AAHA! Virginia
Virginia’s collaborative hub for African American heritage preservation and community economic development.
The African American Heritage Association of Virginia
We bring together destination marketing organizations, educational institutions, corporate partners, and community businesses. Together, we activate heritage sites that tell Virginia’s full story while creating sustainable economic opportunity in the communities where that history lives.
Partnership Opportunities
Explore how your organization can participate in Virginia’s heritage tourism network. From destination marketing organizations to educational institutions to local businesses, we offer pathways for meaningful collaboration here.
Heritage Trail Network
The African American Heritage Tourism Network connects visitors to 200+ documented heritage sites across Virginia. Learn how walking tours, events, and the Heritage Points system create visitor experiences.
Consensus Network
Join our monthly public forums where community members, tourism professionals, and business owners shape heritage tourism strategy together. Open to anyone invested in preserving Virginia’s African American heritage.
Making an Impact Across the Commonwealth
AAHA! Virginia serves as the coordinating hub for African American heritage tourism across Virginia. We work with destination marketing organizations, educational institutions, corporate partners, and community businesses to turn cultural heritage into economic opportunity.
Our approach centers on activation. Virginia has completed extensive heritage planning through municipal stewardship plans and resource management frameworks. We transform those plans into walking tours, signature events, educational partnerships, and business networks that generate measurable community benefit.
Our model works to serve multiple stakeholders simultaneously. Tourism boards gain authentic cultural products. Universities access community research opportunities. Businesses see increased foot traffic, and communities receive infrastructure support and economic development.
Partnership Growth & Community Impact
Our collaborative model connects stakeholders across Virginia, creating measurable outcomes for heritage preservation and economic development. These numbers reflect partnerships built since 2018.
Badges available through our 'Walk In Their Footsteps' Heritage Challenge
Documented African American heritage sites across Virginia
Better Trip Planning
The African American Heritage Tourism Network offers free trip planning tools that create personalized heritage itineraries in minutes. Select your interests from Civil War history to HBCU campuses to historic business districts. Choose your timeframe from half-day visits to week-long explorations. Pick your region across Virginia.
The system generates custom routes connecting you to documented heritage sites. You earn Heritage Points at every stop. Those points unlock discounts at Black-owned businesses throughout Virginia.
The trip planner works on desktop and mobile. Save your itineraries. Share them with travel companions. Check in at sites through QR codes. Track your heritage journey across Virginia.
Walk In Their Footsteps
Visit 50+ heritage sites across Virginia. Our statewide challenge connects you to historic landmarks, museums, and cultural treasures. Each location offers stories of resilience, innovation, and community building that shaped Virginia and the nation.
Featured Experiences
The African American Heritage Tourism Network features sites spanning from entrepreneurial landmarks to university museums to historic theaters. We connect visitors to heritage locations that preserve Virginia’s story while generating tourism activity and economic impact in the communities where history lives. We welcome you to explore the trail network’s interactive map, take advantage of our free trip planner, and use the Heritage Challenge to earn badges and redeem points for prizes along the way. Walk with us!
Connect With Community
Stay informed about partnership opportunities, heritage tourism developments, and Consensus Network meetings. Our monthly updates connect stakeholders across Virginia working to preserve heritage while generating sustainable economic impact in heritage communities.
Join Us for Upcoming Gatherings
The Consensus Network
January 29, 2026
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Online/Virtual
Culture, Health, Education, and Wealth Equity (CHEW) Meeting
November 20, 2025
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Online/Virtual
April 9th Symposium
April 9th, 2026
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Richmond, Virginia
Remembering the Past, Drive Community Equity, and Building Generational Wealth to Sustain Cultural Stewards
Richmond Office
1706 Floyd Avenue, Suite C Richmond, Virginia 23220


