R I C H M O N D M A G A Z I N E ’ S

2 0 1 8

ADVENTURE
AWAITS
AROUND
THE BEND
Drive, fly or float your way to
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 GET
YOUR
VIRGINIA
BEACH
ON!

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 Come experience the New Portsmouth ~
for the History, or just for the Fun of it.
Come stroll the walkway along our waterfront. Wend your way to our lightship and naval shipyard
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 Published by

PRESIDENT / PUBLISHER
Richard Malkman
FROM THE EDITOR
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Susan Winiecki Tharon Giddens
CREATIVE DIRECTOR

THE WORLD AWAITS

Justin Vaughan

RVA TRAVELER EDITOR

T
Tharon Giddens

COPY EDITOR
Jack Norton here’s a place known as Granny’s below Comer’s Rock in the mountains of
Grayson County where it always seems like it’s 1929. That’s the year this cabin
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Chad Anderson, Stephanie Breijo, Bird Cox, on a hill was built, and whenever you pull up to this vacation rental property
Catherine Cribbs, Anne Dreyfuss,
Maureen Egan, Bethany Emerson, on 23 secluded acres, its old-fashioned-looking radio is set to a local station
Tina Eshleman, Rich Griset, Alexis Holcombe,
that specializes in bluegrass and classic country tunes.
Taylor Horvath, Erica Jackson Curran,
Paul Karns, Robey Martin, Sarah McDonald, This is home base for one of my favorite Virginia getaways, a place to sit out on the
Jessica Ronky Hadad, Genevelyn Steele,
Martha Steger, Joan Tupponce, front porch’s rocking chairs and watch the cows staring back at you from the moun-
Susan Winiecki, Ashley Wright
tain pasture across the way. There are hiking paths and a mountain lake in the nearby
national forest; a drive-up waterfall and antiquing and thrift stores to explore in the
PRINT ART DIRECTOR
Sarah Barton county seat, Independence; live music venues and exceptional barbecue in Galax; and
a pretty portion of the New River Trail State Park that’s easily accessible in Fries for a
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Anna Thompson leisurely walk or bike ride.
Lauren Baldwin
It’s an unexpected pleasure that’s just a 4 1/2-hour drive from RVA. It’s also a trip that
PRODUCTION ARTIST exemplifies one of the delights of living here: Richmond is truly in the center of things
Rachel Lee
when it comes to traveling for fun, with mountains, beaches, vineyards and breweries,
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
John Henley plus world-class cities all within a five-hour drive or accessible via a nonstop flight from
Richmond International Airport.
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES And that’s where RVA Traveler comes in. This is your guide to some outstanding destina-
Martha Hebert, Kelly McCauley tions well worth a weekend or a longer sojourn. It’s a compilation of some of our favorite
PRODUCTION AND recent travel coverage, updated to reflect any changes or new additions worth exploring.
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Scott Bunce Inside, you’ll find day-trip excursions, destinations for longer weekend trips and some
more far-flung locales that are a short flight away from RIC. Whatever kind of traveler
CIRCULATION AND
EVENT DIRECTOR you are, whether you’re a fussy foodie with a penchant for pampering, a parent seeking
Catherine Wolfe
some family-friendly destinations, or a solo explorers with a love of hiking and biking,
CIRCULATION ASSISTANT & we’ve got you covered.
OFFICE COORDINATOR
Kathy Emerson

VICE PRESIDENT/CONTROLLER
Elisa Malkman
Table of Contents
BOOKKEEPER
Ellen Tishman

4 / COASTAL CRUISING 44 / DAY TRIPPING

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING OFFICES: Six beachy destinations, from the Fun family destinations, and some sites
2201 W. Broad St., Suite 105 Eastern Shore to the Outer Banks where you can bring the dog, too.
Richmond, Virginia 23220

14 / HIGHLAND DRIVES 54 / TAKING FLIGHT

TELEPHONE: 804-355-0111
MAIN FAX: 804-355-5442
EDITORIAL AND ART FAX: 804-355-8939
E-MAIL: editor@richmag.com
Richmond Magazine’s RVA Traveler, pub-
lished annually, and Richmond magazine,
published monthly, are products of Target
Communications Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part of any text,
photograph or illustration without written
permission from the publisher is prohibited.
39TH
YEAR
TARGET
COMMUNICATIONS INC.
Places to hike, bike, or simply rest
and enjoy the view
24 / THE COUNTRY SIDE OF LIFE
Rural retreats, from a horse resort in South
Boston to wineries in Rappahannock County
34 / THE CAPITAL STEPPES
Wine, dine and take in some history, too,
around Washington and its environs.
Jet away to these six weekend getaways
64 / VIRGINIA ROADWAYS
An A-to-Z guide for roadside attractions
and oddities
ON THE COVER: Afloat on the James River
near Scottsville. The James is the historic heart
of the commonwealth and a focal point for
leisure and fun. Photo by John Henley.

