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Download this handy map of Frederick County.

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Fun Fact: Patsy Cline, one of the most influential female vocalists of the 20th century, was born and raised in Frederick County.

1. Patsy Cline’s Grave

Shenandoah Memorial Park, 1270 Front Royal Pike, Winchester

We arrived at Shenandoah Memorial Park and immediately noticed the hard-to-miss Patsy Cline memorial bell tower.

However, we had trouble finding Patsy Cline’s grave which is rather nondescript and not located near the bell tower. When we finally found it, we took this photo to show its location in relation to the on-site funeral home.

We brought our foster dog Liesl to visit Patsy Cline’s gravesite and to place a penny on her gravestone. Maybe this tribute brought Liesl some good luck because she was adopted shortly thereafter.

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Amos, our pack’s historian, enjoyed learning about the life and legacy of Patsy Cline, especially when he found that Patsy had a four-legged family member named Pepe.

Amos: “Born in Winchester, Virginia, during the Great Depression, Patsy Cline spent her early years in poverty. She dropped out of high school at 16 to help support her family. In 1957, Patsy’s trajectory changed after she won a televised talent competition with her song Walking after Midnight.”

Amos: “Over the next six years, Patsy Cline became a world famous country music star with hits such as I Fall to Pieces.”

Amos: “Tragically, Patsy Cline’s life ended in 1963 from a plane crash, but her legacy continues with her music including my favorite, I’m Walking the Dog.”

Amos: “Patsy Cline lived in this house at 608 S. Kent St., in Winchester. Dogs can leash up and walk by anytime to pay homage to Patsy.”

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2. Green Circle Trail

Nearby parking is available at several locations. We parked at the Winchester-Frederick County Visitors Center, 1400 S. Pleasant Valley Rd., Winchester

Access this map here.

The Green Circle Trail keeps its 6-mile loop interesting by linking to fun places around the city, such as the Abrams Creek Wetlands Preserve. It also links up to Old Town Winchester through a pedestrian mall.

During our walk, our foster dog Aretha stopped to say hello to the geese on Wilkins Lake.

Grendel: “Did someone say ‘lake’ ?!?!?!

WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!”

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3. Sabai Thai Winchester

Thai food is my absolute favorite cuisine, so I was beyond thrilled that Sabai Thai Winchester is one of the many restaurants with outdoor, dog friendly seating on the city’s pedestrian mall.

Jake, our chief executive gastronome, also likes Thai food. Jake says, “Did you know that Pad Thai is the national dish of Thailand? You can’t go wrong with an order or two of Pad Thai from Sabai Thai.”

We listened to Jake and ordered the Pad Thai, our best decision of the day. I ordered the veggie option and Mack ordered his with shrimp.

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4. Frederick County Esther Boyd Animal Shelter

161 Fort Collier Rd., Winchester

So many sweet dogs await their new families at the Frederick County Esther Boyd Animal Shelter

View this post on Instagram

Can’t adopt right now? Please consider donating through the shelter’s Amazon wish list.

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5. Third Winchester Battlefield Park

Main Entrance: 541 Redbud Rd., Winchester

Our foster dog Aretha likes road trips, hiking, and learning about Civil War history. She is currently looking for her forever home.

We could have spent all day exploring Third Winchester Battlefield Park and its more than six miles of trails. Be on the lookout for monuments and interpretative markers.

Amos: “I listened to the Civil War audio tour and learned that the Third Battle of Winchester was not just the largest battle of the Shenandoah Valley but was also one of the key battles of the Civil War.”

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6. Site of George Washington’s Historic Fort Loudoun

419 N. Loudoun St., Winchester

Amos, really dug into the history of George Washington’s Fort Loudoun. (Amos is especially partial to George Washington because of his great fondness for dogs.)

Amos: “This is the site where a fort once stood during the French and Indian War. The cell phone tour of Fort Loudoun taught me that George Washington himself designed the fort and that it served as his headquarters.”

Amos: “This image shows the exact dimensions and location of the fort. Those fortified structures at each corner of the fort are called bastions. Colonel Washington ensured that each bastion held six cannons.”

The well from Fort Loudoun is over 100 feet deep and is located on the left side of the house. Photo of the well from Facebook | Winchester’s Fort Loudoun – French and Indian War Foundation Friends

Amos: “The French and Indian War, the North American theater of the global Seven Years War, provided Colonel George Washington with valuable military lessons that came in handy later during the Revolutionary War.”

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7. Star Fort

503 Fortress Dr., Winchester

Our foster dog Aretha enjoys posing for the camera, especially when treats are involved.

Surprise! In the middle of a suburban neighborhood lies one of Winchester’s key defenses during the Civil War.

Before our visit, we watched this video by the Civil War Digital Digest to learn about the history of these earthworks.

Q. What was Aretha’s favorite part of our visit?

A. Sniffing along the circular path that encompasses the earthworks.

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8. Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park

Visitor Center: 7712 Main St, Middletown Courts Plaza

Amos: “The Battle of Cedar Creek, the last major battle of the Shenandoah campaign, occurred on October 19, 1864. The Confederates launched a surprise attack upon the Union Army. At first, a Confederate win seemed absolute. However, the Union Army rallied, successfully retaliated, and won the battle.”

Our foster dog Aretha, the belle of Belle Grove

We love the flexibility of a self-guided tour and were happy to learn that the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park offers a self-guided driving tour. The tour consists of nine stops along 17.5 miles. We parked at a couple of the stops and walked around.

Belle Grove Plantation. During the battle, heavy fighting occurred at this manor house, which served as the Union Army headquarters.

Mount Carmel Cemetery. Heavy fighting occurred here, called the Middletown Cemetery at the time.

Aretha, our foster dog…Who can resist that sweet face?

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9. Willa Cather Birthplace

7M9G+4F Gore

What?! There’s an old, abandoned house in the area? We’re on it.

This crumbling structure is the birthplace of Pulitzer Prize winning author Willa Cather. Donations toward saving the house can be made through the Willa Cather Birthplace Fund.

The house is locked up and that’s a good thing, because when we visited it wasn’t safe to explore. However, YouTuber Abandoned Brian provides a tour of the interior on his channel.

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Of course, Amos wants to share a few factoids about his fellow native Virginian Willa Cather.

Amos: “Willa Cather’s works include novels set in the Western states and Great Plains. She won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for her novel, One of Ours, about a young Nebraskan man who enlists to fight in World War I.”

Photo of Willa Cather by Carl Van Vechten, 1936.

Amos: “Before her family moved to Nebraska, Willa Cather spent her first nine years in Virginia. For her final novel, Sapphira and the Slave Girl, Cather returned to Virginia to research her birthplace and face up to her family’s slave holding history. She said it was the most difficult book she ever wrote.”

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P. S. We recommend the following audiobooks during your trip to Frederick County.

Loretta Lynn is a great storyteller and this book is a wonderful tribute to Patsy Cline.

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Amos highly recommends this fascinating book which explains the French and Indian War within the global context of the Seven Years’ War.

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Willa Cather drew inspiration from her birthplace to write this novel about an antebellum household in Frederick County.

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