Day One Your first stop in Martinsville has to be the Visitors Center. They have the whole scoop. This is no ordinary visitors center. It’s a joint venture between the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Office and Patrick Henry Community College School of Craft & Design located in the Patrick Henry Community College Artisans Center. You get good visuals along with good information. They of course are going to recommend you take some time to stroll the Downtown Walking Tour that starts at the Henry County Courthouse, the centerpiece of the Martinsville Uptown Revitalization District. The current 1824 building replaced a 1792 structure that was destroyed by fire. While on the walking tour you can also visit Gray Lady, a beautiful Queen Anne style landmark now occupied by a real estate office. They have an open door policy to tour the property during regular business hours. Nearby Christ Episcopal Church Parish House sits on “an eminence, with views stretching off on clear days to the inspiring heights of the Blue Ridge” in Franklin and Patrick counties and Moore’s Knob in North Carolina. When it was the home of Colonel Pannill Rucker, it was known as Scuffle Hill until it burned in 1917. He started building the current house on the foundations of the old, limiting it to two stories instead of three. Mrs. Pannill was living in the house when it was purchased by Christ Episcopal Church as the Parish House in 1959. Today the structure is on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Historical Register. If the Farmers Market is open on the day you are there, stop by to check out the produce and other “Virginia Grown” items for sale. It is a time honored tradition in Martinsville that has been active for 25 years. Depending on your interest, there are other locations in downtown you may want to visit. The permanent exhibition gallery of the Piedmont Arts Association is located at the Schottland estate. The property was donated by the heirs of the late Michael and Lucy Schottland to provide expanded gallery space and enlarged studio spaces for the arts organization in perpetuity. de Spot is a unique gallery and gift shop of fine arts, crafts and design. Currently over 80 artists are represented with paintings, pottery, glasswork, woodwork, jewelry, wearable art, and sculpture. Gift items include handmade soaps, jewelry boxes, Casafina dinnerware, Don Drumm pewter works and more. The stock changes almost daily! The Walker Fine Arts Center, located in the student center at Patrick Henry Community College, features art exhibits and a variety of productions in its 300 seat theater. You may want to retire to your accommodations before venturing out to the Martinsville Speedway, now celebrating its 60th year of operation. Founded the year before NASCAR was formed, the speedway is one of the oldest tracks in America that’s still a part of the Nextel Cup series. It is the only original NASCAR-sanctioned track still running Nextel Cup events. Richard Petty, now a car owner, holds the track’s winning record with 15 victories. Although it is the shortest track on the NASCAR circuit, the 800 foot straights coupled with turns banked at only 12 degrees performs like “two drag strips with a turnaround on each end.” Even if you’ve never been to a race before, enjoy the action! Choice of Accommodations for night one: Best Western Martinsville: Stay at this 95-room well-maintained property with complimentary breakfast, wireless internet and all the other customary amenities you expect from Best Western. Clubhouse Bed and Breakfast: Experience this historic property originally built as the Marshall Field Clubhouse, later named the Fieldcrest Lodge after the textile company. The relaxed wooded setting lets you get out into the countryside.