What's up Downtown?  It's two minutes by car and a few more on foot from the center of downtown Lynchburg to Percival's Island Natural Area, a fifty-six acre park situated smack in the middle of the James River that is perfect for picnicking, hiking, biking fishing, bird watching, and in-line skating.

The park is also ideal for "people watching."  Everyone is there :  young lovers, dog lovers, Lance Armstrong look-alikes, tots on training wheels, senior cardio-fitness fanatics, and serious joggers pushing high-tech baby strollers.

The entrance to Percival's Island is linked by a short RiverWalk trail to the city's Riverfront Fesitval Park, a flat, open green-space that serves as downtown's three-season party central.  As it's name implies, the park is home to major annual events like the historical James River Batteau Festival and teh musical Jamboree by the James.

Two blocks up from the Riverfront Festival Park is the Lynchburg City Market.  On warm weekends the spot serves as a quaint, outdoor farmers' market by day and a smaller-scale party central by night.  During the spring and summer, the market hosts a regular after-work gathering call Friday Cheers, featuring live bands, great food and lots of fun.

While downtown brings a wonderful assortment of people together, it also supports distinct scenes.  Movie buffs brings blankets and lounge chairs to the corner of 9th and Jefferson Streets at dusk to watch RiverFlicks, an outdoor summer film series.  A synergistic crowd of artists, photographers, architects, and other creative professionals have moved into a renovated former shoe warehouse now knows as the Riverview Artspace.  Even "renegade" skateboarders have their own state-of-the-art facility.

Lynchburg's postal officials, judges, and other federal administrators have a new state-of-the-art facility downtown.  While that may not sound as thrilling as a skate-park, it is music to the ears of the City Planning Director.  IT was a $20 million project which required the renovation of a historic schoolhouse and the construction of a five story addition.  Combined with a new postal facility the complex occupies and entire block.

Another large-scale investment for downtown involves the renovation of vacant brick warehouses into retail spaces and residential loft apartments.  Located next to the Community Market, the $10 millions mixed-use building has sparked a community vision process aimed at the further enhancement of Main Street's south end, replacing pavement with green spaces and essentially transforming the block into a town square.

One of the most dramatic views can be seen from the base of 9th Street.  In the James River the Langley Fountain shoots 190 feet of water (the tallest on the east coast) straight into the air, creating a natural rainbow when lighting conditions are right.  Two thousand feet up the hill, in the opposite direction, the Old City Courthouse presides over the skyline, still acting as the imposing "ornament" the city fathers envisioned when the Greek-temple-style edifice was built in 1855.

In between the fountain and the courthouse, visitors and locals are flocking to attractions like Amazement Square, a four-story, hands on children's museum that delights adults as well.  Downtown's historic riverfront train station has been converted into a restaurant, the Depot Grill, which re-purposed rail cars serving as a kitchen and preparation area.  Real freight trains pass by the station at regular intervals throughout the day.

Capital investment (and the many incentives that attract it) as certainly been one of the main drivers behind the downtown's success so far.  Yet, important hard-to-pin-down investment -call it an emotional stake - that people are pouring into the equation as well.  When you start seeing this type of activity going on you know the community is coming together.