Bedford: Small Town Virginia

Bedford | Virginia | Town | To Make Much of Time

UPDATED: 2/4/2023

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If you enjoy coming across quaint small towns with old houses and cute downtowns with character, Bedford, Virginia, is definitely worth checking out.

The Town of Bedford is smack dab in the middle between Roanoke and Lynchburg and a short drive from Smith Mountain Lake and so is an easy day trip from any of those areas, or a good place to stop when traveling through Southwestern Virginia.

We have visited on several occasions - first in October 2010 after moving to Roanoke just to check out the town and wander. In April 2012, my mom and I stopped in town for lunch as part of a trip to Appomattox, and more recently we’ve been in the area for a wedding we photographed at Avenel House in 2018. In each case, I have gotten the distinct sense that it's clear we're from out of town and that everyone local knows each other. With a town population of just over 6,000 people, that is probably not far from the truth!

Bedford’s biggest claim to fame is the D Day Memorial, a short drive outside of downtown. While we haven’t visited it ourselves, one question we have had is why this memorial, approved by Congress and dedicated in June 2001 by George W. Bush, was placed in this small town. Interestingly, Bedford has the dubious honor of suffering the largest proportional losses on D Day of any community (having lost 19 young men from Bedford, which at the time had a total population of 3,200, meant that 0.6% of their town’s population perished that day).

As an obsessive lover of old houses, my favorite thing to do is simply drive up and down the blocks enjoying the sweet streets of houses.