In addition to its established world-class attractions, unique lodging options and creatively delicious dining, the Commonwealth introduces an array of new and exciting tourism offerings in 2025

ANNIVERSARY AND EVENT NEWS

100th Annual Chincoteague Pony Swim will be held July 30-31, 2025. A longstanding tradition of Chincoteague, the wild ponies swim across the Assateague Channel led by the Saltwater Cowboys. The week-long festivities include a multitude of pony-related activities as well as a carnival and auction, providing visitors ample opportunity to discover this quaint small island community on the Chesapeake Bay and its citizen's love for their wild ponies.

Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens Williamsburg Theme Parks Celebrate 50 Years

• To celebrate 50 years of fun at Kings Dominion, the much-loved theme park near Richmond, VA will welcome Rapterra, the world's tallest and fastest launched wing coaster.
• Busch Gardens celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025 with the opening of a new coaster Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge. Riders will experience over 2,500 feet of track traveling up to 40 miles per hour while bolting through the streets of an abandoned Bavarian village on this all-new, family-friendly inverted roller coaster.

Virginia's Blue Ridge is set to host the 2025 and 2026 USA Cycling Endurance Mountain Bike National Championships, with seven days of racing events and over 1,500 athletes in July 2025 and 2026. The races will be held along the trails of Explore Park, Elmwood Park in Downtown Roanoke, and Carvins Cove, with plenty of opportunities to watch the riders in action.

New for 2025, VIRginia International Raceway hosts the inaugural Veterans Race of Remembrance with Operation Motorsport, an international organization supporting injured and disabled veterans, over Veterans Day weekend (November 6-9, 2025). This event will be the first of its kind in North America motorsport and will feature a variety of activities to honor military veterans. 

The newly designated Artery District provides new offerings for Virginia Beach visitors. Home to more than a dozen restaurants and retail shops and anchored by the towering King Neptune statue on the Boardwalk, the district will host a series of specialty public events including a new spring strawberry festival, summer farmer's market, and street parties in 2025.

2025 marks the 20th Anniversary of 'Round the Mountain: Southwest Virginia's Artisan Network. Supporting local artisans and small businesses, the Artisan Network celebrates Southwest Virginia's rich culture of music and art and offers in-person and online shopping opportunities.

Virginia - the Birthplace of America - is the place to be for the nationwide 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and America's independence. Virginia American Revolution 250 - a major statewide commemoration with hundreds of hosted events is already in full swing, leading up to the official anniversary in 2026. To note just a few of the many signature activities:

• Titled Give Me Liberty, the first-of-its-kind signature 5,000-square-foot exhibition will open at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture this March focusing on events throughout the revolutionary period and providing the full history of America's fight for freedom.
• Festivities continue throughout Virginia in early 2025 commemorating Lafayette's multi-year farewell tour through America's historic cities 50 years after the Revolutionary War.
• Sail 250, a signature event in June 2026, will welcome more than 60 historic tall ships, military, and character ships from around the world, making for a once-in-a-lifetime visual in Virginia's Chesapeake Bay.

NEW TO STAY:

Caesars Virginia opened in December 2024 in Danville. The $750 million destination resort and casino features a 320-room hotel and a world-class casino gaming floor with 90,000 square feet of gaming space. The resort also features a full-service spa, pool, fitness center, and 12 restaurants and bars, including a first in Virginia, Ramsay's Kitchen, by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol opened in November 2024 featuring a 300-room hotel, five restaurants, four bars and lounges, top-notch retailers, and a concert venue featuring major stars. As if the official Birthplace of Country Music wasn't already exciting enough, this internationally renowned gaming company has upped the ante in Bristol, providing even more reason to visit Virginia's Heritage Music Trail, The Crooked Road, featuring the Bristol Birthplace of Country Music Museum, and discover the very roots of American music.

The recently opened JW Marriott at Reston Station is Virginia's first JW Marriott and only the second in the Washington, D.C. region. The 28-story glass and concrete high-rise adjacent to the Wiehle-Reston East station on Metro's Silver Line features a JW Club, fitness facility, fine-dining restaurant, a signature bar, and a café.

