Top 10 Things to do in Fredericksburg, United States

Gari Melchers was an American artist who lived and painted at Belmont from 1916 until his death in 1932. Born in Detroit in 1860, Gari Melchers was a world famous portraitist and impressionist painter. He was headquartered in Paris, Holland, and Germany until World War I when he opened his studio in New York City and established his country home in Falmouth.In 1955, his widow, Corinne Melchers, donated the 27-acre Belmont property to the Commonwealth of Virginia to preserve and operate as an art museum and historic site. Her generous gift included the 1790s house, the artist's studio and contents, their personal furnishings, and more than 500 of Gari Melchers' paintings, the largest collection anywhere. Designated a Virginia and National Historic Landmark in 1966, Gari Melchers Home and Studio is administered by the University of Mary Washington. The buildings, gardens, and woodland trails are open to the public year round.Gari Melchers Home and Studio is one of just 30 of America's most significant artists' spaces included in the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Historic Artists' Homes and Studios consortium.Gari Melchers Home and Studio is home to the official Stafford County Visitor Center.

While not serving food or drink since 1827, the Rising Sun Tavern Museum provides a lively interpretation of late 18th-century Tavern life. Charles Washington, George Washington's youngest brother, built this landmark in the 1760's as his private residence. After being sold outside the Washington family, the building was leased as a tavern in 1792. Operating as a stopover for travelers for 35 years in the bustling town of Fredericksburg, it was a popular diversion for travelers and locals alike. Today, costumed guides entertain visitors as though they have just stepped off their coaches into the late 18th-century life. See how bygone visitors slept, learn what they ate and drank, and immerse yourself in the now eccentric customs of historic travel and lodgings. The original 18th-century structure contains period furniture and artifacts.

Built by George Washington's sister, Betty Washington Lewis, and her husband, Fielding Lewis, this beautiful, Georgian-style, eighteenth-century brick mansion reflects the pre-Revolutionary-War wealth and status of the Fredericksburg merchant.

Complimentary tours are offered every hour on the hour, Monday - Saturday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. The Gift Shop is open Monday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Historical Highlights A Smith Bowman bought the Sunset Hills estate farm in 1927 and opened up a dairy and granary. The farm was so abundant that he needed a use for the excess grain from his fields. In 1935, after the repeal of prohibition in the state of Virginia, he built and licensed the distillery. His sons maintained that tradition, continuing to feed the distillers grains to the dairy cattle, which were known to be the most contented cows in Virginia. In response to the rising real estate prices and property taxes of Northern Virginia, in 1988 the distillery was moved to the current location in Spotsylvania County near the city of Fredericksburg, 60 miles away from the original location. The Distillery Today As a small and American family owned company, A. Smith Bowman Distillery balances time-honored traditions with innovation and creativity to produce hand-crafted spirits. Distilled from the finest ingredients, the premium products created at A Smith Bowman Distillery honor the legacy and ground breaking spirit of Virginia's pioneers.

This 18th-century building restored as the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop presents a vivid living history interpretation of Colonial medical practices. Leeches, lancets, and snakeroot are all found in this 18th century doctor's office and pharmacy. Visitors can hear about the popular treatment of the day for a lady's hysteria or a medicine so potent that it would, according to one wealthy plantation owner "cheer a man with a bad wife." The Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop is one of Washington Heritage Museums and is within short walking distance of its other sites: the Mary Washington House, Rising Sun Tavern, and St. James' House. March 1-Oct. 31: Monday-Saturday, 9am-4pm; Sunday, noon-4pm. November 1-February 28: Monday-Saturday, 11am-4pm; Sunday, noon-4pm. Closed January 1, Thanksgiving, December 24, 25, 31. Please allow 45 minutes for your visit

In 1772, George Washington purchased a house in Fredericksburg, Virginia for his mother, Mary Ball Washington. She spent her last seventeen years in this comfortable home. The white frame house sites on the corner of Charles and Lewis Streets and was within walking distance of Kenmore, the home of Mary's daughter, Betty Washington Lewis. Tradition has it that, during the Revolution, General Lafayette found Mrs. Washington in her garden. As the President-to-be, George Washington came to this home to receive his mother's blessing before attending his inauguration in 1789.