WHAT'S NEW FOR GROUPS

STATEWIDE

The Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250) will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and the fight for independence. Virginia had a defining role in the creation of our nation. Virginia’s history is America’s story. Special exhibits and events are planned through 2024, 2025 and 2026. Visit Virginia.org/groups/va250 for group tour information.

CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VIRGINIA

Kings Dominion in Doswell is adding the “world’s tallest and longest” winged launch coaster in time for the 2025 season. The thrilling ride, dubbed Rapterra, will feature a 0-65 mph launch, a 145-foot-tall wingover and over 3,000 feet of track and will be introduced just in time for the amusement park's 50th anniversary

The Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront in Downtown Richmond will make its debut in summer 2025 with a variety of live performances including Dwight Yoakam and Weird Al Yankovic. The venue seats 7,500 people and offers stunning views of the downtown skyline.

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

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond – upcoming special exhibits:

• A Better Life for Their Children: Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools That Changed America. This exhibition features eighty-five duotone images and an introduction by the late Congressman John Lewis, who attended a Rosenwald school in Alabama. Exhibit runs May 25, 2024 – April 20, 2025

• Virginia & the Vietnam War, a new exhibition that will be on display November 23, 2024 to July 6, 2025, will engage guests in the choices, perspectives, and experiences of Virginians in the Vietnam War era.
• Give Me Liberty is a new exhibition from March 22, 2025 to January 4, 2026. This exhibition will stimulate a deep appreciation for the continental and global forces in addition to the individual actions that resulted in a model of democracy that would change the world.
• Un/Bound: Free Black Virginians, 1619-1865, explores the lives of free Black Virginians as they achieved their freedom, fought for their civil rights and persevered within a legal system that did not recognize them as equal. Exhibit runs from June 14, 2025 until July 5, 2026.

Glass Hollow, projected to open in Nelson County in 2025, will be a unique destination where visitors can watch the magic of glass blowing, and peruse a gallery featuring celebrated local and national artists along the 151 Wine Trail. The venue is located on a beautiful 8-acre

Virginia Guesthouse Hotel & Conference Center in Charlottesville will open in fall 2025. The new facility will feature 217 guest rooms, approximately 25,000 sq. ft. of conference space, a full-service restaurant, a café, outside terraces and a rooftop bar.

Unlocked History Escape Rooms in Charlottesville is expanding in 2024, growing from 3 escape rooms to a total of 7. “Da Vinci’s Discovery” delves into the enigmas of Leonardo Da Vinci’s creations and is slated to launch in Late Fall 2024.

Bloomsbury, the 18th century Taylor family home in Orange County, has recently become available for tours, by appointment only, through the James Madison Museum of Orange County Heritage. The original wing of the home was built by Capt. James Taylor, III between 1729 and 1740.  Dendrochronology will be performed in October this year to clarify the construction date. The addition was added by the Quarles family circa 1797.

Caesars Virginia, a premier destination resort casino opened in Danville in December 2024. Property includes a 320-room hotel and a world-class casino gaming floor with over 1,300 slots, 85 live table games, 24 electronic table games, a WSOP poker room and a Caesars Sportsbook. In addition, the resort features a full-service spa, pool, 12 high-quality bars and restaurants, a 2,500-seat state-of-the-art live entertainment theater and 51,300 square feet of meeting and convention space.

VIRginia International Raceway will host the inaugural CrowdStrike Veterans Race of Remembrance Powered by AWS, November 6-9, 2025. The event will be the first of its kind in motorsport in North America. In the spirit of the original Race of Remembrance, founded by Mission Motorsport in the UK in 2013, the racing revolves around Veterans Day, a celebration of veterans, and a track side Remembrance Day service. The racing events will showcase several different motorsport series on-track, including a CAN/AM TCR/GT4 competition, a single make series and a 12-hour endurance main-event race, in addition to other veteran-focused activities and competitions.

Shenandoah Mansions is the first boutique hotel in Richmond’s Fan neighborhood. The 73-room hotel, which opens February 2025, is the latest from New York City-based hotelier Ash. It will feature a retail space and the third location of Ash–Bar, an all-day dining concept and European cafe.

The Bee Hotel is a historic and stylish boutique hotel in the River District of Danville, Virginia. It offers 47 spacious rooms, many with kitchens, free WiFi, Smart TVs, and a rooftop terrace with a fire pit.

