October 24, 2023 • 9 mins
On this week's episode of Where To Next, we check in with our neighbors in Virginia! Rita McClenny, President & CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, joins me to chat all about the amazing things Virginia has to offer including fun for the whole family, wine country, and how Virginia has become a premiere hub for black travelers!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Good morning, and welcome back toWhere to Next, a travel podcast with
me. Your host, my nameis Francisca Pressian. Today we're talking all
about the great state of Virginia withMss Rita mclenny, President and CEO of
the Virginia Tourism Corporation. Rita,welcome, Thank you, Francesca. It's
good to be with you. I'mso excited to talk to our neighbors.
You know, Virginia right here inthe DMV Virginia dot org is where you
(00:22):
want to go for more information andto start planning your trip today. Well,
Rita, without further ado, let'sjust dive right in and start talking
all about Virginia. It's a placeto love, you know, going with
Virginia's for Lovers. We've had thesame slogan for fifty three years. Virginia
has a lot of history, butyou know, it all comes down to
the story. And Virginia's history ismade up of revolutionaries, great thinkers,
(00:44):
passionate doers of all kinds, andsome of our world's greatest achievements have happened
here in Virginia. And you know, we want to present ourselves as a
welcoming, friendly, amazing place tovisit where you can have the vacation of
a lifetime, where you can dothe things that you love with the people
that you love. And again,if you look at cities, if you
(01:07):
look at what imprint Virginia has hadacross localities and across the commonwealth. We
have about eight point seven million peoplewho live in Virginia and we're situated right
here in the heart of the midAtlantic ready to receive all of your guests.
I mean, now the great timeof the year to discover fall along
the Blue Ridge Parkway, or thatwonderful brisk walk on the Atlantic Ocean,
(01:32):
if you're going down to one ofour beaches. It's just beautiful this time
of the year and always absolutely andyou kind of are rolling right into my
next question here, Rita, Ilove it. I wanted to talk a
little bit about what the most popularthings in the great state of Virginia are.
To check out those things that peoplecome for, they come back for
and they really enjoy exploring and discoveringreally goes from coast to the cliff.
(01:55):
So if you look at having agreat time on the Atlantic Ocean, if
you go from Virginia Eastern Shore overto the amazing Blue Ridge Parkway which runs
through so many amazing small and charmingtowns. But also if you look at
things to do, music, food, hiking, biking. We have great
amusement parks in King's Dominion and bushgardens and it's just discoveries every place that
(02:21):
you turn. And if you bringyour family in like this time of the
year, you can go through cornmazes, you can go pick apples,
you can visit a winery, abrewery, a distillery. Is something for
everyone. And I tell you onething that's really become really popular is our
luxury program where you can fly inon United Airlines and if you are a
(02:43):
Polaris member or in their Mouths program, you can get a special amenity at
one of our lodging establishments. Andif people are familiar with Shila Johnson,
she owns the Salamander Resort in Middleburg, Virginia. So that's just the taste
of one of fifteen of our luxuryproperties. So much to do, if
remember the family will be busy inVirginia. Rita McClenny, President and CEO
(03:05):
of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. Virginiadot Org is where you want to go
online for more information and to startplanning your trip today. Virginia, as
you've been explaining, is a verydiverse destination, and I know it's rich
in Black history dating back centuries.I love for you to elaborate on some
of the black travel destinations in Virginiabecause Virginia really has become quite the premier
destination it has. Let's start.What's sort of the hub of black culture
(03:29):
in Virginia. It is Richmond.It's known for black entrepreneurship. Born just
a few blocks away in Jackson Ward. We have Maggie Walker. You know,
it's historic black neighborhood. It wasknown as the Wall Street, the
Black Wall Street of the US,and it's established one hundred and fifty years
ago and now it's just a thrivingand bustling neighborhood with places like Penny's Wine
(03:53):
Shop, Urban Hank Suite, greatrestaurants. Alexander is another great city,
a melton pot for diverse cultures inAlexandria, and it's close proximity to Washington,
DC, literally just across the fourteenthStreet Bridge. And Alexandria is full
of black history and locations. Theyhave a Black Houston Museum. There they
(04:15):
have the Freedom House Museum, theAfrican American Heritage Trail. There is a
tour company. You can get lotsof history tours, walking tours. Again,
great food. It's on the PotomacRiver. You can have dinner riverside.
