PATRICK COUNTY

Patrick County was formed in 1791. Patrick County currently has a population of 19,700 citizens. One third of Patrick County is in the rolling Piedmont plateau and the remaining two-thirds in the rugged Blue Ridge Mountains where the Blue Ridge Parkway straddles the line with Floyd and Carroll counties to the north and west.  Passing through our county is four-lane US 58.  

Stuart is the county seat and was named after General J.E.B. Stuart, renowned Civil War cavalryman, who died at 31 at Yellow Tavern while trying to halt the advance of General Phil Sheridan on Richmond.  His birthplace, Laurel Hill, was located near Ararat in the western part of the county. While Laurel Hill is no longer standing, the site is preserved a 75-acre park.

Nestled in the gently rolling hills of the Piedmont, Patrick provides a natural gateway to Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. In Patrick County, you will find an unhurried way of life rich in the tradition and the friendliness of mountain communities. Our rolling hills and majestic valleys make Patrick County one of the best kept secrets of the Blue Ridge. A rural county, Patrick is close to the south’s biggest markets but distant from their hectic lifestyles. Here you are never a stranger but a part of our family. Patrick offers the charm of a traditional small town America with friendly smiling faces.

Visitors can choose from a number of outdoor attractions including the Blue Ridge Parkway, Philpott Lake, Kibler Valley, Fairy Stone State Park, Fairy Stone Farms Wildlife Management Area and Fred Clifton Park / Lovers Leap Overlook. Patrick is also home to two birding and wildlife trails: The Sweet Mountain Laurel and Fairy Stone Loop.

Guests to our county can stay at various B&B’s, cabins and campgrounds. We also have two motels available for your overnight stays. Historical attractions include the Patrick County Historical Museum, our classic antebellum courthouse which presides over the Town of Stuart and is registered as a National Historic Landmak, The Reynolds Homestead, Jack’s Creek and Bob White covered bridges and many older farms and buildings scattered throughout the county.

 

Additional visitor information can be found at the Blue Ridge Visitors Center located at 2577 JEB Stuart Highway in Meadows of Dan Virginia or at the Chamber of Commerce Office and Visitor Center at 20475 JEB Stuart Highway in Stuart Virginia. 

 

Patrick County’s hill and valleys have echoed with music from the time of the first settlement. The early settlers brought with them the hymns of our European ancestors, hymns that sang of faith and strength in adversity. Our people of the mountains were used to hardship and faced adversity with stoic calm, seldom allowing their emotions to overcome them; yet their feelings have come out through their music and the ballads that sang of true love and lost love, tragedy, and sorrow revealing their lives. These beautiful ballads still ring throughout our breathtaking mountain sides. Scarcely a weekend passes without music in the air. From gatherings at the various music venues to visiting with recognized musicians, someone is always pulling out a guitar, banjo or fiddle on someone’s front porch or at a local store. Patrick County is determined to continue sharing our musical heritage with the world.