Lynchburg

Understand

Lynchburg began in 1757 as a ferry town, fording traffic across the James River. The city is built on centuries of history, boasting strong connections to Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and other early American patriots. Because of the city's use by the Confederacy as a supply and hospital center, it served as a battlefield in the American Civil War. Lynchburg has been designated a portion of Virginia's Rail Heritage Region. Lynchburg's historic districts contain many beautiful homes from the 19th century.

Lynchburg's name is derived from its founder, John Lynch, who, at the age of 17, began a ferry service across the James River to facilitate travel to and from New London. He would later be responsible for the bridge which would make his ferry service obsolete. Despite common misconceptions, neither John Lynch nor Lynchburg is associated with the origination of term, "lynching," though it may have originated with John's brother, Charles.

Geography and climate

Lynchburg's nickname, the "City of Seven Hills," is very descriptive of the geography of the city. Though it refers most directly to the hills near where the city was founded, these hills extend far beyond the riverfront at the James River. The area includes much of Candlers Mountain.

Spring in Lynchburg is short-lived, often it is simply a period of wide fluctuation between mid-late winter and early-mid summer temperatures. Summers are humid and hot with temperatures generally reaching 90°F. Autumns are mild; temperatures stay somewhere between 40°F and 55°F. Once winter hits, temperatures will top out near freezing until February and, perhaps, beyond. Winters can bring lots of snow to the Lynchburg area: about three one-foot snowstorms each winter.

Generally, storms will pass through over the course of a few hours, but rain systems without lightning and thunder will stick in Lynchburg for days at a time, lending to the nickname "Drenchburg." When there is wind in Lynchburg, it tends to be a very high wind. Unlike nearby areas, the warmest part of the day in this part of Virginia is generally 5PM.

Information center

Get in

By car

Enter Lynchburg by one of four major routes:

• U.S. 29 North and South
• Runs along the southeast side of the city. Take the business route for quick access to downtown.
• U.S. 460 East and West
• Runs along the south side of the city, providing quick access to Liberty University and most of the city's industrial facilities.
• U.S. 501 North and South
• Arrive via U.S. 501 North for a slower, more scenic route through the Blue Ridge Mountains. It also intersects with the Blue Ridge Parkway, a beautiful route that follows the mountains.
• U.S. 221 East
• Terminates in midtown (about a mile west of downtown)

U.S. 29 merges with U.S. 460 at a three-way junction. When traveling to Lynchburg via U.S. 29 South, a right exit is required to continue along U.S. 29 South / U.S. 460 West.

After US 29 and US 460 align together, they mostly bypass all of Lynchburg. To really enter Lynchburg from US 460, one can take US 460 Business (Timberlake Rd.) and to enter Lynchburg from US 29 one can take US 29 Business (Wards Road).

By plane

Go Lynchburg Regional Airport (LYH)

American Eagle operates a regional flight between Lynchburg Regional Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) about every two hours. United Express operates daily flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). The airport offers a café, free wireless access, and car rentals.

📍 350 Terminal Drivejust south of the city limits on U.S. 29☎ +1 434-455-6090Checked Oct 2025

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By train

Kemper Street station (825 Kemper St.) is a stop on the Amtrak Northeast Regional offering twice daily service between Roanoke and the Northeast with stops in Washington, D.C., New York City, and Boston. The station is also a stop on the Amtrak Crescent offering daily service between New Orleans and New York City.

By bus

• Virginia Breeze Piedmont Express serves Kemper Street Station and provides service from Washington, D.C. to the north and from Danville to the south.
• Greyhound serves the Greater Lynchburg Transit Company (GLTC) transfer center adjacent to Kemper Street Station. As of 2025, the route directly serving Lynchburg provides service from Baltimore in the north and from to Nashville in the south, stopping at many cities in between.

Get around

By car

Driving is perhaps the most convenient way to get around Lynchburg. Apart from the Downtown area and the area on and around the campus of Liberty University, most of the city is not very friendly to pedestrian traffic.

The Lynchburg Expressway connects most of the major roadways in Lynchburg, intersecting and merging with the business segments of U.S. 29, U.S. 460, and U.S. 501.

Newcomers can find the roads in Lynchburg highly confusing. A few major roads change names with no clear indication as to where these changes take place. For examples, Lakeside Dr becomes Forest Rd, Fort Ave becomes Timberlake Rd, and Memorial Ave becomes Fifth St. Further, the highway alignments can be confusing as there are multiple places where the "Northbound" lanes of one highway are aligned with the "Southbound" lanes of another. Also there are multiple sets of unrelated roads with confusingly similar names. One example is Langhorne Road, Langhorne Lane, Langhorne Avenue which are all totally separate roads in different parts of the city.

Several lots and limited on-street parking are available in Downtown Lynchburg. Two lots, the Midtown and Clay Street Parking Decks, are metered, operating on the mPARK system used in several other cities in the United States and abroad.

During the afternoon rush hour (4:45PM - 5:45PM), Candlers Mountain Rd, Wards Rd, and Timberlake Rd experience significantly increased traffic.

By taxi

Several dispatch taxi services operate in Lynchburg.

By bus

Greater Lynchburg Transit Company (GLTC) offers bus services to the area. Single-segment trips are $2.00, and day and multi-day passes are also available. Most routes run to the central transfer center on Kemper Street and operate on 1 hour schedules. Because of this layout, however, travel from some points in the city to others may take in excess of an hour in spite of being only a few miles away. Liberty University operates an intra-campus bus service as well. This service is free to students, faculty, and visitors.

By bike

While Lynchburg has several bike lanes and bike trails; they are disjointed and do not always provide an easy way to get around the city. The Blackwater Creek Trail and the Kemper Station Trail provide bike access from downtown to the Langhorne Rd area and train station/bus transfer center respectively. Bike lanes along (most of) Rivermont Avenue allow cyclists to access Rivermont from downtown. Near the train station/ bus transfer center, there are bike lanes on a few roads but they are connected poorly. There are a few other bike lanes and mixed use walking/biking paths around the city but they do not connect to form a coherent cycling network. GLTC buses all have bike racks so cyclists can bring bikes along.

Stay safe

For emergencies occurring on the campus of Liberty University, call the

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