Partner Content
It’s impossible not to notice the seven-story image of a young woman surrounded by tulips that graces the wall of a former ice plant in Waynesboro, Virginia. Or a pair of majestic cranes ambling through vibrant pink lotus flowers on the side of the Waynesboro Family YMCA. Created by artists Nils Westergard and Julia Chon respectively, these are just a sampling of the more than 30 street art murals rapidly making Waynesboro one of the hippest art destinations in the Shenandoah region.
The street arts scene’s origin story begins in 2014, when local businessman Ian McCrae started a grassroots effort to bring large-scale public art to Waynesboro and founded the annual Virginia Street Arts Festival. Nils Westergard—who created the piece on the ice plant entitled “Kaiya with Tulips,” his largest mural at that time — painted some of downtown’s first street art. After a pause due to the pandemic, Destination Downtown Waynesboro revived the festival in 2025 and, over the past two years, 11 new murals have gone up downtown.
“Waynesboro’s street art scene has really taken off because it feels authentic,” explains Meghan Murphy of Visit Waynesboro. “As more artwork continues to pop up around the city, the scene is getting more and more attention from visitors, artists, and people discovering Waynesboro for the first time.”
Today, muralists from all over are starting to seek out space in Waynesboro. Artists such as New York-based Humble, illustrator and creative Roshi K, Tess Parker, a creative arts therapist bringing healing to her artistic expression, and Appalachian artist Jon Murrill, who expresses the region’s heritage in his large works, have all made their mark on downtown’s buildings. Andrew Davis, a self-taught artist with decades of experience, and Jesse Jentzen, a lifelong painter who teaches art classes for all levels, have completed five large murals in the downtown area between them, many with nature themes. Whether down alleyways or along Main Street or side streets, street art is creating a colorful, arts-centered community in Waynesboro to rival any major metropolitan city—all amid the tranquil beauty at the intersection of Shenandoah National Park’s Skyline Drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Appalachian Trail.
To experience this arts renaissance, Visit Waynesboro offers a walking tour through its downloadable app. During a roughly two-hour ramble through downtown, the app takes walkers along the street arts trail. Visitors can even pick up collectible stickers along the way. Shops and restaurants dot the trail, and parched arts aficionados can sip a beer at one of Waynesboro’s three breweries (part of the Shenandoah Beerwerks Trail) or imbibe at Blue Ridge Bucha, one of the first kombucha taprooms on the East Coast.
When people think of the Shenandoah region, the mind naturally drifts to hiking trails, fishing in trout streams, and scenic skyline drives. Waynesboro is the doorway to all that and more but has grown into a destination in its own right, anchored by its growing reputation as a haven for traditional and street-art artists. In addition to the street art, Waynesboro has two locations of the Shenandoah Valley Art Center, as well as galleries, studio spaces, the Virginia Institute of Blacksmithing, and venues for live music and theater.
Now is the perfect time to plan a trip and visit Waynesboro this summer.