Virginia Welcome Centers and local Visitor Centers

To become a Virginia Green Welcome Center or Visitor Center, click on one of the links below to fill out the application:
   click here for a fillable MS Word version
   click here for an Adobe PDF version

A Virginia Department of Transportation Welcome Center

Visitor Centers can promote the Virginia Green businesses in their region!

Recycling opportunities at a VDOT rest area

In many cases Virginia Welcome Centers and local Visitor Centers are the first real contact that visitors have to our state or a given region, and making a good impression is very important for the tourism industry. It’s also the perfect place to introduce environmentally-aware visitors to Virginia Green and to impress them with our tourism industry’s commitment to protect and conserve the environment! 

Visitor & Welcome Centers throughout the Commonwealth vary in size and scope. But through thoughtful design and operational techniques, environmental impacts from their operation can be greatly minimized. 

Visitor Centers are the various locally and regionally supported tourism centers around the state. Virginia Welcome Centers are run by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) and staffed by the Virginia Tourism Corporation. 

The core requirements for Virginia Welcome Centers and Local Visitor Centers:

• Provide recycling opportunities: Welcome Centers and Visitor Centers should provide recycling opportunities for visitors that includes cans, glass bottles, plastic, and paper.
• Minimize the use of non-recyclable food service products: Visitor Centers should consider use of bio-based cups for their complimentary coffee and other beverages. Information on the product or at the dispensing site on the possible recyclability or compostability of the material should be made available to the consumer.
• Water conservation: Welcome Centers and Visitor Centers must have a plan for using water efficiently that considers water-saving faucets, showerheads, and toilets; leak detection, and effective landscape watering plan.
• Energy efficiency: Welcome and Visitor Centers must have a plan in place that encourages the replacement of lighting and equipment to energy-efficient alternatives such as high efficiency hand-dryers, fluorescent lighting, LED Exit signs, lighting sensors, efficient heating and cooling, and EnergyStar/energy-efficient computers and other equipment.
• Promote Virginia Green participants: Visitor Centers should feature the Virginia Green participants from their region.
   

Participating local Visitor Centers:

• Bedford Welcome Center
• Blue Ridge Music Center Visitor Center, Galax
• Front Royal/Warren County Visitor Center
• Humpback Rock Visitor Center
• James River Visitor Center
• Martinsville-Henry County Visitor Center
• Newport News Visitor Center
• Norfolk Visitor Information Center 
• Prince William County Visitor Center
• Richmond Regional Visitor Center
• Rocky Knob Visitor Center, Meadows of Dan
• Skyline Drive, Dickey Ridge Visitor Center, Shenandoah National Park
• Skyline Drive, Harry F. Byrd, Sr. Visitor Center, Shenandoah National Park
• Skyline Drive, Loft Mountain Information Center, Shenandoah National Park
• Smithfield & Isle of Wight County Visitor's Center
• Spotsylvania County Visitor Center
• Staunton Visitor Center
• Suffolk Visitor Center
• Virginia Beach Visitor Information Center
• Virginia Explore Park Visitor Center, Roanoke
• Winchester-Frederick Visitor Center

 Participating Virginia Welcome Centers:

1. Clear Brook Welcome Center
   I-81 South at the Virginia/West Virginia border
   
2. Virginia Welcome Center at Fredericksburg
   I-95 South
   
3. Virginia Welcome Center at New Church
   US 13 at the Virginia/Maryland border
   
4. Skippers Welcome Center
   I-95 North at the Virginia/North Carolina border
   
5. Bracey Welcome Center
   I-85 North at Virginia/North Caroline border
   
6. Lambsburg Welcome Center and Rest Area
   I-77 North at the Virginia/North Carolina border
   
7. Bristol Welcome Center
   I-81 North at the Virginia/Tennessee border
   
8. Virginia Welcome Center at Rocky Gap
   I-77 South at the Virginia/West Virginia border
   
9. Covington Welcome Center
   I-64 East at the Virginia/West Virginia border
   
10. Bell Tower Visitor Center, Richmond
    On Capitol Grounds in Richmond
    
11. East Coast Gateway Welcome Center, New Kent
    I-64 East in New Kent toward Virginia Beach
    
12. Manassas Welcome Center
    I-66 West

Virginia Green is a partnership program supported by