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 3

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 FAMILY ADVENTURE DINING SHOPPING THE ARTS HISTORY

SEASIDE FUN FROM

THE EASTERN SHORE
TO THE CAROLINAS

6/ VIRGINIA BEACH

7/ VIRGINIA OYSTER TRAIL

8/ PORTSMOUTH

9/ EASTERN SHORE

10/ CAROLINA BEACH

11/ OUTER BANKS

Photo courtesy Virginia Beach

Convention & Visitors Bureau

4 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8

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 COASTAL
CRUISING

Virginia Beach has more than

100 miles of bikeways and trails.

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 5

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 OH, THE
CREATURES
YOU WILL
EAT
Seafood in Virginia Beach
/ By Bird Cox
Superb seafood abounds along Vir-
ginia’s coast, but some of the very
best preparations hail from Virginia
Beach. It’s a liquid crossroads, with
the Chesapeake Bay spilling into
the Atlantic Ocean at its northwest
corner. A huge range of freshwater
and saltwater creatures call it home,
until they travel back to Richmond
in either my cooler or my belly.
Under the Bridge
You can roll up to the Dockside (docksideva.
com), a restaurant and seafood market, in
flip-flops and yesterday’s shirt and fill a table
with perfectly steamed shrimp, fresh Eastern
Shore oysters, buttery Bay crabs and clams
casino, then grab some fresh porgy fillets or
any of the umpteen types of fish that they sell
at the market, to prepare for dinner. Bonus 1: They
have a shockingly long wine list. Bonus 2: There’s a
sparkling blue, seagull-dotted view across which
the Lesner Bridge stretches its legs.
Under the Sea
Indulge your taste buds and get an introduction
to some of Virginia Beach’s finest bistros at the
Spring Wine + Food Festival (neptunefestival.
com), May 12 at Neptune’s Park, 31st Street at
Atlantic Avenue. The 15th annual festival features
70 wines and food from several local restaurants,
including Catch 31 (catch31.com) and Salacia
(salaciavb.com). Wines are from nine counties
and include Virginia wines from Byrd Cellars
(byrdcellars.com) in Goochland and Norfolk’s
Mermaid Winery (mermaidwinery.com).
Other seaworthy highlights include Pasta e
Pani’s (pastaepanionline.com) brilliant, garlicky
spaghettini Positano with clams, calamari and
shrimp (for extra luxury, beg them to serve it
over their house-made linguini).
You also want to indulge in the Signature
Broiled Lump Crab Cakes, a fusion of Rudee
6 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8
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Neptune’s Spring
Wine + Food Festival
Inlet and Eastern Shore style cakes, at Blue Seafood &
Spirits (blueseafoodandspirits.com).
Beyond the Sea
Those less inclined to the sea diet have plenty to enjoy
in Virginia Beach, too. You’ll find lunch classics at Taste
Unlimited (multiple locations, including Richmond, taste.
Clockwise from top: Virginia Beach Neptune Festival; Cameron Davidson/Virginia Tourism Corp.;
online.com), fantastic Chinese at two Peter Chang locations
(sister restaurants to the locations in Short Pump and Scott’s
Broiled seafood
Addition), and quirky delicacies such as mushroom and triple
medley at
Blue Seafood cream brie pizza at Eat: An American Bistro (eatbistro.net).
Under the Volcano
If the words “Indonesian volcanic island” pique
your interest, visit the Virginia Aquarium & Ma-
rine Science Center (virginiaaquarium.com),
which also features a Chesapeake Bay Touch
Pool and an adventure park with a zip line that
runs above Owl Creek.
Stay
IN THE KNOW Barclay Cottage Bed & Breakfast (barclay
cottage.com) offers some spectacular ameni-
If the beach isn’t your
ties: bicycles, beach gear, homemade cookies
typical destination in
Courtesy Blue Seafood & Spirits
winter, consider making and a nip of sherry in the evening. Located just a
an exception; it’s the couple of blocks from the surf, Barclay’s the best
best time of the year to bet for your summer home away from home.
enjoy certain sea crea-
Beach Spa Bed & Breakfast (beachspabnb.
tures like oysters, which
com) combines the cozy charm of a beachy B&B
usually spawn in the
summer, and lobsters, with the luxury of a day spa, and it offers facials
whose shells get too and hot stone massages, hydro body massage
soft in warmer waters. elements, rainfall showers, and jetted tubs.
3/25/18 4:36 PM
 OYSTERS ON
of oyster stew, no matter the weather. It is Barnett’s mother’s
recipe, simple and savory, fully showcasing the Eastern oyster’s

