|
Outdoor Activities ...
As we travel, we like to pursue some of our interests (such as astronomy and bird watching).
When in Gretna, we use the following websites to find information relevant to Gretna and the surrounding area.
- 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 Gretna:
- 36.951540, -79.361291
- 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.
- Open the Heavens-Above website centered on Gretna
- 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 Pittsylvania County as the starting point when you click on the link below:
- Open the eBird sighting report for Pittsylvania County
- Since Gretna is near Bedford County and also Campbell County, we have provided a link to their eBird sighting reports:
- Open the eBird sighting report for Bedford County
- Open the eBird sighting report for Campbell 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:
- Open the Waymark.com report for Gretna
Communities Also Named Gretna ...
We found thirteen communities that are also named Gretna.
Within Virginia, the name Gretna is unique.
Beyond Virginia, we know of thirteen communities that are located in the United States and Canada. Of these thirteen communities, eleven are located in the United States and two are in Canada.
- Communities Elsewhere In North America ...
- Florida
- Gadsden County
- This Gretna is located in Gadsden County and lies 532 miles [856.2 km]<1> to the southwest of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Gadsden County community of Gretna.
- Illinois
- DuPage County
- This Gretna is located in DuPage County and lies 577 miles [928.6 km]<1> to the northwest of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the DuPage County community of Gretna.
- Kansas
- Phillips County
- This Gretna is located in Phillips County and lies 1,089 miles [1,752.6 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Phillips County community of Gretna.
- Louisiana
- Jefferson Parish
- This Gretna is located in Jefferson Parish and lies 783 miles [1,260.1 km]<1> to the southwest of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Jefferson Parish community of Gretna.
- Manitoba
- This Gretna lies 1,234 miles [1,985.9 km]<1> to the northwest of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- Mississippi
- Wayne County
- This Gretna is located in Wayne County and lies 631 miles [1,015.5 km]<1> to the west southwest of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Wayne County community of Gretna.
- Missouri
- Taney County
- This Gretna is located in Taney County and lies 768 miles [1,236 km]<1> to the west of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Taney County community of Gretna.
- Nebraska
- Sarpy County
- This Gretna is located in Sarpy County and lies 948 miles [1,525.7 km]<1> to the west northwest of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Sarpy County community of Gretna.
- New York
- Dutchess County
- This Gretna is located in Dutchess County and lies 444 miles [714.5 km]<1> to the northeast of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Dutchess County community of Gretna.
- Ohio
- Logan County
- This Gretna is located in Logan County and lies 337 miles [542.3 km]<1> to the northwest of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Logan County community of Gretna.
- Ontario
- This Gretna lies 515 miles [828.8 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- Pennsylvania
- Washington County
- This Gretna is located in Washington County and lies 233 miles [375 km]<1> to the north northwest of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Washington County community of Gretna.
- South Dakota
- Edmunds County
- This Gretna is located in Edmunds County and lies 1,195 miles [1,923.2 km]<1> to the northwest of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- For more information, please visit our profile page for the Edmunds County community of Gretna.
Curious and Interesting Names Near Gretna ...
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.
- Brights
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
- Brights is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brights
- Cedar Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Cedar Hill is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hill
- Chalk Level
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
- Farmers
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
- Farmers is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmers
- Greenfield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
- Greenfield is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Natal
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
- Natal is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Natal
- Pickerel
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
- Pickerel is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pickerel
- Redeye
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Redeye is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redeye
- Smothers
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- Smothers is located in Pittsylvania County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smothers
- Whittles
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
How Far From Gretna 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 town such as Gretna to various places of note, such as the White House.
With a nod to our favorite Gazetteers, the straight-line distance beginning in Gretna and extending to:
- Chatham, which is the Seat of Pittsylvania County, lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<1> to the south southwest. If you could walk a straight line from Gretna to Chatham, with an average speed<2> of 2.2 miles [3.5 km] per hour, it would take four to five hours to make the trip. A horse and buggy averaging 3.2 miles [5.1 km] per hour would take a little over three hours.
- Richmond, which is the State Capital of Virginia, lies 113 miles [181.9 km] to the east northeast (ENE). Driving, with an average speed of 63 miles [101.4 km] per hour, would take about two hours, a buggy would take 5 days and walking would take 7 days.
- The White House (Washington, DC) is 184 miles [296.1 km] to the northeast (NE). Driving would take a little over three hours, a buggy would take 8 days and walking would take 11 days.
- The shortest distance<3> to Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock) is 6,080 miles [9,784.8 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<4>
- The distance to the Great Mosque of Mecca (specifically the Ka'bah - or Kaaba ) is 6,783 miles [10,916.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<5>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,661 miles [7,501.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<6>'
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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Gretna) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <3> | 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 Gretna to the Middle East to be East and South, the Great Circle Route actually lies to the North and East.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gretna. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.9515, Longitude: -79.3613 |
| <4> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Jerusalem is 309.34 degrees. |
| <5> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.797 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.371 degrees. |
|
|