Nestled in the center of Historic Old Towne Petersburg, the reimagined Hotel Petersburg, a Tapestry Collection by Hilton property, opened its doors in December 2024. The newly restored 64-room upscale boutique hotel masterfully blends historical preservation with modern amenities. The property features a restaurant, rooftop bar, and outdoor courtyard.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond – upcoming special exhibits:

• Frida: Beyond the Myth. This exhibition seeks to move past the mythology that still surrounds the Mexican artist by exploring and elucidating the inspiring woman behind the work. Exhibit runs April 5, 2025 – September 28, 2025
• The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse from the Dallas Museum of Art, a new exhibition that will be on display November 14, 2026 to March 14, 2027, will explore the fascinating story of Impressionism from its birth in 1874 to its legacy in the early 20^th century.

The Science Museum of Virginia’s, Richmond - upcoming exhibits:

• Towers of Tomorrow with LEGO® Bricks 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.
• 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.

COASTAL VIRGINIA – CHESAPEAKE BAY, HAMPTON ROADS, EASTERN SHORE

Atlantic Park, Virginia Beach - Opening May 2025, this new development will contain the first surf park on the East Coast featuring Wave Garden technology and will generate 1,000 waves per hour and accommodate 40 surfers at one time. The complex will also contain over 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space along with a 3,500-seat indoor/outdoor theatre.

Built in 1902, the Cornland School is an enduring testament to the strength and determination of African Americans from the Reconstruction Era through the dawn of the Civil Rights Era. Not long after emancipation, the school was established by formerly enslaved people and operated from 1903 until 1952. The Cornland School Museum is the first phase of the future Historical Village at the Dismal Swamp in Chesapeake, VA. To schedule a free tour of the Cornland School Museum, call 757-382-6411.

Downtown Newport News, branded The Yard District in a nod to Newport News Shipyard, is quickly evolving into a scenic and vibrant hot spot. A restaurant row has popped up along 23^rd Street, where Ironclad Distillery and Coastal Fermentory have already established roots. This revitalization effort, include a coffee and wine bar, retail shops, and a large full-service restaurant.

The Riverwalk Restaurant, overlooking the York River and Coleman Bridge in Yorktown, reopened its dining room to guests in May 2024. Large windows throughout the restaurant provide breathtaking waterfront views while dining on fresh seafood, meats, tapas, specialty pasta dishes, and daily specials. From dining al fresco on the beautiful patio to spreading out in a private banquet room—it’s the perfect location for your special occasion.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg Celebrates their 50^th Anniversary in 2025 with, The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf’s Revenge, an all-new family-friendly inverted roller coaster. 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.

The Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, opened a $4.3 million expansion to its 23-acre campus in November 2024. The 5,000 sq. ft. Wild Care Center, along the museum’s outdoor boardwalk trail, creates a literal window into the world of veterinary and preventative animal care, nutrition, and the connection between humans and the environment.

One of Virginia’s beloved coastal resorts, The Tides Inn, completed a $3.6 million shoreline restoration project featuring a “living shoreline” and boardwalk. New ecology tours have been added highlighting the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab and Eastern oysters.

The Norfolk Botanical Gardens continues construction of the Garden of Tomorrow. Slated to be finished in 2025, the Garden of Tomorrow focuses on accessibility, sustainability and improving the gardens green impact. The garden includes the Brock Parking Garden, Brock Entry Pavilion, and the two-story 26,000 ft. Perry Conservatory featuring a second-story Skywalk. Guests will not want to miss this nature immersion experience.

Norfolk Casino, Norfolk (2027) - The Pamunkey Indian Tribe planned casino resort alongside Norfolk’s Harbor Park is set to be a $500 million resort and casino with a 200-room hotel, attached parking deck for about 1,300 cars, a spa, sports bar and grill, steakhouse, rooftop event space and multi-purpose event center. 

Rivers Casino Portsmouth Rivers Casino Portsmouth is a world-class $300 million investment for the new Entertainment District along Victory Boulevard. The complex features a casino, event and conference venues, premier restaurants, a movie theater and more. A hotel is planned in future years.

Great Wolf Lodge has fully renovated and redesigned guest suites and conference center with new digital equipment, flooring, wall paint and furnishings.