THE HALF TRAIL

delicate saltiness.

Make the western portion of
Virginia’s Oyster Trail a weekend
excursion / By Robey Martin
Similar to wine or coffee, a multitude of environ-
mental factors can influence the taste of an oyster,
from water salinity to the sediment it filters. You
can discover eight distinct varieties along
Virginia’s Oyster Trail (540-886-1684,
virginiaoystertrail.com). Start with
an easy weekend excursion around
Irvington and Gloucester on the
western side of the Chesapeake Bay.
Muddying the Water
While in Irvington, check out the Hope and
Glory Inn (hopeandglory.com). The converted
schoolhouse has six rooms and six detached
cottages. Have Meseret Crockett, the inn’s ever-
present manager and executive chef, stir up a re-
laxing combination of Amaretto, Kahlua and Bailey’s
Irish Cream liqueurs, or enjoy her food at Dining Hall,
the inn’s boat-to-table restaurant
($72 per person prix fixe, reservations
required).
A Taste of Gloucester
In Gloucester, stop to see Daniel and Bruce Vogt at Big Island
Aquaculture (bigislandaquaculture.com), and take a walk
around the farm. The Vogts use floating cages to grow their
triploid (non-spawning, year-round) oysters, resulting in top-
raised bivalves that are both creamy and salty.
Swing by Yolanda’s On Main (yolandasonmain.com), a
family-owned clothing and jewelry shop, to talk jewelry with
Yolanda herself, buy a Bed Stu belt or pick up a new
Michael Stars shirt. When peckish again, stroll
through the small town and visit Kelsick Spe-
cialty Market (kelsickmarket.com), another
family-owned establishment. Take in their
wine tasting on Fridays or sample the im-
pressive beer collection and learn what to
pair with your next oyster session.
End your evening in one of the guest
rooms at The Inn at Warner Hall (warner
hall.com), which was established in the
1600s. Complimentary breakfasts include
a choice of two entrees, served in the dining
room or on the river porch. The bed-and-breakfast
Kelsick Specialty
also has a complimentary wine and cheese social
Market Manager
Megan Brockman hour, beginning at 4:30 p.m. each day.

A Taste of Topping
If educational excursions (with deli-
Top: Kelsick Specialty Market; Bottom: Courtesy Rappahannock Oyster Co. /TylerDarden

cious food, of course) delight you,

head to Topping and take a tour of
the working oyster farm at Rappah-
annock Oyster Co. (rroysters.com).
Eat at their award-winning restaurant,
Merroir, which was once a fishing and
bait shack. Rappahannock features
different oysters at Merroir, includ-
ing a briny Old Salt from their farm
in Chincoteague, Sting Ray oysters
presenting with hints of butter, and
their namesake oyster, a gateway
oyster, if you will, sweet and fat.

Oysters at White Stone

While in White Stone, savor the view
from William Barnett’s Willaby’s
Cafe, (willabys.com). Sit outside and
enjoy their oysters, which are from
W.E. Kellum Seafood (kellumseafood.
Virginia’s water culture is
com), an oyster shucking house that celebrated on the Oyster Trail
started in 1948. Treat yourself to a cup

