Margaret Wadsworth

Jul 20, 2024 | virginialiving.com | Madeline Mayhood |Dawn Klavon |Sandra Shelley |Margaret Wadsworth

When the urge to shop or snack hits you in the middle of your scenic drive on the Snickersville Turnpike, there’s one place to go. Bluemont General Store serves up just about anything you can think of: pizza, ice cream, oysters, books, beans, hardware, and even jingle bells. The selection prioritizes freshness and local connection, with Angus beef from grass-fed livestock raised in nearby pastures of Loudoun County farmland and farm-fresh eggs from free-range chickens in Purcellville.

Jul 10, 2024 | virginialiving.com | Stephanie Ganz |Madeline Mayhood |Taylor Pilkington |Margaret Wadsworth

Hoping to level-up your next charcuterie board? Look no further: Smoke in Chimneys’ farm-fresh trout dip brings an unparalleled blitz of savory, Shenandoah Valley flavor. Husband-and-wife owners Ty and Shannon Walker handcraft the small-batch, warm season offering on a restored, century-old Newcastle trout hatchery. Fish are raised the old-fashioned way in a complex of streams and ponds filled with water from one of the state’s most pristine and nutrient-rich limestone springs.

Jul 11, 2023 | virginialiving.com | Martha Steger |Dawn Klavon |Margaret Wadsworth |Markus Schmidt

A neuroscientist finds the key to connection in movement. For some, the spark of friendship comes naturally. Others, not so much. And while friendships can be serendipitous—a combination of proximity and luck—our ability to create social ties also protects our health. In fact, social isolation increases our risk of stroke, heart disease, even diabetes.