Frommer's travel guide says Lexington, VA rooms are hardest to find and rates highest "during football weekends, graduation, and other activities" at both schools — try The Georges or the Hampton Inn downtown, or use Staunton as a fallback.
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What’s confirmed
Washington and Lee’s own 2026-2027 academic calendar confirms Commencement is Thursday, May 27, 2027, preceded by Baccalaureate the day before. VMI has not yet published its 2027 date; its most recently confirmed date, Sunday, May 17, 2026, is shown as a labeled reference point only.
What Frommer’s says about this small town
Frommer’s own Lexington, VA travel guide states directly that rooms are hardest to find and rates highest “during football weekends, graduation, and other activities” at both Washington and Lee and VMI — two neighboring schools sharing one genuinely small Shenandoah Valley hotel market, across two separate spring weekends.
Where to start
The Georges, an 11 N Main St historic boutique hotel downtown, or the Hampton Inn Lexington-Historic District, both walking distance to campus.
If downtown Lexington, VA is full
See sold out, now what for Staunton, VA.
Verified hotel rules
| Hotel | Min. stay | Prepayment | Cancellation / forfeit | Typical rate | How to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Georges | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
| Hampton Inn Lexington-Historic District | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Online, hotel’s own site |
- The Georges: 11 N Main St, in the heart of downtown Lexington, VA — a 33-room historic boutique property across four connected historic buildings, walking distance to both campuses. No specific graduation-weekend sellout was independently confirmed this session.
- Hampton Inn Lexington-Historic District: Near Lee Hwy and US-60, walking distance of downtown and Washington and Lee. No specific graduation-weekend sellout was independently confirmed this session.
The ring
| Town | Drive time | Typical availability | Rate vs. epicenter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staunton, VA | 35 min | A live per-night Google Hotels count wasn't obtained this session (the search tool's results page failed to load repeatedly). Staunton is a genuinely separate Shenandoah Valley city with its own independent hotel base, about 35 minutes north on I-81. | Broad chain-hotel tier; not independently rate-compared this session. |
A live Google Hotels availability check — the method used for most other clusters in this project — could not be completed this session; the search results page repeatedly failed to load through our research tools. Buena Vista, VA, the closer small town, does not resolve on our mapping tool despite repeated coordinate attempts, so Staunton, farther away, is this cluster's only ring option.
Live availability near campus
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Frequently asked questions
When is Washington and Lee's 2027 commencement?
Thursday, May 27, 2027, preceded by Baccalaureate on Wednesday, May 26, 2027 — confirmed directly on W&L's own 2026-2027 academic calendar.
When is VMI's 2027 graduation?
Not yet published as of this writing. VMI's most recently confirmed date is Sunday, May 17, 2026, shown here as a labeled reference point only.
Is there a hotel close to both campuses?
The Georges, a 33-room historic boutique hotel on Main St downtown, and the Hampton Inn Lexington-Historic District, both walking distance to Washington and Lee and near VMI.
What if downtown Lexington, VA hotels are full?
See [sold out, now what](/lexington-va/sold-out-now-what) for Staunton, VA.
Where do Washington and Lee families stay?
The Georges, an 11 N Main St historic boutique hotel downtown, walking distance to campus.
Where do VMI families stay?
The Hampton Inn Lexington-Historic District, near Lee Hwy and US-60, walking distance to both campuses.
How we verified this
Last verified: