Measured by population, Sperryville, VA, is a tiny town of around 350 people. Measured by creativity per capita, Sperryville is a terrific place that pretty much anyone would be thrilled to visit.

Francis Thornton, Jr., founded the Piedmont town in 1820, after inheriting land that an ancestor had acquired from the Northern Neck Land Proprietary in 1749. Sperryville reached its current size during the operation of Smoot Tannery Works from 1867-1911. But of course, everyone knows that!

So, let’s get on to some things you may not know. Here are some of the people and places that make Sperryville so amazing!

Hopkins Ordinary (est. 1820), B&B and Brewery

If you are looking for a historic place to stay during a trip to Sperryville, consider Hopkins Ordinary. The brick core of the structure dates to Sperryville’s founding (1820); it consisted of the ordinary, or inn, and a basement tavern. The inn was expanded with a wood frame construction near the middle of the 19th century, and the tavern became a cozy lounge and brewery by 2014. Olivia and Katie, two young entrepreneurs and food enthusiasts, purchased the establishment in November 2024.

The ordinary once accommodated guests in 12 separate rooms, but these have been converted into five spacious and well-appointed suites. Behind the main building, there are also two cottages that can be rented for short stays. Our favorite amenity at Hopkins Ordinary, not even excluding the great brewery, may be the wraparound porches. What better way to end a vacation day than watching the sunset from a rocking chair, perhaps while sipping a cold local beer from downstairs?

Sperryville Corner Store (est. around 1850)

The Corner Store at 3710 Sperryville Pike, where Main Street meets the highway, has been supplying the town’s residents and visitors with groceries since around 1850. It remained the “heart of Sperryville” from the 20th century into the 21st century thanks to Randolph Clater, who managed the store for 40+ years, from 1958-2000, and then worked at the meat counter for 15 more. After buying the store from Clater in 2000, the Thompsons opened a pizza place and a restaurant called Thornton River Grille. As one local writer notes, their investments contributed significantly to revitalizing the downtown. The Corner Store’s current stewards are the Batchelors, who also operate Rappahannock Pizza Kitchen and FRANCIS Bar.

The Corner Store is interesting simply to visit, but it is also the perfect place to stock your fridge while staying in Sperryville or fill your backpack with provisions before a hike at Shenandoah National Park. If you brave the rugged trek up Old Rag Mountain, you might also want to return to 3710 Sperryville Pike, so that you can reward yourself with a specialty pizza or a cocktail sweetened with flavored syrup from Wild Roots Apothecary. (To learn about that local marvel, read on!)

Copper Fox Antiques (est. 2000)

Built in 1938, the warehouse that houses Copper Fox Antiques has previously served as an apple packing house, cold storage facility, and cidery. In 2000, a Scotland-trained whisky maker, Rick Wasmund, began collecting and selling antiques there while developing his Virginian single malt. Wasmund sold his antiques business in 2007, but he still makes special brews across the street at Copper Fox Distillery (est. 2005), where you can find an all-natural cinnamon whisky and other remarkable libations.

Although Wasmund claims to work for extraterrestrials from the planet Maltos, we have yet to spot any relics of that glorious civilization at Copper Fox Antiques. Granted, the secondhand treasures fill 30,000 square feet of space, so we may have missed an item or two. What we have noticed – and coveted – is a replica of George Washington’s desk, the one that has been displayed at NYC City Hall since 1844. That desk might be shipped to Maltos before you can visit, but count on seeing benches, wingback chairs, chandeliers, oak chests, decorative mirrors, paintings, settees, glass tables, marble furniture, and sundry curiosities.

Haley Fine Art (est. 2000), Gallery

This wonderful gallery exhibits and sells work by painters, sculptors, photographers, and other artists, many of whom live in the region. The attractive pale-yellow building is owned by a married couple, Andrew Haley and Suzanne Zylonis. Praising their gallery, a travel writer recently remarked that it “punches well above its weight class.” The couple also own the business next door, Sperryville Pottery, where Suzanne’s pottery is sold by her biggest fan – her mom.

The gallery generally hosts shows in May, October, and December, and the permanent collection has works by 15 artists. Currently on sale are art objects in diverse media. Woody Blackwell’s animal sculptures are made of numerous metal panels, reminding us of Howl’s Moving Castle. Patricia Underwood creates beautiful abstract paintings with earthtones and natural motifs. As a final example, Bill Mauzy takes black-and-white photographs of trees, fields, and rustic buildings. After you explore the gallery, be sure to stop by Sperryville Pottery to tell the manager that she clearly raised Suzanne right!

