Things to Do in Culpeper

Through the doors at Pots and Palettes’, Catherine—who occasionally dons the motherly teapot costume from Beauty and the Beast —cavorts from table to table, handing out friendly advice to children and adults as they paint selections from more than 500 bisque pottery pieces. Catherine and her artistic staff equip budding artists with all the necessary tools, including brushes, kilns, and fire hoses full of paint, to transform blank mugs and piggy banks into colorful works of art. Child- and adult-size tables set the stage for Family Thursdays, and date night on Fridays encourages flirty creativity with a two-for-one studio fee.

When they set about designing their year-round outdoor fields, WarPlay's founders—two Marine veterans who have played paintball for nearly 30 years— meticulously mapped out layouts that impacted strategy, which was something they felt most paintball fields lacked. They set up not only traditional woods-ball and speedball fields, but they also created their own hybrid fields that meld the quick pace of speedball with the more methodical play of woods ball. These course designs emphasize teamwork and heighten play because the fully automatic markers and density of cover—which may include concrete bunkers, standing timber, and out-of-work black holes—make the fields seem bigger than they are. This can lead to rapid swings in momentum and intense firefights—first contact usually happens within 50 seconds. To keep the action going, every field features spawn areas that let players return to games within five minutes of being hit.

C.T. Campbell, a Luray native, calls upon more than 30 years of experience to teach aspiring anglers how to track down fish during private fly-fishing trips. Small groups of up to four trek to a private 1-mile stretch of the Shenandoah River, where they can cast for fish and take in the scenic vistas of Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Mountains. With all gear and equipment provided, visitors can concentrate on reeling in smallmouth bass and trout as C.T. takes care of all the lines, leaders, flies, and tackle. C.T. welcomes fishers of all skill levels and teaches the fundamental flies of this active style of fishing. Page Valley Fly Fishing Service practices catch-and-release fishing, so fishers will have to return their catches to the majestic river unless they can convince trophy fish to become animatronic singers mounted to their home-office walls.

Discover Virginia hosts a variety of outdoor events that celebrate local wines, foods, and retailers in a family-friendly environment. During the annual food and wine festival, local vendors flock to Greene County to pour samples of Virginia-made wines and fresh bites as families enjoy activities such as live music and face painting. Especially popular is the yearly chili cook-off, which sets chefs against each other as they compete to see which recipes can set off the most fire sprinklers.