A dual property AC Marriott & Residence Inn Reston opened in Reston in January 2025. This is the first dual concept of this type from Marriott. The Residence Inn offers 120 guest rooms featuring fully equipped kitchens while the AC Hotel offers 147 guest rooms with a distinctive modern design. Featuring the SEVEN Restaurant & Bar, a full-service, all-day dining outlet, and the SYN Rooftop Bar & Lounge atop the property, exceptional dining options for any traveler are offered at the dual-concept property.

The Virginia Guesthouse, coming to Charlottesville on University of Virginia grounds in fall 2025 will feature 217 guest rooms, a full-service restaurant, a café, outside terraces, and a rooftop bar. 

Virginia is all about adapting historic spots into new spaces, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the old world of Virginia while still embracing new-world comforts:

• The Birdwood Mansion, located on the grounds of the Boar's Head Resort in Charlottesville, is undergoing a renovation and expects to open its doors by fall 2025. The historic property features four accommodations in the mansion, three adjacent cottages, and a culinary program that brings in some of the most experienced creative chefs from around the world to create seasonal, international tasting menus for the Birdwood Mansion's dining room.
  
  
• Shenandoah Mansions in Richmond's Fan District is a redbrick 73-key hotel inhabiting a six-story historic apartment building dating back to the 20th century. Shenandoah Mansions exudes old-world charm through cinematic interiors with Richmond influence and references to local myths and legends. The property sits just off Monument Avenue, offering sweeping views of treetops and steeples as one of the tallest buildings in the neighborhood. 
  
  
• Hotel Burg, the first hotel to open in downtown Leesburg's historic district in 60 years, is now open. The 39-room, seven-suite boutique hotel will offer upscale amenities, including a 70-seat restaurant called Huntōn, as well as a private speakeasy and a rooftop lounge and bar with stunning views of downtown.
  
  
• The recently opened Hotel Heron in Alexandria, Aparium Hotel Group's flagship adaptive-reuse development, was originally occupied from 1926 to 1971 by the George Mason Hotel. the new space includes 134 guest rooms and a host of hotel amenities, including a seasonal rooftop bar.
  
  
• Just opened in Fredericksburg, The Publisher a 98-room full-service Marriott Tribute Portfolio property, stands on the same site as the once daily Fredericksburg newspaper, The Free Lance Star, and features a full bar and restaurant, and many other amenities. The hotel's location makes it the perfect gateway to the downtown historic district.
  
  
• Hotel Petersburg, a Tapestry Collection by Hilton property, opened in December 2024 in the heart of Old Towne Petersburg, is a newly restored 64-room upscale boutique hotel masterfully blending historical preservation with modern amenities, featuring several culinary offerings including 20 West, a rooftop lounge with curated cocktails and sweeping city views, and The Boiler Room, a spirits bar with speakeasy vibes.
  
  
• The Rochambeau Roadside Inn is a newly renovated, 22-room boutique hotel in Williamsburg that opened in December 2024. The property maintains all the nostalgic charm and character of the original 1954 classic roadside motel, but designer details and modern amenities perfectly blend the past and present. 
  
  
• After a $4.5 million renovation, the Inn at Vaucluse Spring will reopen in late 2025 under new ownership. Located in Stephens City in the picturesque Shenandoah Valley, this reimagined luxury boutique inn offers a unique blend of European elegance and local charm. The highlight of this transformation is the culinary program led by Chef Proprietor Jan Van Haute, renowned for his innovative farm-to-table cuisine.
  
  
• Three Hills Estate is a 64-room boutique inn coming to Warm Springs in the former residence of Mary Johnston, the first woman to top the New York Times bestseller list, and a regional treasure built in 1913. Plans call for an opening in summer 2025 with a spa to come in fall 2025.
  
