Virginia is everything you could ever want from a state. It is coastal, it has mountains, its history is rich and it is sophisticated. Right next to Washington, D.C., it provides its residents with easy access to some of the world’s best museums and culture from around the world. Virginia’s shopping options include antique mom and pop shops along winding back roads to polished, buzzing and brightly-lit shopping plazas of Richmond.

Autumn in Virginia is picturesque. The trees turn every color from a deep auburn to gold, and you can go pumpkin picking amidst haystacks and stands offering hot cider. The scent of burning wood from fireplaces can be caught in the crisp air when you step outside, and it’s something straight out of "Southern Living." Especially beautiful is the drive down I-81 from James Madison University to Virginia Tech.

Charlottesville, Virginia

Brick houses and split-rail fences line the dirt roads of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia’s first capital. Horse-drawn carriages trot along dirt roads, and live reenactments of revolutionary infantry drills, complete with marches and gunfire, make visitors believe they are living on the verge of the American Revolution, right alongside Patrick Henry and George Washington.

Bruton Parish Church sits in the heart of the historically restored town, a beautifully eerie building where Virginia's elite once attended services. Adjacent to the church is a traditional graveyard with ornate headstones dating as far back as the 1700s, with twisting vines and branches lending it an ominous feel.

Colonial Williamsburg

Bruton Parish Church

One hundred and forty some miles north up I-95 sits George Washington’s treasured Mount Vernon, positioned just on the outskirts of cosmopolitan Alexandria. The estate is expansive, boasting 8,000 acres of gardens and stately buildings. Washington himself supervised each addition to the now 21-room mansion standing today. Visitors can walk along the piazza and admire the sun setting on the Potomac, just as George Washington once did, hundreds of years ago.

Piazza at Mount Vernon

The Shenandoah Valley is an expansive geological awe that runs along the border of Virginia and West Virginia. It is bordered by the Blue Ridge Mountains, and is home to deep, ice-blue waters. People kayak, indulge in hiking trails and attend farmers markets. On clear nights in the valley, there isn’t an inch of sky that isn’t dotted with the beautiful silver light of the stars. In the summer, everything is soft and quiet except for the cicadas singing.

Kayaking in the Shenandoah Valley

Whether you're in coastal Virginia (famous for its pork, seafood and peanuts) or among the charming farm towns down route 50, the food will be amazing, with everything from trendy vegan options to traditional Southern cooking. Virginia is also a premier wine-lover destination, with over 230 upscale vineyards.

Virginia Beach Pier

Cana Vineyards and Winery of Middleburg, Virginia

Virginia is known as "The Birthplace of a Nation." It isn't too far north that winters are brutal, and not far south enough for a heat-induced haze in the summers. It encompasses both urban and rural life, the two working together in a perfect harmony to create a beautiful place for living, working, going to school, vacationing and having fun.