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 7

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 A TOURISM GEM
Portsmouth a charming getaway
in any season / By Martha Steger
With Portsmouth’s lights shimmering on the Eliza-
beth River on a December day, my husband,
Tom, and I wondered how we had overlooked
this city across from Norfolk on the world’s
largest and deepest natural harbor. It’s a
historic city, with the largest collection of
period homes between Alexandria and
Charleston, South Carolina.
Easy-Walking City
We took the walking tour of Olde Towne (old
etowneportsmouth.com) with the living-history
persona of “William Crawford,” Portsmouth’s
planner, who laid out the city in 1752. His anec-
dotal humor kept the overview — built around
the restored 18th- and 19th-century buildings
at the beginning of the tour — lively.
The tour reoriented us to the easy access
between old and new sections of the city. At the
end, we found ourselves at the corner of High
and Middle streets, and the Children’s Museum
of Virginia (childrensmuseumvirginia.com). The
museum capitalizes on Portsmouth’s bustling
port with hands-on and role-play experiences on
the operation of tugboats and the importation
and export of goods. There’s also planetarium
and a train exhibit, too. Tom — a railroad buff —
8 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8
TravelBook_CoastalCrusing.indd 8
followed the train tracks around the make-believe depot platform
to the Lancaster Antique Train and Toy Collection: 814 trains in
glass cases and eight mainlines working in the layout on 610
square feet of track.
Virginia
Sports Hall
of Fame
GOOD TO KNOW
Norfolk Naval Shipyard,
the nation’s oldest dry-
dock facility, is actually
in Portsmouth. It was
named for its sister city
in the 19th century be-
cause there was already
a U.S. Navy shipyard by
that name near Ports-
mouth, New Hampshire.
Artsy Winter Wonderland
Two blocks west at 400 High St. is the
Portsmouth Art and Cultural Center
(portsmouthartcenter.com), housed in the
city’s 1846 courthouse. It showcases the
work of local, national and international
artists throughout the year. Special activities
are offered first Fridays from
March through October.
The museum is decked out
for the holidays from Thanks-
giving weekend through New
Year’s Eve. When nearby Cole-
man’s Nursery closed in 2003
after three decades, the Ports-
mouth Museums Foundation
purchased the lighted holiday
displays, which run the gamut
from Victorian scenes of ani-
mated skaters and carolers to
an enchanted forest of bears,
deer and Santa’s workshop.
Fun, Food and
Accommodations
Clockwise from top: Virginia Sports Hall of Fame & Museum; Courtesy City of Portsmouth;
A must-do on High Street
is the Commodore Theatre
(commodoretheatre.com), a
restored 1945 Art Deco-style
movie theater presenting
first-run films — and dining
service in the main auditorium. Place an order
directly with the kitchen by using the phone at Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Victoria Granado
your table.
Stroll several blocks down to the water-
front and you’ll find the Portsmouth Light-
ship Museum (portsmouthnavalshipyard
museum.com), a 1915 lightship, that served as
part of the U. S. Lighthouse Service until it was
retired and designated a National Historic Land-
mark in 1989. The nearby Portsmouth Naval
Shipyard Museum, which chronicles 250 years
of Portsmouth and naval history, is set to reopen
in January 2018 following renovations.
For overnights, we recommend the Renais-
sance Portsmouth-Norfolk Waterfront Hotel
(757-673-3000). It overlooks the river and is lo-
cated in the historic district.
3/25/18 4:37 PM

