visit
1. Bedford Museum & Geneaological Library
If you’re interested in Virginia history (or tracing the ancestry of relatives who lived there), the 3-story Bedford Museum & Geneaolgical Library in Downtown Bedford is a great place to start.
The museum offers exhibits on the area’s early Native American inhabitants, African-American residents, and WWI and WWII history. It includes a room devoted to Company A, 116th Battalion, 29th Infantry, a.k.a. The Bedford Boys.
They also have a floor devoted to temporary exhibits that change every 6 to 18 months. When we visited, the exhibit was on the history of “Scouting in Bedford County.”
Their ground floor is largely devoted to a Genealogical Library, and the museum offers research assistance for genealogists outside the local area.
Admission to the museum is free, but donations are encouraged. For most of the year the museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10AM to 5PM.
READ MORE: 30 Fun Facts About Appalachian Scots-Irish History & Culture
2. Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway
The BRP passes right by the Peaks of Otter, so Bedford VA is a great base for exploring some of our favorite overlooks, hiking trails, and parks located along the 469-mile scenic route.
Our favorite Blue Ridge Parkway overlooks in the area include the Otter Lake Overlook (MP 63.1), the James River Visitor Center (MP 63.6, which has a pedestrian bridge with stunning river views), Apple Orchard Mountain Overlook (MP 76.5), and View Headforemost Mountain (MP 81.9).
Popular Blue Ridge Parkway hikes nearby include the 3.5-mile Lower Otter Creek Trail (MP 62.5), the 5.3-mile Apple Orchard Mountain Trail (MP 74.6, the highest point on the BRP in VA), the 3-mile Sharp Top Mountain Trail (MP 86), and the easy 1-mile Abbott Lake Trail at the Peaks of Otter Lodge (MP 85.4).
There are also some fantastic Blue Ridge Parkway waterfall hikes nearby, including the challenging 2.6-mile Apple Orchard Falls Trail (MP 78), the moderate 3-mile Doyles River Falls Trail (MP 81.1), and the moderate 3.6-mile Jones Run Falls Trail (MP 84.1)
READ MORE: How to Plan an Amazing Blue Ridge Parkway Road Trip
3. Explore Downtown Bedford
With a population of around 6,600 people, the small town of Bedford VA is nicknamed “The World’s Best Little Town.”
Bordered by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the north and Smith Mountain Lake to the south, Bedford was best known as a railroad town until the 1960s, with 3 Southern Railway/Norfolk & Western Railroad trains operating daily.
Bedford Station has now been transformed into Liberty Station, one of the best Bedford restaurants.
It’s one of several cool historic sites in Downtown Bedford, including the Bedford County Courthouse, Bedford Boys Tribute Center, and Bedford Historic Meetinghouse.
Other Downtown Bedford attractions of note include the Bedford Area Welcome Center, Bedford Museum, Bedford VA Farmerds Market, Bower Center for the Arts, and Centertown Park.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Virginia Mountain Towns to Visit
4. Family Fun at Johnson’s Orchard/Peaks of Otter Winery
Planning to visit Bedford with the family? You won’t want to miss Johnson’s Orchard, one of our favorite places for apple picking in Virginia!
This orchard is part of a 200+ acre farm that was owned by the Johnson family long before the Civil War. In addition to 7,500 apple trees, they also grow nectarines, peaches, plums, and pumpkins.
It’s also home to one of the most popular Virginia wineries, the Peaks of Otter Winery, which produces 35 different fruit wines. Their farm market offers wine tastings, as well as apple cider, fresh fruit, jams, jellies, and much more.
They also have a sunflower field that’s great for selfies, a huge Johnny Appleseed statue, a picnic pavilion, hiking trails, and host several festivals and other special events throughout the year.
READ MORE: Apple Picking in Virginia: The 20 Best VA Apple Orchards to Visit
5. Hike the Fallingwater Cascades Trail
Located at Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 83, just 1.3 miles southeast of the Peaks of Otter Lodge, the Fallingwater Cascades Trail is one of our favorite hiking trails in Virginia.
Part of the Fallingwater-Flat Top National Recreation Trail, this moderately difficult, 1.7-mile trek makes a gradual descent through gorgeous hardwood forest into a gorge, with views of Flat Top and Sharp Top along the way.
Once you reach the bottom, there will be a bit of rock-hopping to cross Fallingwater Creek. Take caution here, as water levels rise quickly when it rains, and the rocks can get slippery.
