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Visitors often ask us our favorite places to see in Halifax County. Here’s our list of five:

Cage’s Sculpture Farm: From the road, you can see amazing sculptures by an artist and tobacco auctioneer, Robert Cage. He used cast-off industrial and farm materials to make whimsical models of animals and other objects.  He even made a bridge for his goats over his driveway. Located at Cage Trail just off of U.S. 360.

Berry Hill Resort: This historic Greek revival style home was built in 1844 by planter and politician James Cole Bruce. Now it has 92 guest rooms, a tavern and restaurant. Information on a self-guided tour is available at the front desk. 3105 River Road.

Tobacco Heritage Trail: Recently extended to four miles, this hiking, biking, horseback and walking trail is close to downtown South Boston. Nearby is the site of the Crossing of the Dan, where the Revolutionary Army held off British troops trying to cross the river. 196 Railroad Ave.

Toots Creek Antiques: A store with everything: furniture, glassware, pictures, signage, home décor and more. 5293 Halifax Road, Halifax.

Buggs Island Lake: Guests enjoy swimming, sunbathing, fishing, boating and water skiing at this lake, the largest in Virginia. It’s about a half hour from South Boston, near Clarksville.

Add Factory Street Brewing Company to the list of alcohol-tasting attractions in the area. The new brewery in downtown South Boston comes in addition to Springfield Distillery, which makes hard liquor, and the Tunnel Creek Vineyards, which opened last Labor Day. Two other area wineries are Hunting Creek and Bright Meadows. See their Facebook pages for more information.

The brewery has a large, brightly lit tasting room with an excellent choice of beers. On July 4, the SoBo Brewfest, a block party with a 5K run and live entertainment, will be held in front of the brewery. This is a major event, not to be missed!

Bring your friends to Oak Grove for a getaway from the big city. Most of the B&Bs in the area are participating in this program of specials for people wanting to get away for a short stay. Our features:

• 3-mile hiking trail
• Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku, is simply spending time outdoors under the canopy of trees. In Japanese, “shinrin” means forest and “yoku” means bath or immersing oneself in the forest and soaking in the atmosphere through the senses.
• Reiki- a healing technique based on the principle that the therapist can channel energy into the patient by means of touch, to activate the natural healing processes of the patient’s body and restore physical and emotional well-being.
• Breakfast Cooking Class
• Fire Pit
• Electric Car Charging Station For details at other local B&Bs, click here..

When we moved permanently from Arlington, one thing we moved down here was Mike’s Yamaha grand piano. “It was always meant to be here in the parlor,” Mike says. As a jazz pianist, he performed last fall frequently at the Tunnel Creek winery. On June 12 he will play for a reception at the Prizery. If you ask him, I’ll bet Mike will play( (and maybe sing)  some of his tunes for you. Here is one of his songs. He sings too.

Put on your bonnet or straw hat for a lovely outdoor tea at 2 p.m. on May 16. We’ll be serving scones with Devonshire cream, finger sandwiches and canapes and a couple of sweets along with cold or hot tea.

Each group attending will get its own table on our front lawn amid beautiful oak, hickory and dogwood trees. Your hostess will give you a short talk on tea parties. Bring your friends and enjoy being waited on!

The $25 ticket must be purchased in advance, 434-575-7137.

Now that we are open year-around, you can enjoy the country lifestyle and beautiful scenery at Oak Grove B&B. You’ll enjoy eating breakfast on our front porch in sunny weather. We are still social distancing to make your visit safer. Good places to visit: The Tobacco Heritage Trail, Bob Cage’s Sculpture Farm and Buggs Island Lake.

Tunnel Creek Vineyards, just 12 miles south of Oak Grove, held a soft opening this in September preparation for a grand opening in October. It’s a pretty impressive place and a good attraction for our guests, who discovered it on Labor Day weekend. The wine tasting today was fun and we bought two bottles. There are tables on a balcony with a grand view of the landscape. A highlight of the 400-acre vineyard is a railroad tunnel, which is what the winery is named after.

We’ve come up with a short video for the Solar United Neighbors Solar Tour to encourage others to install solar panels. We hope you enjoy it. Click here to see it.

Bike riding just got much better in Halifax County with the opening of the 1.3-mile extension of the Tobacco Heritage Trail, which starts in South Boston. Now the trail stretches a total of 3.9 miles for walking, biking and horseback riding.

The he trail begins at Cotton Mill Park, behind The Prizery in South Boston, and follows the Dan River part way before stopping just short of Miry’s Creek.  People can see duck impoundment, Diamond Hill Slave Cemetery, views of the Dan River anda natural spring.

The trail has a bathroom, picnic tables and even a hitching post for horses. Eventually, trail planners hope to link up other sections of the trail in Southside Virginia to make it run all the way from South Hill to Danville.

Besides riding the trail, Mike enjoys the uncrowded roads in the area for bike riding. Another fine place for biking and walking is the Riverwalk Trail along the Dan River in Danville, about 30 miles west of South Boston