It's just really a gorgeous, gorgeoustown city. Rather and then Virginia
(04:36):
Beach. It's vibrant coastal city withan energetic vibe that's home to a thrive
and art scene and really a lotof diverse range of restaurants, bars,
entertainment venues. In fact, PharrellWilliams is invested in Surf Park which is
an up and coming venue for entertainment. And really a lot of our artists
(04:57):
have played an influential role in bringingcoastal Virginia to its forefront known as the
seven five to seven. So youhave artists like Pharrella Williams, timbaland Missy
Elliott, pusha t King of Scott, they all call this area home.
The seven five to seven. Absolutelyamazing and I know that your efforts have
not gone unnoticed. There is abig award that you are a recent recipient
(05:21):
of. Well, you know,in Virginia we're so fortunate. Again taking
all of our history, all ofthe uniqueness, all of kind of how
black history and culture come together,we divide the campaign it's called the Heart
and Soul, and the Heart andSoul campaign is an initiative to promote Virginia
as a welcoming destinations for black travelers, to increase visitation from the travel group.
(05:44):
So through engaging video content, personalnarratives, storytelling. This black content
has really come alive and our heartand soul. So we showcase people attractions,
historical sites, vibrant communities. Wehave an emphasis on celebrating black culture
for someone's point of view. Couldbe fashion again, it could be a
(06:09):
menu, it could be you know, creating something that art that really has
a welcoming and inviting vibe for peopleto come in and want to know a
little bit more. The campaign featuredeight content creators and again these were creators
from across all genres and we wererecognized by the National Council of State Tourism
(06:32):
Directors US Travel at their annual awardsceremony in August and we brought home best
Digital campaign in the country. Sowe're very exciting. Wow, well,
very big congratulations. That is quitethe undertaking. And I know Virginia is
also home to what's called DC's WineCountry in Loudin County celebrating forty years in
(06:53):
the wine industry, which is somethingto celebrate for sure. Can you talk
to us a little bit about thatand give us some background on DC's Wine
Country. Yeah, we have overthree hundred and eighty wineries across the Commonwealth
of Virginia, and one that isextremely popular is in Louden County, which
is growing and bustling. And innineteen eighty an engineer, an entrepreneur,
Loop Parker, planet Louden County's firstgrapes on a rocky ground on a farm
(07:17):
south of Leesburg, and they haven'tlooked back since. So they grow Cabernet,
Sevignon, Westling, Chardonay, capfronc vigne. So all of these
wines are available, and in Virginia, wineries are are a farm experience.
People go, bring their families,bring their pets, they hang out,
they spend the day. There's foodgenerally available or food truck. And you
(07:43):
know, this fortieth anniversary just kindof shows how Virginia's wine country is popular
and growing. And Louden called itselfDC's Wine Country because so many people from
DC, Baltimore and the DMV.You know, we're coming in to have
this experience. So it really Thesefifty wineries right there in Loudon County produced
(08:03):
some really incredible wines, and DecanterMagazine in twenty twenty one call it the
most exciting corner of Virginia for wine. So cool. I mean, you
can't hate a wine country, right, that's right. Rita McClenny, President
and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, on with me today Virginia dot org
where you want to go for moreinfo and to start planning your trip now,
(08:24):
Rita, before I let you goreally quick, what's new to look
forward to over in Virginia in twentytwenty four. Oh, we're going to
be celebrating music, as we alwaysdo. It's the fiftieth anniversary of Carter
Family Fault in Southwest Virginia, whichis a gorgeous place for outdoor adventure but
also for music. It is atrail of venues and musical performances. This
(08:50):
will be celebrating the Carter family andit's country, it's bluegrass, it's a
little bit of rock. It's allof that, So definitely come in twenty
twenty four to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary, and then we're going to have the
grand opening of the hard Rock Hotel. The casinos already opened, but the
(09:11):
hotel is going to open in twentytwenty four. So it's in Bristol,
Virginia, and it's going to bea beacon for music lovers and people who
like gaming and travel and good food. And Bristol is a cool town anyway,
so it's really a great reason totravel and come and hang out for
entertainment, gaming and a good timein Bristol, Virginia. It is the
(09:33):
birthplace of country music, however,not Nashville. Bristol is the birthplace of
country music. Nineteen twenty seven,nineteen twenty seven, that's right, that's
right. Well, Rita, thankyou again. I had so much fun
at learning all about Virginia. Ifyou want to learn more and plan your
trip today, Virginia dot org iswhere you want to go. Rita,
thank you again. Thank you Frantaska, Take care, bye bye.
