Years of Fun in Patrick County

Patrick County has been a special place for me for a long time. When I was a kid, our family would take day trips up that way, especially in the fall, to enjoy the mountains and look at the changing leaves. Growing up in Danville, it was great to only be about an hour away from these beautiful mountains that seemed like towering giants to me.

After college, I worked in Patrick County one fall for former Delegate Charles Poindexter. I was the Patrick County field director for his campaign that year. My office was at the top of the hill in downtown Stuart, offering a gorgeous view that made the drive there each day more than worth it. It also gave me the opportunity to travel all over the county and meet people from Ararat, Woolwine, Meadows of Dan, and everywhere in between. It was during that time that I really fell in love with Patrick County.

I’ve been finding excuses to get up there ever since. Whether it was to watch a GW versus Patrick County High School football game (which one time ended in a 81-14 GW win where Patrick County shot off fireworks after the game), or visits to nearby wineries, we keep coming.

In recent years, however, it’s been day trips with our kids, Kingston and Ava, that have been the driving force behind our trips to Patrick County. We’ve checked out several festivals in Woolwine and Stuart. We spent an hour one day walking through and under the Jack’s Creek Covered Bridge. We’ve had shopping trips in Meadows of Dan, which usually lead to a visit to nearby Mabry Mill. Now that our kids have gotten more interested in fishing, I’m looking forward to adding that to the list of activities we do up there.

Patrick County is a great place to get away for a day, or weekend, whether it is with your family or just a solo adventure. Our family has been finding fun there for years and will continue to for years to come.