Three Blacksmiths (est. 2018), Restaurant

This restaurant was founded by John and Diane MacPherson, who renovated the building with the help of sous chef Ethan Taylor. But they were not the original three blacksmiths! That name refers to three metalworkers who once worked in Sperryville. In 2021, the MacPhersons sold Three Blacksmiths to Jake and Sara Addeo, who had previously managed kitchens in New York City and Hong Kong. The chefs now offer fine dining that approaches an immersive art experience.

Every Wednesday through Saturday, there is a single seating for a four-hour prix fixe dinner of six to eight courses, carefully planned around the growing season. You might enjoy grilled nectarines from Jenkins Orchards or grass-fed beef from one of the restaurant’s other local partners, F.T. Valley Farm. You can also choose one of two wine pairings, specially curated by Jake, or order a cocktail made with liquor from Copper Fox Distillery. The restaurant can accommodate 20 people, but tables go fast. We recommend scheduling your visit precisely 203 days in advance, which is when reservations become available.

Off the Grid Café and Market (est. 2019)

Just a mile outside Sperryville, former high school math teacher Sarah Meservey runs a wonderful and completely solar-powered eatery. As the county paper Rappahannock News reported in 2019, Meservey created the self-sufficient café specializing in farm-to-table cuisine with support from employees, whom she calls “pillars of talent.” (We trust our own boss will soon adopt the phrase.) The restaurant is usually open for breakfast and lunch, but it hosts a pop-up dinner once per month. It also sells flash-frozen foods and environmentally friendly gifts, and visitors can stay onsite in a lovely three-bedroom Airbnb.

On the adjoining farm, Meservey grows produce for the restaurant’s kitchen as well as hemp, a plant with numerous environmental benefits and uses. Bean, a guard dog, dutifully watches over some working ladies (free-range hens) and stately dames (retired goats), which are kept safe with help from a solar-powered electric fence. If the world ever goes full Mad Max: Fury Road, we’ll be hijacking a war rig and barreling eastward on I-40 to seek refuge at this Green Place.

Veditz & Co. Brewing (est. 2023)

This Deaf-owned brewery was opened in 2023 by Greg Randall, Amit Rupani, and Joey Seifner. Randall, who lost his hearing when he was just two years old, made the best of the pandemic by learning to brew his own beer. After lockdown, he partnered with Rupani and Seifner to launch a business named after George Veditz (1861-1937), the Deaf activist, educator, and filmmaker behind Preservation of the Sign Language (1913). The three business partners honor his legacy by displaying the work of Deaf visual artists and hosting monthly American Sign Language (ASL) chats. You can learn more about the owners and Deaf culture in this fascinating article from Rappahannock News.

We highly recommend checking out the brewery, even if you know only some basic signs, such as the ASL alphabet or a certain gesture you learned from your Italian grandmother as a teenager. You’re certain to learn better ways to express yourself, perhaps while downing a Deaf Mosaic double IPA and then deciding to buy a mini keg. (Deaf Mosaic was an Emmy®-winning educational television series that started in the 1980s.) Check out Veditz & Co. on Instagram for the most up-to-date information and advertisements for cool events, such as the ASL Poetry Slam that occurred on March 29, 2025.

The Marketplace (est. 2024)

Bringing several small businesses together under one roof, the Marketplace is the perfect place to experience a range of what Sperryville’s creatives, artisans, and entrepreneurs have to offer. We can’t cover all 16 businesses, so we will just give you a taste of the wonderful spots in and around the Marketplace.

The Sperryville ARTist Cooperative & Gallery (est. 2014) displays work by local artists such as Picasso- and Basquiat-influenced painter Adam Disbrow. The New Iberia Kitchen (est. 2024) fuses Spanish cuisine, Cajun fare, and American comfort food. Wholehearted Chocolate (est. 2023) sells wonderful treats by Keenan Sherwood – perfect for force-feeding to our Senior Writer, a hypocritical faux vegan!

Finally, if you walk across the street to Wild Roots Apothecary, herbalist Colleen O’Bryant may be able to recommend a natural remedy for what ails you. (For us, that’s our heads, ears, backs, hips, knees, and feet.)

As you can already see, you should budget carefully for a trip to the Marketplace, because you won’t want to spend all your coin at any one place!

That’s our roundup! We hope it will entice you to visit this small yet wonderful town near the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains.

We’ll be back soon with another roundup – as long as we aren’t playing sardines at Copper Fox Antiques (How many copyright advocates can squeeze into that $2200 French armoire?), enjoying locally sourced bánh mì while charging our cherry red custom Ford F-150® Lightning at Off the Grid (An Angeleno can dream!), or quaffing double IPAs while signing with new friends at Veditz and Co. (Note to CEO: We would love more PTO to expand our creative horizons in this way.)

Until next time, find some creativity wherever you can. Stay safe, and be well. #StandCreative