In search of a truly global experience? Want to travel without actually leaving your lovely hill city? The Omniterrum, a unique globe shop located on Main st., lets you travel with the tips of your fingers.  The store holds current and antique globes, from the 18^th to the 21^st century.

Omniterrum owner Kim Soerensen opened the doors of the shop in 2009 as a space to showcase her collection of vintage globes, with the hope of providing a place to inspire Lynchburg locals and teach a lesson in history with these three dimensional masterpieces. The shop was originally located on Church street, but swapped locations following Lynchburg’s first ever globe exhibit, held by Soerensen’s non-profit organization, the American Globe Preservation Society, in October 2010. Come visit the new location and browse through globes from different periods of time and mingle with the store mascot, a Boston terrier named Winston Churchill.

A destination location for globe enthusiasts, history buffs or curious shoppers, the Omniterrum is a unique piece of Lynchburg culture. Located at 1225 Main Street next to the community market, the store is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10-5. Give the shop a call at 434-847-4788, visit them online or find them on Facebook.

By Zoe Eisenberg

If you’re looking for something new to do on a lazy Saturday afternoon or happen to be sucker for handcrafted pottery, head over to Oxide Pottery, located on 1337 Main Street across from Robin Alexander.

Showcasing the work of three skilled potters, Joe Monk, Chatham Monk and Justin Rice, Oxide offers a selection of beautiful hand built and wheel thrown ceramics. Mixing bowls, serving platters, vases, plates and mugs available in a collection of shapes, sizes colors and prints are only some of the bounty offered at Oxide. The tiny storefront, which made its debut in 2009, also carries unique jewelry and specialty crafted kitchenware, such as carved wooden utensils and cast glass bowls.

Using lead-free glazes that are microwave and dishwasher friendly, a piece of Oxide pottery makes a beautiful and memorable gift. While browsing through the shop, be sure to take a peek at the small on-site studio where Oxide’s unique pottery is produced.

Oxide Pottery is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 to 6 and Saturday 10 to 5. For more information, call the shop at 434-845-5656 , visit them online or find them on Facebook.

The theatre is over 100 years old and situated in the former Bailey Spencer Hardware Store. It was a labor of love for those involved to turn this building into a place where modern safety standards were met, whilst preserving the ambience of a place that has over a century of memories within its walls. The result is an inviting and intimate theatre with exceptional acoustics and a welcoming atmosphere.

The theatre company has produced numerous shows since they opened the doors in April, 2000. The shows include works by well-known novelists and playwrights and also those on the more cutting edge of contemporary literature and plays. No playwright could be more famous than the man known as “The Bard” and in 2010 the company took on the challenge of performing all of his plays within one show! “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” consists of all 37 plays performed in only 97 minutes. Described as a “fast paced romp” the production was a huge success and a novel and entertaining way of showcasing each play in the most succinct fashion!

More contemporary productions have included the Broadway hit “Rent, The Musical”, which deals with matters of money, drugs and death; highlighting the talents and range of the actors who are able to move from one genre to another. The ensemble is taken from local people and open auditions are held periodically to encourage Lynchburg and Virginia residents to be involved. In addition to the actors, the backstage staff put incredible effort into creating the perfect setting. The auditorium holds only 100 seats, so in this small and intimate setting, the audience enjoys every moment of passion, heat and emotion in close proximity, making it all the more powerful.

Watching a play transports viewers into another place and time, where we empathize with characters and feel our hearts beat with anticipation and the thrill of the unfolding story. Often we absorb details that are only recalled after leaving the theatre and reflecting on the show. It`s a wonderful feeling to be entertained by a theatre company who live and love what they do and then to return home and discuss the evening with our companions. There`s nothing better than this late-night debates with friends, relaxing back into the comfort of your Palliser sofa, perhaps with a nightcap in hand and knowing that the evening has created memories to enjoy for many years to come.

Recently, the clinic was able to arrange for 5 patients whose teeth had to be removed for medial reasons to obtain a complete set of dentures at no cost. While not a normally provided service, it is another example of the power of volunteer doctors who see a need and work hard to find a way to fill it. Every dollar raised from donations or fund raising efforts is multiplied many times thru the efforts of volunteers. Over 450 medical professionals donate services to the clinic, and since 1987 when it opened, the clinic has served more than 20,000 different individuals. The number of patient visits has increased by 50% compared to two years ago because of the economic slowdown.

The upcoming ( February 26th) sixth annual downtown loft tour is a great way to see the growth in downtown Lynchburg, visit the clinic for a tour and provide some financial support.