  
• Hotel Fauna will offer visitors to Bedford more than just a place to stay - it's a re-imagined piece of history. The former Bedford Middle School is being transformed into a 30-room hotel with plans to open in fall 2025. 
  
  

NEW TO EAT & DRINK:

Numerous restaurants, wineries, breweries, distilleries, and the like will open across Virginia in 2025, here's just a small sampling to whet your tastebuds:

Ebbitt House, the first-ever expansion of Washington, DC's world-famous Old Ebbitt Grill, is coming to Reston Station in late 2025. Ebbitt House will feature a 300-seat indoor dining experience with two bars, along with 125 outdoor seats and a patio bar. The menu will include curated offerings of the American classics for which Old Ebbitt Grill is known.

Electric Bull Steakhouse is a boutique South American steakhouse by famed Chef Victor Albisu opening in Vienna in summer 2025.

Set to open in April 2025 in Hillsboro, Loco Lion is the latest brewery on Loudoun County's booming LoCo Ale Trail. It's named for two African lions, once part of a privately owned game park on a neighboring farm, buried on the property.

In winter 2025, one of Alexandria's last remaining historic waterfront warehouses will be transformed into Cooper Mill, a new upscale market and relaxed tavern space in Robinson Landing. The name is a nod to the former mill on the site which fabricated barrels for the Alexandria Flour Company.

The Virginia Wine Collective tasting room located just south of Charlottesville, is now open. It includes seven winemaker studios off the main production area, as well as a winemaker incubator for seed stage projects. The Virginia Wine Collective has been designed to help reduce the costs associated with independent winemaking and support further innovation and talent in the Monticello AVA. Visitors may sample wines in the tasting room from all participating winemakers and daily production tours are also offered.

Ripple Ray's, a Grateful Dead-themed Southern cuisine restaurant, is now open to Richmond's Carytown neighborhood. Featuring live music after dinner, the Southern bar and restaurant combines food and good eats under the direction of veteran bartender Katie Jarvis.

The recently-opened 2D Cafe & Eatery in Virginia Beach isn't your typical coffee shop; in addition to great food and coffee, the cafe is designed to look two-dimensional, with white and black furniture and walls. The unique concept and stark contrast make the colors of the food pop even more, making for an Instagrammable moment.

Chef's Market, a 17,000-sq.-ft. food hall featuring a grilled cheese bar, brewery, taco bar, distillery, and more opened in October 2024 in Newport News. With shops offering fresh meats, seafood, wine, and baked goods—plus duckpin bowling and arcade games— it's the ultimate spot for flavor and fun. 

The newly launched Harrisonburg Coffee Trail features 11 independent coffee shops in the Harrisonburg area. Coffee lovers can download a “passport” and visit at least six coffee shops to redeem a free coffee mug. 

Chilly Hollow Brewing Company opened in mid-December 2024 in Berryville, VA. The brewery is also a working farm, featuring grass-fed, locally processed beef and expansive mountain views on 100 acres. Cuts are available for purchase at the taproom. Look for expanded offerings in 2025.

The Winery at Kindred Pointe in Mount Jackson, VA will be premiering KP Spirits Distillery in 2025. "Inspired by his Prohibition-era relative Sylvanus, a moonshiner on the run from revenuers seeking to arrest him”, owner Bruce Helsley set out to learn the science and art of distillation. He is now proud to introduce his line of spirits handcrafted in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley.

NEW TO DO:

The highly-anticipated Atlantic Park, brainchild of Pharrell Williams, is coming to the birthplace of East Coast surfing, allowing visitors to surf year-round in Virginia Beach. The venue is opening in stages through the spring and early summer of 2025.

A new entertainment venue The Dome overlooks the surf lagoon. With its flexible design and option to open to the outdoors, The Dome promises to be a popular venue for a variety of year-round shows, from music to comedy.

The National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir unveils a new exhibit in June 2025 curated specifically for the U.S. Army's 250th Birthday and America's 250th Anniversary commemoration. The exhibit, called CALL TO Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War, features more than 280 artifacts in a 5,000 square-foot space.