BACK TO
THE ISLANDS
The Eastern Shore teems with wildlife
and laid-back charm in winter
/ By Martha Steger
No winter visions of distant palm trees
for us: Our family’s island holidays are
Top and inset: Martha Steger; Bottom: Courtesy Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce
closer to home — Chincoteague and
Assateague islands, where November
and December are special times of year
at the top of Virginia’s Eastern Shore.  ter activity.
Geese for Thanksgiving
We tuned in years ago to the honking V-for-
mations of thousands of snow geese returning
from their northern tundra breeding grounds
to the milder climate of Chincoteague National
Wildlife Refuge (fws.gov/refuge/chincoteague).
Created in 1943 as a stop for Canada geese mi-
grating along the Atlantic Flyway, the refuge
is home to more than 300 species of birds.The
two islands, accessible via causeways, teem with
human as well as wildlife activity for Thanksgiv-
ing and Waterfowl Weekend. Town accommo-
dations and stores offer special packages, and
sales on Thanksgiving Friday are not typical
mall shopping.  Delmarva fox squir-
It’s hard to beat the plumage of waterfowl
TravelBook_CoastalCrusing.indd 9
There are no crowds in
winter along Assateague
Island’s pristine beach.
Atlantic Ocean and watched sunsets at docks on the Chin-
coteague Channel.
Those who find the New Year’s Eve Horseshoe Drop (chin-
Wild ponies grazing.
IN THE KNOW
The 3.5-mile Wildlife
Loop around the ref-
uge’s Snow Goose Pond
is reserved for hikers
and bikers during the
earlier part of each day
but open to vehicular
traffic from three in the
afternoon till dusk.
Get a closer look at
Assateague’s famous
wild ponies, abundant
rels, and sika elk.
such as green-winged teal,
pintail and black ducks
(don’t forget a birding guide
as well as binoculars). My
husband, Tom, and I hold
a National Park Service/Fish
& Wildlife Service lifetime
senior pass ($80, covers ad-
mission for all passengers in
the vehicle) for accessing
the wildlife refuge across
the causeway from Chin-
coteague (past the Wildlife
Refuge Visitor Center on the
left and the trail to the As-
sateague Lighthouse on the
right — note that the light-
house is closed December
through April).
Christmas by
the Sea
Between Christmas and
New Year’s, our family loves
pulling on cozy sweaters
(average December air
temperature is 50 degrees)
to walk Assateague’s beach
while listening to laughing gulls
and the rhythm of breaking waves.
We’ve witnessed a sunrise over the
coteaguechristmas.com) and the Polar Pony
Plunge dip into the Atlantic on Jan. 1 a bit too
invigorating will find bicycling the perfect win-
The absence of development on Assateague
is a big part of what keeps the beach — for my
money — the most pristine on the Atlantic coast-
line. For modern amenities, Chincoteague — with
its Island Creamery (islandcreamery.net) — is
five minutes away. Save some time for walking
Main Street in this old fishing village. 
Staying There
Our experiences include Sunset Bay Villas’
three-bedroom condo (Chincoteague Resort
Realty) — with kitchen, living/dining that pro-
vides ringside seats for sunset over Chincoteague
Channel — and rooms at Marriott’s Fairfield
Inn & Suites with shared lobby and deck space,
where guests can eat food purchased at spots
such as Gary Howard Seafood (757-336-5178).
There’s a good selection of island B&Bs, too.
RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 9
3/25/18 4:37 PM

CAROLINA
(BEACH)
ON MY MIND
Coastal town mixes retro
attractions with modern-day
Banh Mi at
developments / By Paul Karns
Carolina Beach in North Carolina is a four-hour drive
from Richmond, just close enough to load up some
tunes and head down the highway for a quick week-
end escape. It’s a blend of old-school boardwalk and
beach town, with modern hotels that contrast with
1950s-style motor inns. Ample restau-
rants and bars satisfy all tastes.
Sugar, Sugar
Start your visit at Britt’s Donut Shop (find them
on Facebook), just off the boardwalk. In opera-
tion since 1939, Britt’s is a cash-only, one-style
operation, where the doughnuts come hot out
of the fryer and are drenched in a sweet glaze. A
seasonal operation, Britt’s closes for the season in
September and reopens April 1.
No Particular Place to Go
While you’re still on your sugar rush from Britt’s,
head two blocks east to the boardwalk that lines
downtown. From there, the beach stretches as
10 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8
TravelBook_CoastalCrusing.indd 10
far as the eye can see in either direc-
Golden Sands tion, broken to the south only by a tiki
Hotel’s tiki bar
bar that occupies a pier at the Golden
Sands Beach Resort. Head south to
avoid some of the more crowded sec-
tions near the boardwalk. Settle in and
prepare to while away the day.
Please, Please Me
Satisfy your lunch cravings at one
of the many restaurants dotting the
downtown area near the beach, or
head to The Veggie Wagon (theveg-
giewagon.com). It’s the go-to place
for everything from gelato to growl-
ers, house-made pickles to imported
Parmigiano-Reggiano, and sundries
to sandwiches. You can satisfy break-
fast and lunch needs and stir up the
ingredients for a great dinner, as well.
If you’re there on a weekend, pick up
their freshly made mozzarella.
Here Comes the Night
After a few more hours on the beach,
grab dinner at any number of the town’s
restaurants before hitting the after-dark
carnival rides near the boardwalk. In ad-
dition to many other options, your dining
choices include upscale fare from Ocean
Grill (oceangrilltiki.com) at the Golden Sands,
Catfish
surprisingly good sushi at Nikki’s Gourmet and
The Surf
House
Sushi Bar (nikkissushibar.com), or solid Mexican
fare at El Cazador (elcazadormex.com).
After dinner, follow the lights to the rides — or hang with the
big kids at The Fat Pelican (thefatpelican.com). Nearly every
surface at this dive bar and beer garden is covered with visitors’
signatures and carved notes, and you’ll find nearly 300 beers in
a refrigerated walk-in. Rated as one of the best dive bars in the
state and even the country, the Pelican Top left and bottom center: Courtesy Wilmington and Beaches
deserves its own feature.
Wake Up Boo!
Convention and Visitors Bureau; Inset: Tina Eshleman
The next morning, before you decide to
hit the beach once again, be sure to grab
brunch at The Surf House (surfhousenc.
com). Widely loved by the locals, Surf
House sources nearly all of its ingredients
locally. The staff is attentive and knowl-
edgeable, and the menu features but-
termilk waffles with fruit and the “Good
Ol’ Boy” with eggs, bacon, sausage, grits
and toast. (Note: If you go for brunch,
you won’t be able buy alcohol until after
noon.) Don’t ask, just go. In general, that’s
Britt’s Donut Shop
the mantra for Carolina Beach.
3/25/18 4:37 PM
 FALL INTO
THE OBX
Beat the crowds with a
post-Labor Day visit to the
Outer Banks / By Anne Dreyfuss
The population of Dare County in North
Carolina’s Outer Banks swells each sum-
mer from less than 35,000 to more than
250,000. Undeveloped beaches, abundant
wildlife and a laid-back attitude attract
vacationers who prefer remote shorelines to
built-up boardwalks. The coastal getaway
can begin to feel crowded, but you can beat
the throngs with a visit after Labor Day.

