This afternoon we suggest you begin your visit with a stop at the Halifax County Visitors Center, now located in the restored Prizery. The building was named for the process of tobacco being pressed or “prized” into hogsheads for shipment. Carved out of a 19th century tobacco warehouse, the most interesting and handsome of the industrial buildings in downtown South Boston with an Italianate tower, The Prizery is more than a welcome center. It is also a community and fine arts center with a 425 seat theater and exhibits highlighting Halifax County’s tobacco and river transportation heritage.

A new exhibit currently in development, “The Crossing of the Dan,” traces the route of Lord Cornwallis in 1781 as he led British troops from Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina, to the Dan River while pursuing General Nathanael Greene and the Americans. The journey ultimately led to Yorktown and Cornwallis’ surrender, effectively ending the American Revolution.

Starting near there at Tucker Watkins Bridge, where South Boston itself began, you can stroll through one of the largest and architecturally interesting historic districts in southern Virginia. The district is significant for its late Victorian commercial and residential architecture and a variety of late 19th and 20th century homes.

From there it’s just six miles to the quaint, historic town of Halifax. You may feel like you’ve stepped back into antebellum Virginia. The gentility of its curving roads, flowering trees and serene landscape make it to some, “the prettiest historic town in Virginia.” If not, it’s close. The careful preservation of 18th and early 19th century homes is astounding, especially when you know portions of these homes are going on 250 years old. Plantings at many of the homes date from the 1840s. In addition to residences, the Mountain Road Walking Tour takes you past two antebellum churches, the 1828 Masonic Hall, the Courthouse and the Clerk’s office. Thomas Jefferson’s master builder Dabney Cosby, who constructed the core University of Virginia buildings, traveled to Halifax to build the new clerk’s office in 1835 and the new county courthouse, completed in 1839. Absolutely walk the road from end to end. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Leaving Halifax, you’ll be on your way to Berry Hill Plantation (now Berry Hill Inn) where you can marvel at one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in Virginia. As you travel up the tree-lined drive, you’d almost expect Scarlett O’Hara to slip through the massive columns and glide down the stairs to meet you. The massive eight-columned house, built in 1842, is a quintessential southern antebellum mansion. It was also the seat of one of the most successful tobacco plantations in the region. Previous owners of the property included Colonel Edward Carrington who fought alongside General Nathanael Greene in the Revolutionary War. Most recently, Berry Hill was meticulously restored to its original pre-Civil War grandeur after being abandoned for 50 years.

Berry Hill Plantation is located on the River Road Scenic Byway, a route that still takes you past a variety of plantations and tobacco fields. During the 18th century, River Road was part of main stage route between New York and New Orleans and the principal road from Halifax Court House to Danville. Berry hill is a reflection of the wealth that was once centered here during the antebellum era.

Then, it’s on to Virginia International Raceway. Plan to stop even if there is no race scheduled. You won’t recognize it as the plantation it once was. The 1840’s restored Plantation Clubhouse has been transformed into a restaurant. The Lodge, Paddock Suites and Oak Tree Tavern all surround the 3.27 mile track with two crossovers. Opened in 1957 as one of the country’s first permanent road racing locations, VIR reopened in 2000 as America’s first “motorsports resort” to rave reviews. Automobile and motorcycle races have been joined by the new Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research and JOUSTER (Joint Unmanned Systems Testing Engineering and Research), the first test site dedicated to scientific experimentation in unmanned vehicles. 2006 races included the Rolex Sports Car Series, the Grand-Am Cup Series, the 7th Annual Gold Cup Invitational Historic Races and GT Live!

From there, it’s a short drive to your accommodations in Danville.

Choice of Accommodations for night two:

Best Western Windsor Inn and Suites: Stay at this newly constructed property with complimentary breakfast, wireless internet and all the other customary amenities you expect from Best Western.
Lawson Overby Inn: Step back to a more genteel time in a Victorian mansion located on the prime corner of Millionaires Row now restored with wireless internet, an in-ground pool and more.