By Dave Gardner

Dave Gardner is a board member of the Free Clinic of Central Virginia. He is also the owner/photographer of D.R.Gardner Photography. He provides a complete photography services from weddings, events, commercial promotion, basic education. He has exhibited his photographs in Lynchburg and sell Fine Art photographs. More information can be found at www.drgardnerphotography.com

Dolce Vita, located at 1102 Commerce Street downtown Lynchburg, is the premier spot  for any aspiring chefs or foodies. Store-owner April Wood Farmer, prior owner of Fresh, the healthy eatery previously located in the downtown community market, opened the tiny shop with the hopes of offering high-quality kitchen and home products to Lynchburg’s expanding crowd of gourmet food-lovers.

The shop, which opened November 19^th 2010, sells everything from candles to spices, including wine accessories, aprons, scarves and serving platters sure to impress the guests at your next party. Located above Shay’s Jewelry and Gifts, Dolce Vita carries both imported and locally made products, from Spanish pottery to Virginia jams, as well as fresh baked quiche and locally made bundt cakes.  Check out their unique selection of spreads, with flavors like Carrot and Peach Orange Clove.

With limited hours, make sure to plan a visit to the store, open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.For more information, visit www.yourdolcevita.com or call (434) 455-5510.

Inklings Bookshop and the White Hart Café, home to a selection of books, coffee and  food, opened its doors for the first time in 1995. Located on Main Street in downtown Lynchburg, the shop’s name was inspired by the informal literary group known as “the Inklings,” which consisted of C. S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and several other writers. Founded as merely a bookstore, the shop quickly expanded to include the adjoining White Hart Café.

The store’s vision is to promote “the good, the true, and the beautiful,” and the bookstore boasts a selection of hard to find, out of print, used, and rare books, which can be browsed online at www.inklingsbooks.com. While the shop’s book collection hangs heavy on topics like philosophy, literature, history and religion, they also offer a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction, as well as health, wellness, children’s books and classical education.

With free wi-fi, an outdoor patio and cozy couches perfect for lounging on rainy afternoons, the White Hart offers organically grown and fairly-traded coffee and house-made pastries. The café’s selection of coffee and espresso are roasted to order by Counter Culture Coffee in Durham, NC, and their vast selection of loose-lead teas hail from Teasource in St. Paul, MN. Arguably more exciting than excellent coffee and tea, the White Hart also carries beer, including imports and microbrews. Wine, both red and white, can be ordered by the glass or bottle.

Offering sandwiches with interesting names like the Fitzwilliam, the Mugwumper and the Pequod, the café also serves breakfast with choices ranging from free-range eggs and bacon to turkey sausage and grits. Options like Fish and Chips, Fried Mushrooms, Beignets and Cajun style red beans and rice spice up the menu.

Inklings Bookshop and the White Hart Café are open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and host a bi-monthly Celtic music open jam and a monthly old-time music session, with live music performances most Friday and Saturday nights, and a monthly open mic night. For a schedule of events, visit them online at www.inklingswhitehart.com. For more information call 434-455-1659 or stop by the shop, located at 1208 Main Street, downtown Lynchburg.

Store owner Justin Mays opened the market with the plan to create a high-quality haven providing Lynchburg residents with gourmet selections of meat and cheese. Since its debut in June 2009, the one- stop-shop has proved to be more than your average meat market. Stop by the store and choose a juicy cut from the vast selection of meat – house-smoked ribs, beef, pork and poultry. The shop boasts organic, local and free range meat selections, as well as an array of artisanal cheeses, both imported and locally made, that are sure to be a hit at your next party.

Browse their soft, semi-soft and hard cheese selections, as well as a spread of gourmet olives, local honey, crackers, pasta, meat rubs and savory sauces. The shop also sells locally made pottery, which make the perfect holiday gift. One thing that makes BAM an unusual meat market is that the shop is vegetarian friendly. With delicious meat-free sides like edamame salad, grilled veggies, gazpacho, macaroni and cheese and more, you’re sure to find something suitable for each member of your family.

Stop in and pick up dinner on your way home from work, or swing by for lunch. Sit at a table and enjoy a daily lunch special, like the BAM burger with apple wood smoked bacon, an all beef chili dog in natural casing, a BBQ chicken sandwich, pulled pork, or some locally renowned ribs.

Ordering for a crowd? Call in for delivery of orders over 30.00, or ask BAM to cater your next event. The store is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am-7 pm. For more information, call 434-845-MEAT (6328), visit them online at BedfordAveMeatShop.com, send an email to JustinMays3@gmail.com, or find them on Facebook.

Checkout this article by Got2BGreen >

There are a lot of different things about Lynchburg that a lot of people don’t know about. A lot of people have lived here their whole lives and don’t know some of Lynchburg’s Best Kept secrets.

