Come on, ride the train through Culpeper

I am an iTunes connoisseur — constantly updating my IPod with new music so that I can build playlists for my spinning class. One of my favorite oldies is Last Train to Clarksville by the Monkees. The song reminds me of the days that I used to ride the train from Alexandria through Culpeper on my way to visit my grandmother for the holidays. The rides were always a fun adventure.

We watched the countryside glide by in panoramic views of towns, farms, and mountain vistas. I loved the power that they displayed as we boarded and disembarked from the passenger cars.

Though I have not been on a train in a while, this is soon to change. We are fortunate to have a new line introduced by Amtrak beginning on Oct. 1 that will have a significant benefit for Culpeper.

The Amtrak line is the first to originate from Lynchburg.

It will stop in Charlottesville, Culpeper, Alexandria, Washington D.C., and onto New York and Boston.

We will now be able to board a train at a reliable time at the Depot in Culpeper and explore the routes north and south. What a great opportunity to board so conveniently.

Now for the really good news! We can also invite our colleagues, family and friends to visit Culpeper from Boston, New York, Washington, Alexandria, Charlottesville, and Lynchburg via the new train line. What a cool thing to be able to meet them here at the Depot and show off the downtown immediately.

They could walk to one of the B&B’s, unpack, stroll down the street to enjoy a meal at one of our gourmet restaurants, sample a taste of chocolate at one of the downtown shops, browse a boutique with some of the cutest wears and adornments, and top it off with a bottle of wine and some cheese to cap off the evening. After they had experienced the evening in downtown — there are the shops and merchants around town that make it a great adventure in one of America’s Top 10 Small Towns.

If that did not satisfy the adventurous, then there is always a trip to the Library of Congress Packard Theater on Mount Pony to take in a free showing of an original movie from the 1930s or 40s in the state of the art theatre.

Or they could visit some of the historic Civil War battlefields surrounding Culpeper.

This is the best year to invite your associates to visit. We are celebrating our 250th anniversary of the Town of Culpeper.

Visitors only have this year to say that they were in Culpeper for the 250th celebration. And what a celebration it will be, with a costume ball, parade, picnic in the park, and more! We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to blog, tweet, or announce through your favorite social network site that there is a 250th celebration in Culpeper. Visit the website culpeper250th.org.

When they are done they will be on their way back to Clarksville full of goodies, gifts, and stories to tell of the charming town in Virginia called Culpeper — 250 years and still making history.

Jim Charapich is the president of the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce. His column appears each Monday.