The Shenandoah Valley & Mountains of the Virginias, An Explorer's Guide: Includes Virginia's Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains & West Virginia's Alleghenies & New River Region

I am not a well traveled person. What I know of the Shenandoah Valley is based on a few trips up and down the I-81 corridor. I wanted to know more about the area before an upcoming trip there. This book provided excellent information and good guidance as to where to go and what to see including seasonal events. You also get good information about where you can stay and eat. If you like B&Bs or local establishments I highly recommend this book. It does not provide reviews but it does give the facts. Then, as I did, you can go online and search for reviews. For the record, every location I went to and where I stayed during the week is covered in the book. In fact, two places I visited, Seneca Rocks and Falling Springs Falls, I would not have visited if it were not for Jim Hargans's book. Any short comings, in my opinion, would be the quality of the maps, which I considered sparse and slightly confusing. I would also prefer to see more photos.

A must have for any resident of the region. We've used this on numerous roadtrips through the Shenandoah Valley. Every place you drive through is full of history, and this both helps us understand what we're seeing and plan out our driving route. Couple this with the Maryland and West Virginia Explorer's Guides and you have the whole region ready to be explored. I've been here almost fifteen years and truly feel that I've only started going out and seeing things since I started reading this series.

Excellent companion for a drive along the parkway. Shared details help make best for your time.

We just returned from a driving trip through the Shenandoah Valley. Picked up this guidebook in New York City before we left. It was perfect. All the recommendations for things to see and restaurants were just as described. Driving directions were also good. Based on the author's recommendation, we decided to stay at the Long Hill Bed and Breakfast in Winchester, VA and it turned out to be the highlight of our trip. A very worthwhile travel guide.