One of these secrets is the tunnels in Downtown Lynchburg. There is an old tunnel underneath Jefferson Street near Amazement Square. Many people pass through here every day, but very few have noticed this. The tunnel has been filled in.

There is so much history here and we still have old buildings and old tunnels from the past. There are places, such as Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, and history from the Battle of Lynchburg during the US Civil War. There’s so much to discover and explore!

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Are you looking for something fun and exciting to do in Lynchburg this summer? Come try Rise Up Climbing. It’s an indoor climbing gym in Lynchburg that has a lot of different programs going on such as summer camps, events, open climb, basic skills classes, birthday parties, private groups and much more!

The summer camps are for kids ages 9-14, and it will be a great experience. These kids will learn climbing,  and how to do basic movements and turns through climbing. Not only will they learn a lot about climbing, but they will learn about more important life lessons, such as team building, respect for teammates, and other such things that kids learn through sports.

The summer camps are a great way to get your kids off the couch and having them stay active, athletic, and involved. It will also be educational and they will learn different basic things about geology. So come, get ready for the fun! It’s going to be a great summer at Rise Up Climbing.

The three sessions are from July 12-16; July 26-30, and August 9-13 and you can register your child online at http://riseupclimbing.com/index.php/summer_camp/ . It’s a day camp that goes from 9:00-3:00 and is $190 per session. Members of Rise Up Climbing will have $20 discounted off the original price and siblings will have $25 discounted as well.

There will also be fun events going on this summer. The next event is Get Outdoors 3: New River Weekend, which will be June 19-20th. This place has some of the best stone in the country and it will be a fun trip!

There are also open climb classes Friday 4-7 and Saturday 2-4. There is no pre-registration and it costs $4. There are staff there who help you learn how to climb and help those who are new.

The basic skills classes are Mondays and Fridays 7-9 and Saturdays 1-3. Pre-registration is needed for these classes and you must be at least 14 years of age. These classes teach you the safety that you will need when climbing on your own. You will learn how to put on a harness, tie yourself into a rope, and belay for a partner. These classes are $20 for members and $25 for non-members.

Does your child have a birthday coming up? Rise Up Climbing has fun birthday parties, so come celebrate.  It will be a lot of fun where the kids can climb in the gym and afterwards play in the party room. The invitations can even be downloaded online. You need to pre-register to have a birthday party and the cost is $18 for members and $20 for non-members. So come, and have fun!

Do you want to meet here after a business meeting? Are you looking for something to do with a group of your friends? Whether kid, teen, or adult, Rise Up Climbing has private groups, where the staff can teach you the skills you are learning, or can teach you how to climb.  Pre-registration is needed and the group needs to be at least 6 people.

It’s important for kids to stay active and stay healthy and Rise Up Climbing can not only accomplish that, but can make it fun for kids to learn how to climb. This is an opportunity for kids to learn a new sport and to have fun. Their location is 1225 Church St. Lynchburg, VA 24504 and their phone number is (434) 845-7625. So, come and try it out today!

My favorite date day with my husband is a planned Saturday morning downtown.

Don’t linger around your house drinking coffee on a lovely sunny morning in Lynchburg! If you do, you’ll be missing out on something that NO big city or destination location has… an easily accessible, quaint, enjoyable morning spent in downtown Lynchburg.

First you need to go early. Remember the farmers get there early and so should you. Not only is the morning just lovely with the coolness of the dew not yet overpowered by the hot sun of summer that is due to arrive around 11am, it’s just an atmosphere perfect for this “field trip” let’s call it.

We greet the farmers and ogle at all the produce that’s available, everything imaginable, at this point you start envisioning your grandmothers kitchen with counter tops of hot jars ready and waiting a variety of vegetables, hot baths for jars, salts and spices, even though you might currently live in a two bedroom apartment something nostalgic comes over you when your around all this fresh produce.

Breakfast is made up of everything temping a breakfast can offer, breads, coffee, cornbread, pudding, pies, cakes, eggs and bacon, everything wonderful. Now, take your coffee and make sure you get a cup with a lid…and head down the street, since you’ve seen all the produce your now inspired that you ARE secretly a farmer and that you should be tilling soil of some kind, even if it’s a pot on your balcony or a dug up front lawn.

The Farmers Seed and Feed is a great store for that, you feel like you’ve stepped back in a very different time in Lynchburg…this fabulous long standing building is a Lynchburg gem.

At this point your only problem is where you put all the produce, breads, flowers, coffee with the lid etc. I recommend a baby carriage minus the baby. The quaint stores along Lynchburg’s Main Street and side streets could occupy your entire day, for me personally I know my husband has sent out a search party only to find me at Main Streets Estate Specialist digging through the piles of books, antiques and oddities.

Laurie Gulluscio, Retail Merchants Association of Lynchburg