Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Ararat, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Ararat and the surrounding area.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Ararat
- Astronomy & Satellites ...
- Whether using binoculars, a small telescope or the naked-eye, the Heavens-Above website can help you to find your way around the night-time sky. In addition to detailed sky charts, their website will help you find planets, asteriods, comets, satellites and their tracks across the sky.
- To give accurate results, Heavens-Above requires the latitude and longitude of your location. As a starting point, when we link to Heavens-Above, we pass this GPS location for Ararat:
- 36.59944, -80.511038
- Once you're on the Heavens-Above website, you can improve its accuracy by giving a more precise longitude and latitude as your actual position.
- The Heavens-Above Website, centered on Ararat
- Bird Watching ...
- We enjoy finding new spots for bird watching and we use the eBird website for local sighting reports and to help identify hotspots.
- The eBird website is organized on a county-by-county basis. We have selected Patrick County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- eBird sighting report for Patrick County
- Since Ararat is near Surry County and also Stokes County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- eBird sighting report for Surry County
- eBird sighting report for Stokes County
- Waymarking ...
- Looking for somewhere out of the ordinary? Find a unique place and want to share it with others? Then it's time to visit Waymarking.com:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Ararat ...
We found six communities that share the name Ararat.
Within Virginia, the name Ararat is unique.
Beyond Virginia, we know of another six communities that are located throughout in the United States.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Louisiana
- North Carolina
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
Curious and Interesting Names Near Ararat ...
As we travel, we always see a community with a name that gives pause. While there are names which are interesting or familiar, some catch our attention or strike our fancy. We always wonder about such a name. If time permits and the community is not too far, we'll usually try to make a side-trip.
- Brim ‑ Historic
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast) - Combstown
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest) - Flat Rock
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest) - Indian Grove
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Indian Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Indian Grove
- Indian Grove is located in Surry County (NC)
- Joyce Mill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Joyce Mill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Joyce Mill
- Joyce Mill is located in Stokes County (NC)
- Meadowfield
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Meadowfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meadowfield
- Meadowfield is located in Patrick County
- Nester
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest) - Oak Grove
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest) - Slate Mountain
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Slate Mountain have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Slate Mountain
- Slate Mountain is located in Surry County (NC)
- Sulphur Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sulphur Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sulphur Springs
- Sulphur Springs is located in Surry County (NC)
How Far From Ararat to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers, Almanacs & Directories that were published in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Many of the Gazetteers include the distance from a community such as Ararat to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Ararat and extending to:
- Stuart, which is the Seat of Patrick County, lies 13 miles [20.9 km]<1> to the east northeast. If you could walk a straight line from Ararat to Stuart, with an average speed<3> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take 6 hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take four to five hours.
- Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 181 miles [291.3 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 7 days and walking would take 11 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 247 miles [397.5 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take nearly four hours, a buggy would take 10 days and walking would take 14 days.
- The shortest distance<4> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,145 miles [9,889.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,849 miles [11,022.4 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,726 miles [7,605.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ararat. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Patrick County: www.co.patrick.va.us/
The official website for State of Virginia: https://www.virginia.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Ararat) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ararat. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.5994, Longitude: -80.5110 |
| <2> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <3> | While we have tried to pick reasonable speeds, the rate of travel is very theoretical - obstacles like fences, hills, lakes, river crossings and rest stops have been ignored. When we say 'Days' of travel, we're assuming 8 hours of travel per day. |
| <4> | The shortest line can be visualized by stretching a string on a Globe from Point A to Point B - this is known as a Great Circle Route. Where you might expect the shortest route from Ararat to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 310.02 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 305.522 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.952 degrees. |