Virginia
Virginia today is replete with cultural landmarks that chronicle some 400 years of American history. The commonwealth contains many historical destinations—like Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Jamestowne, and the Colonial National Historical Park—that showcase the nation’s earliest epochs. Dozens of famous Civil War battlefields dot its landscape too, such as the ones found at the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, and the Petersburg National Battlefield. But perhaps the most impressive accolade of all is that it contains the homes of eight U.S. presidents, including James Madison’s Montpelier, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and George Washington’s Mount Vernon.