I had promised a post about my adventures playing Wizards Unite in Staunton, Virginia. This is by no means a complete guide (I will add suggestions if you mention them in the comments); this is just some places I took note of during my trip.
If you know Staunton, then you know Staunton is home to the Queen City Mischief and Magic Party every year. I have been twice and it was a blast. During one of these occasions I was living there, so for a local it was kinda a nightmare. I’m not a people person though, so don’t let my antisocial ramblings deter you from going. If you are a Potterhead, it is worth a trip. This year is it September 27-29th. You can find more details on their website. If you make the trip, drink a butter beer for me.
I spent most of my summer at my parents’ home, which is in the middle of absolute nowhere. Needless to say, I didn’t make much progress in the game since I couldn’t quite bring myself to drive to town just to cast some spells.
So I was quite excited about playing in Staunton. We stayed at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel, which is the best way to stay in Staunton if you want to do “all the downtown things”. You can park your car in the parking garage and walk everywhere. With my teacher friend McHenry’s military discount (thank you for your service Jason, if you are reading this!), it came out to be about what you’d spend at a Holiday Inn by the interstate. The hotel itself is a greenhouse, so I grew lots of things and got quiet a bit of energy from my visits during our downtime. Our room in the hotel was close enough to reach the fortress at the American Shakespeare Center. While we were in Staunton we saw a play there. The American Shakespeare Center is the home of the only re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor playhouse, the Blackfriars. If you are ever able to, seeing a play there is quite the treat.
I’m not going to go in any particular order heading forward, so just brace yourself for some ramblings about cool places.
Sunspots, a glass blowing studio where you can see the artist at work and buy some pretty pretties, is an inn.
Byer’s Street Bistro is a tasty little restaurant. From there you can reach an inn and the restaurant has free wifi, which is important when you are traipsing around a city playing a game like this.
We visited the Pampered Palate while we were in town, but you can’t reach anything from there. The food is still good though.
Split Banana, a homemade gelato shop, is an inn. They have free wifi.
The Statler Brother’s Tribute, by Byer’s Street Bistro, is a fortress. The tribute is the three large stools. If you have ever been to the Staunton Farmer’s Market, it is in that parking lot area.
The Wharf has a greenhouse.
Dr. Alexander Humphrey’s is an inn by the courthouse. The courthouse is also in range of the Augusta County Inn (which I guess is the courthouse itself?).
Augusta County Historical Society has an inn, which can be reached from the Stonewall Jackson Hotel’s parking garage.
If you head to Gypsy Hill Park and do some strolling, you are in reach of a couple of inns and a greenhouse. We didn’t stray far from the duck pond (the real reason why we were there), so you can get a lot if you just stay in that area.
As a Mary Baldwin graduate, I spent some time at Mary Baldwin University during my trip to Staunton. The administration building is an inn and First Presbyterian Church is also an inn. I had a lot more luck on upper campus, however. When you are standing near the University Cafe, you can reach a couple of inns. There’s also a greenhouse or two scattered around campus. I am biased, so I think the campus is gorgeous. Take a stroll and you’ll hit some things, but you also can ride through the parking lot on upper campus and snag a few things.
Finally, one of my favorite places to eat in Staunton is The Depot Grille and they are in reach of an inn plus they have wifi.
All in all, stay at the Stonewall Jackson, use their wifi, visit the greenhouse every spare moment, rack up on energy, and battle in the fortress all evening.