Take an exclusive food tour with Virginialicious, a local woman-owned tour company that guides visitors through Annandale's Korean food scene, exploring the food, the culture, and the community that helps establish Annandale as some of the best Korean food in the United States.

Level99 opens at Tysons Corner Center in 2025 as a first-of-its-kind destination for adults. Featuring real-world, interactive, social gaming with over 50 physical and mental challenges set in immersive, artistic environments, the space will include installations from local artists, opportunities for groups and player-vs-player, and a food and beverage area.

The Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront in Downtown Richmond alongside the historic James River will make its debut in summer 2025 with a variety of live performances including Dwight Yoakam and Weird Al Yankovic.

Towers of Tomorrow with LEGO® Bricks at the Science Museum of Virginia runs from February 1 – August 25, 2025. Featuring 20 of the world's most innovative skyscrapers built using half a million bricks by one of only twelve LEGO®-certified professionals worldwide, this exhibition showcases the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) involved in architecture and design. Get inspired and show off your master builder skills in the interactive construction area stocked with 200,000 loose LEGO® bricks.

A special exhibition celebrating hometown hero Arthur Ashe's victory at Wimbledon in 1975 opened in April at the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia and will include programming. 

After the first-ever Cosmic Baseball games went viral in 2024, the Chili Peppers are back for more glow-in-the-dark action in 2025. Their season opened on May 22, 2025.

The Science Museum of Virginia's exhibit, Ultimate Dinosaurs, will feature 20 full specimens from locations in the Southern Hemisphere. This interactive exhibition brings dinosaurs to life with augmented reality. Don't miss this DINO-mite paleontology experience that will be on show from May 31 to September 1, 2025.

In 2025, Massanutten Resort welcomes the Mountain Mayhem Coaster, a thrilling downhill coaster experience at the Family Adventure Park. The coaster will cover 2,156 feet of terrain with two 360-degree spirals along the track. 

At Norfolk Botanical Garden, grand ambition meets a beautiful, immersive experience in the Garden of Tomorrow, coming this fall. The highlight will be the stunning Perry Conservatory, a two-story 26,000-square-foot structure that will house threatened plants from around the world and become a centerpiece of the garden's conservation efforts.

Art and culture lovers will find much to love at the Norfolk Chrysler Museum's newly expanded Perry Glass Studio, which opened March 2025. Tripling in size and offering more educational programs, the museum will further cement the studio's reputation as a world-class glass institution.

After a temporary closure, Red Wing Park in Virginia Beach reopened in early 2025. The park is favored for its annual Cherry Blossom Festival in March, featuring more than 150 Yoshino cherry trees and a festive schedule of Japanese music and art activities.

Norfolk's Nauticus has undergone a major renovation. The $21.5 million Reimagine Nauticus project features new interactive exhibits, a planetarium, a maritime simulator, and a public plaza with stunning views of the Elizabeth River. These new exhibits focus on interactive play, teaching visitors about Norfolk's history as a port city, and how we all impact our environment.

Starting early 2025, Carnival Cruise Line offered year-round cruises from Norfolk to ports in the Eastern Caribbean and the Bahamas on the Carnival Sunshine, bringing even more reason to visit the 'Mermaid City'.

Opening in 2025, the Moonshine Capital Heritage Museum will highlight the history of Rocky Mount and surrounding Franklin County as the Moonshine Capital of the World.

 

Discover more new offerings and access our image bank in our online Press Room at Virginia.org.

#   #   #

 

Love is at the heart of every Virginia vacation. 

 

Virginia is for Lovers social channels: Facebook: @VirginiaIsForLovers / Instagram: @VisitVirginia / Twitter: @VisitVirginia

CONTACTS:

• Christi Braginton / Associate Director, Global Media Relations - Virginia Tourism Corporation cbraginton@virginia.org / 505-500-7396
• Brigitte “Bri” Bélanger-Warner / Canadian Specialist – Virginia Tourism Corporation bwarner@virginia.org / 804-389-4688