Good morning, and welcome back toWhere to Next, a travel podcast with
me. Your host, my nameis Francisca Pressian. Today we're talking all
about the great state of Virginia withMss Rita mclenny, President and CEO of
the Virginia Tourism Corporation. Rita,welcome, Thank you, Francesca. It's
good to be with you. I'mso excited to talk to our neighbors.
You know, Virginia right here inthe DMV Virginia dot org is where you
(00:22):
want to go for more information andto start planning your trip today. Well,
Rita, without further ado, let'sjust dive right in and start talking
all about Virginia. It's a placeto love, you know, going with
Virginia's for Lovers. We've had thesame slogan for fifty three years. Virginia
has a lot of history, butyou know, it all comes down to
the story. And Virginia's history ismade up of revolutionaries, great thinkers,
(00:44):
passionate doers of all kinds, andsome of our world's greatest achievements have happened
here in Virginia. And you know, we want to present ourselves as a
welcoming, friendly, amazing place tovisit where you can have the vacation of
a lifetime, where you can dothe things that you love with the people
that you love. And again,if you look at cities, if you
(01:07):
look at what imprint Virginia has hadacross localities and across the commonwealth. We
have about eight point seven million peoplewho live in Virginia and we're situated right
here in the heart of the midAtlantic ready to receive all of your guests.
I mean, now the great timeof the year to discover fall along
the Blue Ridge Parkway, or thatwonderful brisk walk on the Atlantic Ocean,
(01:32):
if you're going down to one ofour beaches. It's just beautiful this time
of the year and always absolutely andyou kind of are rolling right into my
next question here, Rita, Ilove it. I wanted to talk a
little bit about what the most popularthings in the great state of Virginia are.
To check out those things that peoplecome for, they come back for
and they really enjoy exploring and discoveringreally goes from coast to the cliff.
(01:55):
So if you look at having agreat time on the Atlantic Ocean, if
you go from Virginia Eastern Shore overto the amazing Blue Ridge Parkway which runs
through so many amazing small and charmingtowns. But also if you look at
things to do, music, food, hiking, biking. We have great
amusement parks in King's Dominion and bushgardens and it's just discoveries every place that
(02:21):
you turn. And if you bringyour family in like this time of the
year, you can go through cornmazes, you can go pick apples,
you can visit a winery, abrewery, a distillery. Is something for
everyone. And I tell you onething that's really become really popular is our
luxury program where you can fly inon United Airlines and if you are a
(02:43):
Polaris member or in their Mouths program, you can get a special amenity at
one of our lodging establishments. Andif people are familiar with Shila Johnson,
she owns the Salamander Resort in Middleburg, Virginia. So that's just the taste
of one of fifteen of our luxuryproperties. So much to do, if
remember the family will be busy inVirginia. Rita McClenny, President and CEO
(03:05):
of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. Virginiadot Org is where you want to go
online for more information and to startplanning your trip today. Virginia, as
you've been explaining, is a verydiverse destination, and I know it's rich
in Black history dating back centuries.I love for you to elaborate on some
of the black travel destinations in Virginiabecause Virginia really has become quite the premier
destination it has. Let's start.What's sort of the hub of black culture
(03:29):
in Virginia. It is Richmond.It's known for black entrepreneurship. Born just
a few blocks away in Jackson Ward. We have Maggie Walker. You know,
it's historic black neighborhood. It wasknown as the Wall Street, the
Black Wall Street of the US,and it's established one hundred and fifty years
ago and now it's just a thrivingand bustling neighborhood with places like Penny's Wine
(03:53):
Shop, Urban Hank Suite, greatrestaurants. Alexander is another great city,
a melton pot for diverse cultures inAlexandria, and it's close proximity to Washington,
DC, literally just across the fourteenthStreet Bridge. And Alexandria is full
of black history and locations. Theyhave a Black Houston Museum. There they
(04:15):
have the Freedom House Museum, theAfrican American Heritage Trail. There is a
tour company. You can get lotsof history tours, walking tours. Again,
great food. It's on the PotomacRiver. You can have dinner riverside.
