My husband calls me everyday from work to ask me how my day is going. I do my best to be honest with him and on one particular Friday I said, “Not great. All I want to do is run away.” In his usual hint-of-humor fashion he responded, “Well, you’ll have to wait until I get home.”

A few hours later we were packed and heading north to Danville, Virginia, for an overnight stay. It was exactly what I needed. Only two hours from home, mainly traveling by interstate, it was a relatively easy drive. We checked in at the Holiday Inn Express, which backed up to the beautiful Dan River, freshened up and went out to explore.

There has been an English settlement in Danville since the 1790s and numerous Native American tribes lived in the area prior to that. The town grew as a result of the area’s “bright leaf” tobacco industry, the railroad’s arrival in the 1850s, and the addition of textile mills in the 1880s. As with many textile towns, it went through a period of great wealth and growth, but experienced an equal decline in the 1960s and 1970s.

Thankfully, the town is on the upswing and making great headway in preserving and repurposing its historic buildings. Cecil and I look forward to making Danville a regular destination.

Our first stop on Friday was two different antique stores. Dan River Antiques had a wonderful collection of antique furniture but unfortunately our budget, nor our car, could fit any of our favorites. Lou’s Antique Mall, located at the foot of Main Street (which goes from the river up a looonnnggg hill) was filled with so many treasures it was hard to know where to look. If you are in the market for vintage glassware or dish sets, Lou’s is the place for you. Thankfully, we didn’t get lost wandering all the twists and turns.

From there we decided to check out Main Street and made the long walk up the hill. There were quite a few empty storefronts but a few were being renovated. We stopped in to admire the creations at the River District Artisans and spent the rest of our trek taking in the varied architecture of the buildings.

At this point we were a bit exhausted from the traveling and walking in the hot, humid weather so we went back to the hotel to relax and change before dinner. If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time you know that Cecil’s main job when we travel is to choose our dinner destinations. In true style, he did not disappoint.

Cotton at Riverside Mill is located in a, you guessed it, former mill building on the bank of the river. The wood floors, exposed ceiling, and vintage Dan River Mills advertisements on the walls made for a lovely experience. Service was excellent and the food delicious. Cecil had the SXSW salad and I had the Figalicious pizza, which was baked in a brick pizza oven.

On vacation it is near impossible to ignore dessert so this time we took it to-go. Back at the hotel we changed into our pajamas, turned on the baseball game, and enjoyed a large slice of Chocolate Decadence cake in bed. #LivinTheDream

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After a good night’s sleep we woke up to slightly cooler temperatures but still plenty of humidity. We took our time getting ready and then bought breakfast to-go at Biscuitville next door. From there we drove across the river to wander the Danville Farmer’s Market. Located in one of many historic buildings on the waterfront it had more than enough space for vendors, both indoors and outdoors.

By this time I was ready for my morning coffee so we drove up Main Street to the fabulous Crema & Vine – a combination coffee shop and wine bar. It’s housed in a former Exxon gas and service station and is located in a beautiful part of town. To its left is the local history museum (more about that later) and across the street is the beginning of “Millionaire’s Row,” the mostly restored homes of tobacconists and textile magnates from the 19^th and 20^th centuries. My mocha latte was an easy five out of five coffee beans.

After savoring those first few sips we drove back to the Dan River and parked in one of the many parking/overlook areas along the shore. The Riverwalk Trail is a beautiful paved trail that runs for over 7 miles along the north side of the river. There was plenty of room for passing walkers, runners, and bicyclists. We walked a portion of the trail and loved keeping an eye out for the variety of birds and turtles in the river.

After our leisurely stroll we went back to the hotel to pack up the suitcase and check out. Before leaving town we made two more stops. First we paid a visit to Downtown Records, which is so old school that it doesn’t have a website and only takes cash. Yet, it is well worth the visit if you are looking to add vinyl records to your collection. Next time we visit I’ll be dropping Cecil off so he can browse to his heart’s content.

After buying three new-to-us records, we took a tour of the Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History. It was established in 1974 but the main museum portion is located in the historic Sutherlin Mansion, which was built in 1859 by Major William Sutherlin, a tobacco baron and industrialist, slave owner, and Civil War veteran.

Danville has a complicated past as a Confederate stronghold and temporary residence of President Jefferson Davis towards the end of the war, mill worker strikes, and civil rights protests. The museum staff do not have an easy job of portraying all of these moments in history but I felt that they did an excellent job. Many of the original rooms of the house are set up to reflect the Sutherlin family’s time there.

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The mansion served as the public library from 1928-1972 so the wings on either side of the house are from that period. One wing currently has an exhibition on the amazing life of Danville native Camilla Williams, “the first Black woman to appear in a major American opera house, performing the title tragic role in Madame Butterfly, which opened at the New York City Opera on May 15, 1946. She would also become the first Black artist to receive a contract from the Opera.” Photos weren’t allowed in the exhibition but there is a virtual tour on the museum’s website.

The museum’s permanent exhibits, along with the historic Sutherlin rooms, cover the city’s experiences during the Civil War, the history of the tobacco industry in the area, and the impact of the Civil Rights Movement on Danville.

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It was a full 24-hours for us but we greatly enjoyed our first visit to Danville. We look forward to seeing how downtown continues to grow and reclaim its history. Until next time!