Colonial Williamsburg will be hosting special events and programming in 2025 and 2026 tied to important events in our nation’s history. Below are just a few:

• In Fall 2024, the Williamsburg Bray School opened as a public site for the very first time. Learn more about Ann Wager, the headmistress of the school, hear stories of her students, and learn about Colonial Williamsburg’s process to preserve and restore this original 18th-century building. We’ll launch our new 100th anniversary walking tour, Power of Place, sharing an insider look at our 1930s restoration.
• Late Fall 2025, the Colin G. and Nancy N. Campbell Archaeology Center opens.
• July 4, 2026, Colonial Williamsburg commemorates the 250th anniversary of the nation.
• November 2026, Colonial Williamsburg, the world's largest U.S. history museum, celebrates its centennial.

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 Renaissance Portsmouth-Norfolk Waterfront Hotel completed extensive renovations in October 2024. Overlooking the Elizabeth River, the hotel offers refreshed guest rooms, elegant meeting spaces, and elevated dining experiences, including The Crawford Restaurant and Beacon Lounge.

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

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, how we impact our environment, exhibits that dive into the design of sailboats and more.

Norfolk is also excited to become a popular cruise destination. Starting in February, Carnival Cruise Line will offer year-round cruises to ports in the Eastern Caribbean and the Bahamas on the Carnival Sunshine, bringing a renewed sense of excitement for travelers to and from Mermaid City. 

Norfolk’s ever-popular Naval Station Bus Tours have returned, offering a true behind-the-scenes glimpse into life on Naval Station Norfolk, the world’s largest naval installation. The 60-minute tour includes the homes of the 1907 Jamestown Exposition, Chambers Field Air Station and the fleet’s ships. 

NORTHERN VIRGINIA

Ebbitt House, the first ever expansion of Washington, DC’s world famous Old Ebbitt Grill, is coming to Reston Station in 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.

Opening in downtown Fredericksburg in October 2024, The Publisher, a 98-room full service Marriott Tribute Portfolio Hotel, that stands on the site of the once daily Fredericksburg newspaper, the Free-Lance Star, will feature 1,800 sq. ft. meeting/event space, a full bar and restaurant, and many other amenities. 

Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, Spotsylvania is expected to open fall 2026. The resort will feature over 175,000 sq. ft. of indoor waterpark, outdoor pools, interactive indoor adventure park, 6 restaurants, 907 suites and a spacious 150,000 sq. ft. convention center.

The AC Hotel by Mariott Reston  opened in Fairfax near Dulles Airport in Fall 2024. The property features 147 guest rooms, 7 meeting rooms with a total of 11,300 sq. ft. of space.

In the heart of Old Town Alexandria, the Hotel Heron opened in May 2024. The Aparium Hotel Group’s flagship adaptive-reuse development is located steps from the bustling King Street mile. Originally occupied from 1926 to 1971 by the George Mason Hotel, the new space includes 134 guest rooms and 30,000 square feet of hotel amenities, including a hearth-inspired restaurant offering Mid-Atlantic cuisine, a cozy cocktail bar, and a seasonal rooftop bar, as well as meeting space and ground floor retail.

The art of blacksmithing might have faded but at the newly opened Lawless Forge in eastern Loudoun. Small groups can bond over fire and furnace, hammer in hand during a three-hour long blacksmith class. Among items you can learn to make are knives, bottle openers and BBQ forks.

The Rose Gaming Resort Dumfries  opened in fall 2024. It’s a $400 million dollar gaming and entertainment complex destination, located alongside I-95 in Dumfries. Along with exciting gaming action, The Rose Gaming Resort includes a 102-room luxury hotel, eight bars and restaurants, a cultural venue, a space for meetings and events, and over 80 acres of green space with miles of hiking and fitness trails, athletic fields, playgrounds and more.

The Magnoliya Grand Conference & Event Center opened in September 2024 in Manassas. The state-of-the-art center is attached to the Hilton Garden Inn and features a 14,500 sq. ft. ballroom. Four additional meeting spaces that can be divided into smaller rooms and versatile pre-function and outdoor event spaces. It is the perfect event center for mock inaugural balls, DJ dinner dances, and banquets.

George Mason’s Gunston Hall is restoring its magnificent river-side garden, which will enhance the authenticity of the historic property, reveal much about the Founding Father himself, and provide an educational setting as distinctive as Mason’s original garden design for the signature landscape feature of his home – the Home of American Rights. The restoration is the culmination of more than four decades of archaeological research. 

FXBG Civil Rights Trail: Freedom, A Work in Progress driving and walking tour became part of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail in February 2024. Timeline for the tour begins at the end of the Civil War in 1865, through the Jim Crow era segregation and up until the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.