It's just really a gorgeous, gorgeoustown city. Rather and then Virginia
(04:36):
Beach. It's vibrant coastal city withan energetic vibe that's home to a thrive
and art scene and really a lotof diverse range of restaurants, bars,
entertainment venues. In fact, PharrellWilliams is invested in Surf Park which is
an up and coming venue for entertainment. And really a lot of our artists
(04:57):
have played an influential role in bringingcoastal Virginia to its forefront known as the
seven five to seven. So youhave artists like Pharrella Williams, timbaland Missy
Elliott, pusha t King of Scott, they all call this area home.
The seven five to seven. Absolutelyamazing and I know that your efforts have
not gone unnoticed. There is abig award that you are a recent recipient
(05:21):
of. Well, you know,in Virginia we're so fortunate. Again taking
all of our history, all ofthe uniqueness, all of kind of how
black history and culture come together,we divide the campaign it's called the Heart
and Soul, and the Heart andSoul campaign is an initiative to promote Virginia
as a welcoming destinations for black travelers, to increase visitation from the travel group.
(05:44):
So through engaging video content, personalnarratives, storytelling. This black content
has really come alive and our heartand soul. So we showcase people attractions,
historical sites, vibrant communities. Wehave an emphasis on celebrating black culture
for someone's point of view. Couldbe fashion again, it could be a
(06:09):
menu, it could be you know, creating something that art that really has
a welcoming and inviting vibe for peopleto come in and want to know a
little bit more. The campaign featuredeight content creators and again these were creators
from across all genres and we wererecognized by the National Council of State Tourism
(06:32):
Directors US Travel at their annual awardsceremony in August and we brought home best
Digital campaign in the country. Sowe're very exciting. Wow, well,
very big congratulations. That is quitethe undertaking. And I know Virginia is
also home to what's called DC's WineCountry in Loudin County celebrating forty years in
(06:53):
the wine industry, which is somethingto celebrate for sure. Can you talk
to us a little bit about thatand give us some background on DC's Wine
Country. Yeah, we have overthree hundred and eighty wineries across the Commonwealth
of Virginia, and one that isextremely popular is in Louden County, which
is growing and bustling. And innineteen eighty an engineer, an entrepreneur,
Loop Parker, planet Louden County's firstgrapes on a rocky ground on a farm
(07:17):
south of Leesburg, and they haven'tlooked back since. So they grow Cabernet,
Sevignon, Westling, Chardonay, capfronc vigne. So all of these
wines are available, and in Virginia, wineries are are a farm experience.
People go, bring their families,bring their pets, they hang out,
they spend the day. There's foodgenerally available or food truck. And you
(07:43):
know, this fortieth anniversary just kindof shows how Virginia's wine country is popular
and growing. And Louden called itselfDC's Wine Country because so many people from
DC, Baltimore and the DMV.You know, we're coming in to have
this experience. So it really Thesefifty wineries right there in Loudon County produced
(08:03):
some really incredible wines, and DecanterMagazine in twenty twenty one call it the
most exciting corner of Virginia for wine. So cool. I mean, you
can't hate a wine country, right, that's right. Rita McClenny, President
and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, on with me today Virginia dot org
where you want to go for moreinfo and to start planning your trip now,
(08:24):
Rita, before I let you goreally quick, what's new to look
forward to over in Virginia in twentytwenty four. Oh, we're going to
be celebrating music, as we alwaysdo. It's the fiftieth anniversary of Carter
Family Fault in Southwest Virginia, whichis a gorgeous place for outdoor adventure but
also for music. It is atrail of venues and musical performances. This
(08:50):
will be celebrating the Carter family andit's country, it's bluegrass, it's a
little bit of rock. It's allof that, So definitely come in twenty
twenty four to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary, and then we're going to have the
grand opening of the hard Rock Hotel. The casinos already opened, but the
(09:11):
hotel is going to open in twentytwenty four. So it's in Bristol,
Virginia, and it's going to bea beacon for music lovers and people who
like gaming and travel and good food. And Bristol is a cool town anyway,
so it's really a great reason totravel and come and hang out for
entertainment, gaming and a good timein Bristol, Virginia. It is the
(09:33):
birthplace of country music, however,not Nashville. Bristol is the birthplace of
country music. Nineteen twenty seven,nineteen twenty seven, that's right, that's
right. Well, Rita, thankyou again. I had so much fun
at learning all about Virginia. Ifyou want to learn more and plan your
trip today, Virginia dot org iswhere you want to go. Rita,
thank you again. Thank you Frantaska, Take care, bye bye.
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