On to Staunton Virginia

...yes, I'm still traversing the back roads and byways of Virginia on the last leg of our fall 2024 road trip.  We'd already done a lot and seen a lot but more places of interest as well as shopping opportunities were yet to come. 

After our stop at the Montpelier depot, we followed VA Hwy 20 a little further to the southwest and then turned west on US Hwy 33 toward the Blue Ridge.  Once we crossed over the Blue Ridge, we worked our way south to Staunton Virginia, our overnight stop for the evening.

Beautiful day, pleasing scenery...our kind of roadway.  Beats the heck out of the Interstate system unless you are in a hurry to get to a destination.

This is the Augusta County Court House.  It's located in Staunton Virginia...even though Staunton isn't actually part of the county.  The city separated from the county in 1902 but it has remained as the county seat.  This Beaux Arts style structure, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was completed in 1901 and it is the fifth court house that was built site.  The first one was a log cabin built in 1755.

The courthouse is the repository of many complete records that date back to the colonial period and, given that fact it is a meccas for people who are researching family trees, old deeds and historic buildings.  Staunton was very fortunate during the Civil War, having escaped the ravages that consumed many other Southern towns and cities.

I ran across this early photo of the Augusta County Courthouse on the Internet.  As you can see, the tower or turret has been modified in today's version.  The county was formed in 1738, splitting it off of Orange County.  It was named after Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the Princess of Wales and the mother of King George III of the United Kingdom.  Originally, this county was a vast territory, with an indefinite western boundary.  Most of what is now West Virginia and the whole of Kentucky was included within its early borders.

Located at 215 Kalorama Street in Staunton, this home is known as the Arista Hoge House (aka the Kalorama Castle). Arista Hoge was a successful local businessman and he served as Staunton's Treasurer from 1885 until his death in 1923.  Hoge built this home in 1882...but then added this massive and historically significant facade in 1891.  Located in the Gospel Hill Historic District, the home's historic significance lies in its unique architecture.  The home remained in the Hoge family until 1973.

That Richardson Romanesque facade consisting of rough-cut brownstone was added to the earlier, existing Italianate Style house.  The changes to this home are clear examples of the changing tastes in architecture in the late 1800s.  It is a brick Italianate main house, with a Romanesque facade, a Queen Anne style side-porch and a western Colonial Revival porch. (A bit of a 'Hoge' podge)

After our overnight stay at the Hampton Inn in Staunton, we decided that it would be a nice change of pace to find a local diner style restaurant for breakfast.  I took the first photo off the Internet as my photo, immediately above, doesn't really show the front of Kathy's Restaurant.  Kathy's has been voted as the best place for breakfast in the Shenandoah Valley for more than a decade.

In our opinion, if a restaurant is casual enough to have a counter with seats for its customers, it qualifies as a diner.  On top of that, Kathy's is only open for breakfast and lunch...but for 7 days a week.

Kathy's Restaurant was busy...and it was a Saturday morning.  The dining room was colorful and clean as well as bright and airy.  Service was solid and the kitchen was obviously functioning efficiently.  

Laurie is usually good for a 'straight-up' breakfast order...bacon, eggs, toast and hash brown potatoes.  She faked me out by ordering "Viva French Toast" which adds an egg plus bacon or sausage to an order of French toast. ($10.95) Everything was enjoyed and the French toast was a cut above average.

Kathy's offers 21 different 'egg dishes', which includes no less than 13 omelets.  Other segments of the menu include Meat Lover's Meals, Gourmet Pancakes plus Waffles and French Toast.

I ordered my breakfast from yet another part of Kathy's breakfast menu.  This was my "Benedict's Cousin" from Kathy's Specials.  It consisted of 2 country-style sausage patties and two over-easy eggs on a flaky biscuit that is smothered by sausage gravy.  As you can see, it also came with 'home fries'.  ($11.75)

I really enjoyed my breakfast and Kathy's did have Tabasco too... The sausage patties were seasoned nicely and although I prefer hash brown potatoes, the home fries were decent.  Of course, now that we've learned how to make our own sausage gravy, other versions can be OK but our homemade version is hard to beat.

These colorful patrons have apparently been waiting to be seated for some time... I was glad that we weren't seated too close to them as they are just a bit weird.  It was October so perhaps Halloween related?  On the other hand, on-line photos of the two characters at the left appear to show them to be permanent residents... 

Kathy's Restaurant is located at 705 Greenville Avenue in Staunton Virginia.  Phone: 540-885-4331.  Website: https://kathys-restaurant.com/.

Next stop in Staunton...was Presidential.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave