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.
- Weather ...
- Before heading outdoors, you should check the weather:
- The National Weather Service forecast for Gretna
- 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.
- 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:
- 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:
- eBird sighting report for Bedford County
- 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:
- Waymark.com
Communities Also Named Gretna ...
We found thirteen communities that share the name Gretna.
Within Virginia, the name Gretna is unique.
Beyond Virginia, we know of another thirteen communities that are located throughout 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
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- 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
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New York
- Ohio
- Ontario
- This Gretna lies 515 miles [828.8 km]<1> to the north northeast of the Gretna that is located in Pittsylvania County.
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
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) - Cedar Hill
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cedar Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Hill
- Cedar Hill is located in Pittsylvania County
- Chalk Level
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chalk Level
- Chalk Level is located in Pittsylvania County
- Farmers
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest) - Greenfield
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenfield
- Greenfield is located in Pittsylvania County
- Natal
(5 miles [8 km] to the northeast) - Pickerel
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest) - Redeye
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest) - Smothers
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south) - Whittles
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whittles
- Whittles is located in Pittsylvania County
- Whittles has also been known as:
- Whittle's Depot
- Whittle's Station
How Far From Gretna to ...
We spend a lot of time looking through Gazetteers & Almanacs 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<3> 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<4> 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).<5>
- 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).<6>
- The distance to Saint Peter's Basilica (The Vatican) is 4,661 miles [7,501.2 km] and it lies to the northeast (NE).<7>
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Gretna. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Pittsylvania County: www.pittgov.org/
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- Gretna) to Point B.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 |
| <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 Gretna 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 309.34 degrees. |
| <6> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to Mecca is 304.797 degrees. |
| <7> | The calculated bearing (or angle) to the Vatican is 306.371 degrees. |