Economy of Lexington, VA

Lexington also contains a host of small retail businesses, bed and breakfast inns, and restaurants catering to a unique mixture of local, tourist, and collegiate clientele. The historic R. E. Lee Hotel, built in the 1920s, is currently undergoing renovation and, after falling into disrepair for many years, is scheduled to re-open as a hotel in early 2014.

Lexington has been the site for several movies. Parts of at least seven motion pictures have been filmed in the area. The first was the 1938 movie, Brother Rat, which starred Ronald Reagan. After the movie's release he was made an honorary VMI cadet. The second was the 1958 Mardi Gras, which starred Pat Boone as a VMI cadet and actress Christine Carere. The third was Sommersby, starring Richard Gere, Bill Pullman, James Earl Jones, and Jodie Foster. Filming for parts of several Civil War films also took place in Lexington, including the documentary Lee Beyond the Battles and Gods and Generals. In the fall of 2004, director Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise filmed scenes for War of the Worlds here, with Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins. Most recently, filming took place in June 2013 for a movie tentatively titled Field of Lost Shoes about the Battle of New Market. The movie stars Luke Benward and Lauren Holly.

The city is also home to a number of independent newspapers. The News-Gazette is a weekly community paper; it also produces a free shopper known as The Weekender.