Virginia things to see and do

Follow the Blue Ridge Parkway (www.blueridgeparkway.org) along the spine of the Appalachians. This drive, one of America's most scenic, overlooks lush farmland, fertile valleys and winds through forests vibrant with rhododendrons, azaleas and wildlife.

Follow the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (www.cbbt.com) to Virginia's Eastern Shore, a 112km- (70-mile-) long peninsula bordered by the Atlantic on one side and Chesapeake Bay on the other.

Explore the intriguing Edgar Allan Poe Museum (www.poemuseum.org) in Richmond, which highlights his life and career with photos, relics and writings.

Visit the Jamestown Settlement (www.historyisfun.org) and see a full-scale replica of James Fort on display, along with reproductions of three 17th-century ships that brought the English settlers to Virginia.

View some of the Virginia's beautiful mansions: Thomas Jefferson's beloved Monticello (www.monticello.org); the 216-hectare (535-acre) Ash Lawn plantation that belonged to President James Monroe (www.ashlawnhighland.org); and James Madison's home, Montpelier (www.montpelier.org).

Tour Norfolk, home of the largest naval base in the world, and inspect the USS Battleship Wisconsin, the last battleship built by the US Navy. Fish off the pier, learn to sail or take a harbour cruise on a 19th-century cargo schooner.

Travel the scenic Skyline Drive, which traverses the Shenandoah National Park and follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy hiking, canoeing, horse riding and a variety of naturalist programmes.

Take a walking tour of Richmond (www.visitrichmondva.com), the state capital that was also the capital of the Confederacy. This compact city is ideal for walking tours of historic districts and is ringed by Civil War battlegrounds.

Try white-water canoeing on the Shenandoah, Maury and James rivers. Rapids as high as class IV are found along urban Richmond's stretch of the James River.