Discover 7 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Bedford (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: National D-Day Memorial, Bedford Museum & Genealogical Library, and Bedford Historic Meetinghouse. Also, be sure to include Elks National Home in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Bedford (Virginia).
Table of Contents
National D-Day Memorial
National memorial in Bedford, Virginia. The National D-Day Memorial is a war memorial located in Bedford, Virginia. It serves as the national memorial for American D-Day veterans. However, its scope is international in that it states, "In Tribute to the valor, fidelity and sacrifice of Allied Forces on D-Day, June 6, 1944" and commends all Allied Armed Forces during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944, during World War II.
The memorial, bordering the Blue Ridge Mountains in southwestern Virginia, is an area of over 50 acres (200,000 m2) that overlooks the town of Bedford. It officially opened on June 6, 2001, with 15,000 people present, including then-President George W. Bush. About 60,000 people have visited the memorial each year. Of those, more than half are from outside of Virginia.[1]
Address: 3 Overlord Cir, 24523-6094 Bedford
Bedford Museum & Genealogical Library
The Bedford Museum & Genealogical Library is the county museum and genealogical library for Bedford County, Virginia It was started in 1932 by the General William R. Terry chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy and the Peaks of Otter chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. It was in multiple locations in the town of Bedford, VA including the Courthouse and the library. It finally found its permanent home in 1979 when it moved into the former Masonic Hall for Liberty Lodge #95. It is part of the Bedford Historic District and is known as Bedford Masonic Hall on that Wiki page. It is located at 201 E. Main St. Bedford, VA.[2]
Address: 201 E Main St, 24523-2012 Bedford
Bedford Historic Meetinghouse
Church in Bedford, Virginia. Bedford Historic Meetinghouse, also known as Methodist Meetinghouse and St. Philip's Episcopal Church, is a historic meeting house located at 153 W. Main Street in Bedford, Virginia. It was built in 1838, and is a brick building measuring 38 feet by 58 feet and in the Greek Revival style. It features a shallow, pedimented gable roof topped by a square belfry with a stubby, tapered spire. It was built as Bedford's first Methodist Church and houses the headquarters of the Bedford Historical Society.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[3]
Elks National Home
Noble Senior Living Community - Elks Home is a retirement home and national historic district located at Bedford, Virginia. It was built in 1916 by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, who first started the home in 1903. The Elks National Home historic district includes twenty-three contributing buildings, three contributing sites, a contributing structure, and two contributing objects.
The Elks Home is popular locally for the large display of Christmas decorations it puts up each year. Visitors enter the driveway in their vehicles and slowly proceed through the displays, which line the driveway, free of charge.
The Elks Home was featured briefly in the 1991 film What About Bob?, where it stands in as a mental institution.
Its 100-acre (40 ha) property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.
In November 1923 the facility was the site of an accidental mass poisoning. Nine men were killed after drinking apple cider served in the dining room. A local farmer had produced the drink and stored it in a barrel that had been used to hold a pesticide.
In 2013, the Elks National Home property was sold to New River Assisted Living for $4.5 million. The name of the property was changed to English Meadows Elks Home.
Elks National Home and Retirement Center is the name of a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status that formerly owned the Elks National Home property. The nonprofit organization has discontinued operations as of 2019, and its continuing source of revenue are the bequests of an ongoing trust, and the nonprofit organization intends to discontinue operations as soon as practical.[4]
Bedford Welcome Center
Visitor center
Address: 816 Burks Hill Rd, 24523-3205 Bedford
Burks-Guy-Hagen House
Burks–Guy–Hagen House is a historic home located at Bedford, Virginia. It was built about 1884, and is a two-story, brick dwelling in a Victorian Villa style. It features a three-level square tower with a mansard roof and complex bracketed wooden gable with a hood or "apron". It is set among romantically landscaped grounds and wood-bordered rear meadow. The house was built for Judge Martin P. Burks.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[5]
John D. Ballard House
John D. Ballard House, also known as the Ballard-Worsham House, is a historic home located at Bedford, Virginia. It was designed by noted Lynchburg architect Stanhope S. Johnson and built in 1915. It is a two-story, brick dwelling in the Colonial Revival style. It has a steep deck-on-hip roof with terra cotta Spanish roofing tiles, a formal front facade with segmentally arched windows, and a one-story front portico, with grouped Doric order columns. Also on the property is a contributing meat house / tool shed.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. It is located in the Bedford Historic District.[6]