Virginia travel guide now online

Virginia has released the 2011 edition of its Virginia is for Lovers travel guide, highlighting family-friendly and romantic attractions throughout the state.

This will be a significant year for Virginia as Shenandoah National Park celebrates its 75th anniversary, and the state kicks off a four-year event in honor of the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War.

"This four-year commemoration features Virginia’s many battlefields, re-enactments, museum exhibitions and special events that will shed light on America’s bloodiest conflict. We invite you to explore Virginia’s many Civil War sites to learn about Virginia’s pivotal role in the war and its legacies," writes state Governor Bob McDonnell in the guide’s introduction.

The guidebook is divided into thematic sections, such as family fun, history and heritage, outdoor adventure, fishing, farming, state and national parks, Chesapeake Bay and the Shenandoah Valley. The guide also contains a special section on movies that have been filmed in the state, which include Mission Impossible III, The New World, and Hannibal.

An interactive version of the guide is now available on Virginia’s tourism website.