Accommodations in Lynchburg

$50-$100

Of the many chain hotels in town, two of the better choices in this price range are the Hampton Inn (5604 Seminole Avenue., 434-237-2704, fax 434-239-9183, and the Comfort Inn (3125 Albert Lankford Drive 434-847-9041, fax 434-847-8513)

$110-$150

In the Garland Hill district stands the 1880's Madison House Bed and Breakfast (413 Madison Street 434-528-1503 or 877-901-1503, info@madisonhousebb.net,) an Italianate Victorian mansion built for a tobacco baron in the 1880's.  Beautiful wrought iron porch decorations and leaded glass in the front door window are only the beginning.  Inside you'll find a library with volumes dating to the 18th century, crystal chandeliers, and original china bathroom fixtures from the early 1900's.  Meals come on Limoges and Wedgwood china, and tea is served every day at 4 p.m.  A six seat hot tub awaits in the club house.

Phil and Ann Ripley's Federal Crest Inn (1101 Federal Street, 434-845-6155 or 800-818-6155, inn@federalcrest.com, commands a stately view from the top of Federal Hill, especially from the Eagle's Nest Theater on the third floor, built as a stage for the original owner's children (and now home to a large-screen TV).  Seven fireplaces, each with a unique mantel, are spread throughout the house, which has two guest rooms and two suites with down comforters and gas-log fireplaces.

English box-woods frame the Ivy Creek Farm B & B (2812 Link Road 434-384-3802 or 800-689-7404, info@ivycreekfarm.com , with three guest rooms and an old barn left from a previous incarnation as a dairy farm.  Oriental carpets, period furnishings, and antique pewter embellish the inside, and there's a brick floored pool room inside.