Expected to open in mid-2025, the JW Marriott at Reston Station will be 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 will feature a JW Club, fitness facility, fine-dining restaurant, a signature bar, and a café. The hotel will also offer 25,000 square feet of premier event space, including a 9,000 square foot main ballroom and multiple intimate meeting rooms.

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 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 250^th Birthday and America’s 250^th Anniversary commemoration. The exhibit, CALL TO Arms: The Soldier and the Revolutionary War, features more than 280 artifacts in a 5,000 square-foot exhibition space.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY AND VIRGINIA MOUNTAINS

The Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs completed a $150+ million-dollar property-wide renovation project. The extensive renovation project began in October 2021 with the $4.6 million rehabilitation of the Warm Springs Pools, which reopened in December 2022. The full renovation encompasses 483 guest rooms, a brand-new 4,000 square foot event pavilion, 72,000 square feet of meeting space, an array of fine and casual dining options, and more.

The Virginia Scenic Railway in Staunton has expanded service and more passenger cars due to the immediate popularity. Travelers can sit back and enjoy the modernized ambiance of a 1940s passenger car through some of Virginia’s prettiest scenery, including the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Two route options, Alleghany Special and Blue Ridge Flyer, offered Thursday – Sunday. Tickets include the 3-hour tour, meal, dessert and beverage in souvenir glass. Group and private charters available.

Mountain Coaster, Massanutten Resort – Opened in fall 2024, “Mountain Mayhem;” with a total length spanning 3,380 feet offers an exhilarating downhill experience covering 2,156 feet of terrain, with two 360-degree spirals along the track. Each ride is around six minutes. The innovative design gives riders full control over their speed for a customized experience.

Conveniently located near James Madison University, Spark by Hilton Harrisonburg University Area is under construction with an expected July 2025 opening. A pet-friendly hotel that caters to both business and leisure travelers, the Spark by Hilton offers lodging minutes away from local restaurants, shops, and breweries in the heart of Harrisonburg.

Three Hills Historic Estate & Spa 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. This regional treasure was built in 1913 and is under-going renovations for a planned opening in summer 2025 with a spa to come in fall 2025.

Spark by Hilton Roanoke Airport is slated to open in late February 2025, offering a convenient location just minutes from the airport.

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA - BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS, HEART OF APPALACHIA

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Bristol, opened in November 2024, features a 300-room hotel (additional 350 rooms will added later in tower 2), five restaurants, four bars and lounges, new entertainment options, wedding and convention facilities, top-notch retailers, and an indoor and outdoor concert venue that will further solidify Bristol as the true “Birthplace of Country Music.”

The Giles County Trail Center – the gateway to numerous attractions and outdoor experiences across  the New River Valley and Southwest Virginia – opened to the public May 10, 2024. The region’s best in-class hub, located on the grounds of historic Mountain Lake Lodge and near the Appalachian Trail, directly connects visitors to 20 miles of trails, natural beauty and cultural activities. In addition, a new four-mile loop trail to Bald Knob will make the highest point in the New River Valley readily accessible to hikers of all skill levels and allow public access to trails

Delta Blues has expanded its footprint with the opening of a new location in Abingdon in 2024. The locally owned and operated, Memphis inspired BBQ restaurant and catering company’s original establishment is located on State Street in Bristol.

Squabble State Farms is coming to Washington County in Late 2024. Three miles from the new Bristol Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the vision is a 68-acre agritourism destination featuring an apple orchard, hard cidery, distillery, nature trails, event venues, and scenic views for miles.

The newly opened Damascus Trail Center is a regional hub for outdoor recreation uniting visitors and volunteers with a wide range of natural resources in the region. The Trail Center is ideally positioned to greet visitors of three of the area’s most renowned National Trails: the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT), the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, and the Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail.

The Highlander Hotel opened in Radford in April 2023 and overlooks the Blue Ridge Mountains. The new hotel features 120 hotel rooms and 4 luxury living suites, more than 6,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 4,000-square-foot ballroom, a rooftop restaurant and bar and complimentary parking.

The 20^th Anniversary of ‘Round the Mountain: Southwest Virginia’s Artisan Network is happening in 2025. Supporting local artisans and small businesses, the Artisan Network celebrates Southwest Virginia’s rich culture of music, art, and much more.

Bristol Motor Speedway, in partnership with Major League Baseball, is hosting the MLB Speedway Classic in Bristol on August 2, 2025.

 FOR MORE EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS SEE WHAT'S NEW IN VIRGINIA