Culpeper County

Calling All Puppers to Culpeper

Fun fact: In 1749, Culpeper County appointed its first surveyor, a local 17-year old named George Washington.

Mural at the intersection of Cameron and Main St., Culpeper

Read about our mission to visit all 95 Virginia counties.

We are extremely fortunate to live near Culpeper County. Therefore, we did not rate the local accommodations. We awarded 5 out of 5 stars to all other categories.

Accommodations not rated
Dining ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Dog Friendliness ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
History ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recreation ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sightseeing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We found a long weekend’s worth of unique Culpeper County experiences where dogs are welcome (as long as they are accompanied by polite, leashed humans).

Civil War History

Virginia’s 43rd state park juxtaposes Culpeper’s sobering Civil War history against stunningly beautiful backdrops.

Culpeper Battlefield State Park encompasses hallowed ground from two important Civil War battles—Cedar Mountain and Brandy Station.

We suggest using this map to locate the interpretative signs, and bringing lots of H2O for your pack because these park sites do not feature hydration stations.

Battle of Cedar Mountain, August 9, 1862

Clara Barton was here! For two days and nights, the founder of the Red Cross tended to wounded soldiers on the battlefield.

(More information about the battle here.)

Visitor Center and Trailhead, 9465 General Winder Rd., Rapidan (Length of hike: 1 1/4 miles)

Battle of Brandy Station, June 9, 1863

Almost 20,000 mounted soldiers fought at Brandy Station, making it the largest cavalry battle ever fought in North America.

(More information about the battle here.)

Fleetwood Trailhead, 20362 Brandy Heights Rd., Brandy Station (Length of Hike: 1/4 mile)

St. James Church Trailhead, 13198 St. James Church Rd., Brandy Station (Length of Hike: 3/4 mile)

Buford’s Knoll Trailhead, G4JR+XQ, Elkwood – This location has no address, but it is off Beverly Ford Road and close to the Culpeper Regional Airport. (Length of hike: 2 1/2 miles)

Fairview Cemetery, 822 Sperryville Pike, Culpeper

The beauty and serenity of Fairview Cemetery sharply contrast with its grim connection to the Civil War: The cemetery’s scenic 34 acres includes a mass grave of Confederate soldiers.

Virginia Bison Company at Cibola Farms

10075 Stone Bridge Road, Culpeper

Bison are native to Virginia and lived here when the European colonists arrived. However, Virginia’s bison were hunted out before the start of the 1800s.

Today, bison have returned to Virginia, but unlike the wild herds of the past, these are confined by fences.

Photo provided courtesy of Cibola Farms

Chicken, geese, dogs, and goats also live at Cibola Farms. (The dogs mostly ignored us except for an introductory sniff.)

After touring the farm, we stopped by the shop to purchase bison steaks, eggs, and—no surprise here—dog treats.

Photo from AirBnb

The farm also offers dog friendly lodging through AirBnb.

Visitors can wake up to the sounds of birds chirping and bison bellowing.

Culpeper Downtown

Our pack awarded Culpeper Downtown with 10 out of 10 paws. 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 We loved its dog-walk-ability, dog friendliness vibe, and extra dose of fun.

We made good use of this handy guide. It indicates each dog friendly venue with a paw print symbol.

The Burgandine House, 807 Main St.

We recommend a visit to the dog friendly Burgandine House (c. 1749), one of Culpeper’s oldest homes.

Grill 309, 309 South Main St.

If you want excellent food and wonderful service at a good price, we suggest heading to Grill 309. We brought our foster dog Rosalind out for a bit of socialization and the wait staff gave her V.I.P. treatment with a refreshing water bowl, lots of attention, and treats.

Scoop on Davis 167 East Davis St.

Rosalind highly recommends the pup cup at Scoop on Davis, while we suggest the sorbet. Although Mack insists the mango sorbet is the best one, I’m partial to raspberry.

My favorite part of Culpeper Downtown? The street art.

“Daughter of the Stars” Corner of West Chandler St. and South Main St.

“The Trailblazers” 254 East Davis St.

“Paintings of the Creation Story” 115 North East St.

“Roman Goddess Virtue” 148 East Davis St.

“Blue Ridge Mountains” 100 Block West Davis St.

Visit this website for information about Culpeper’s murals and other scene stealers.

LOVEworks Tour

Speaking of scene stealers, not only did we find LOVE in Culpeper County, but we also dug up more dog friendly destinations.

Culpeper Train Depot, 111 S. Commerce St.

Look closely. Local artist Roque Castro comprised this Reel LOVE sculpture from film reels donated by Culpeper’s Library of Congress Packard Campus Theater.