But it’s well worth the effort to see one of the best waterfalls in Virginia’s Blue Ridge, which drops 100 feet as it winds its way down a large outcropping of rock.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Virginia Waterfalls for Hiking
6. Honor WWII Veterans at the National D-Day Memorial
Around 24,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Nazi-occupied Normandy on June 6, 1944. By the end of the day there were at least 10,000 Allied casualties, with 4,414 confirmed dead.
Soldiers from the 29th Infantry Division were among the first to hit the beach that morning, coming under heavy fire from Germans. Company A, from the Virginia National Guard in Bedford, was completely annihilated on arrival.
Attracting around 60,000 visitors a year, the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford was dedicated to those who died in the famously bloody battle by President George W. Bush in 2001.
The monument includes a 44-foot-tall arch with the word “Overlord” (the code name for the D-Day operation) inscribed on it, a reflecting pool, and myriad statues and plaques honoring the fallen soldiers.
You don’t have to have a passion for WWII history to be emotionally moved by the experience, especially once you understand the devastating impact D-Day had on this small Virginia mountain town.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Civil War Battlefields in Virginia to Visit
7. See Stunning Views From Sharp Top Mountain
The Peaks of Otter are comprised of 3 Blue Ridge Mountains– Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill– that overlook Abbott Lake and the town of Bedford.
We had an incredible view of Sharp Top from our room at the Peaks of Otter Lodge, one of our favorite Blue Ridge Mountain resorts in Virginia.
For the best views of the area, hardy hikers can tackle the 1.5-mile Sharp Top Mountain Trail.
This strenuous trek climbs to the Sharp Top summit at 3,875 feet, which offers jaw-dropping views of the Peaks of Otter that are even more sensational when the Fall colors start popping!
If you want those views without a difficult hike, take the Sharp Top Mountain Shuttle, which takes you to within 1,500 feet of the summit. Round trip rates are $15 for adults and $7 for children ages 2 to 12.
READ MORE: Virginia Fall Foliage: The 15 Best Places to See Fall Colors in VA
8. Stroll Around Abbott Lake at the Peaks of Otter Lodge
One of the most historic mountain resorts along the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Peaks of Otter Lodge and Abbott Lake were constructed by the National Park Service and opened in 1964.
The 63-room hotel is a classic National Parks-style lodge, with comfortable rooms (2 Double beds or one King) that have flat-screen TVs, coffee makers, and a patio or balcony offering excellent views of the lake.
It’s located right at the base of the Peaks of Otter, with a great restaurant, cozy bar, gift shop/country store, lakeside fire pits, and lots of hiking trails nearby.
But our favorite trail was the 0.9-mile Abbott Lake loop, which is relatively flat, paved, and ADA-accessible.
It has excellent views of Sharp Top, and a bridge and dock that offer great birdwatching.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Campgrounds in Virginia
9. Tour Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest
If you love unvarnished Appalachian history, tours of Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest offer fascinating insights into the later years of our 3rd U.S. President’s life.
Located in Lynchburg VA (18 miles from Bedford), Poplar Forest is a plantation retreat designed by Jefferson himself. He inherited the bucolic property from his father-in-law in 1773, but didn’t begin working on it until 1806.
Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1971, Poplar Forest is operated as a historic museum by a nonprofit corporation. They’re responsible for the ongoing archaeological study, and restoration work completed in 2023.
Our guided tour was led by a historian who told us all about the enslaved Africans who worked the tobacco and wheat fields, tended to the needs of Jefferson and his grandchildren, and built/maintained the unique octagonal house.
As much as we loved the home’s architectural design and period decor, we were equally fascinated by the slave quarters, which had excellent exhibits on the many African-Americans who lived and worked there.
READ MORE: 15 Great Romantic Getaways in Virginia for Couples
10. Visit Smith Mountain Lake State Park
One of our favorite Virginia State Parks, Smith Mountain Lake is also one of the largest, most beautiful lakes in Virginia.
The lake covers 220,000 acres, including a 500-foot-long beach for sunbathing and swimming, boat rentals and ramps, and a public pier for fishing. Even ski boats and jet skis are allowed here.
Anglers will find great opportunities here, with bass and catfish among the most common catches. There are 13 hiking trails for exploring the park’s forests, coves, and scenic vistas, ranging from half a mile to 3 miles.
Overnight facilities in the park include cabin rentals, bunkhouses, and full-service campgrounds with 70 campsites (including 26 tent-only sites).
There’s also a historic tobacco barn, a Visitor Center full of exhibits, and a Discovery Center for kids that offers special events (such as guided hikes, wildlife-focused ranger talks, and more). –by Bret Love; all photos by Bret Love & Mary Gabbett unless otherwise noted