Stay
Originally opened in 1985,
the Sanderling Resort Cape Point
(sanderling-resort.com) in
the beach town of Duck is
situated on 113 acres between the Currituck Sound and the Atlantic rants-and-bars/kimballs-kitchen) serves seafood caught at the
Ocean. This resort has 120 guest rooms and suites, five vacation Oregon Inlet — about 20 miles from the restaurant. The upscale
homes, four restaurants, a 6,000-square-foot, award-winning spa restaurant maintains the coastal casual environment of the
offering seasonal specials, and other amenities, includ- Outer Banks, while serving food you would expect from a AAA
ing an adults-only pool, fire pits and an upstairs four-diamond establishment. Take a seat at the bar in the late
deck overlooking the Atlantic. afternoon and enjoy a view of the Currituck Sound sunset
reflecting on the mirror behind the bar.
Eat
Play
Top and bottom: Courtesy Outer Banks Visitors Bureau; Center: Courtesy The Sanderling

Formerly Sam’s Grill on U.S. Highway

1 in Richmond, the 1939 Kullman din-
er car that fronts the Kill Devil Grill
(thekilldevilgrill.com) brings midcen-
tury Americana to mind. One of only six
diners listed on the National Register of Sanderling
Resort
Historic Places, the local favorite features
tabletop jukeboxes and art deco details, along
with a menu that adds a modern twist to American
cuisine.
Tucked in the back of an Exxon station off North Carolina
Highway 12, it would be easy to overlook the Kill Devil Hills Stop N
Shop (stopnshopobx.com), but this sandwich counter might have
the best deli offerings on the island.
Its sandwiches are made with Boar’s
Head meats. Not a meat lover? Try the
Veggie Weggie. The Swiss, Muenster
and provolone cheese sandwich, gar-
nished with black olives, is made on
freshly baked wheat bread.
Paying homage to Eastern North
Carolina’s maritime heritage, Kimball’s
Kitchen (sanderling-resort.com/restau-
Kitty Hawk Kites (kittyhawk.com) offers a range of
adventures, from dune hang gliding to flying a repro-
duction 1902 Wright glider, as well as paddleboard-
ing, helicopter and horseback rides, and, of course,
an assortment of kites.
Past the end of Highway 12, Corolla Outback Adven-
tures (corollaoutback.com) leads guided SUV tours of wild
horse refuges and sanctuary sites. The family-owned business
started in 1962, when there were no paved roads past Kitty Hawk.
Expect to come face-to-face with the Colonial Spanish mustangs
that roam the natural terrain, but keep your distance. Getting
within 50 feet of the horses carries a $500 fine.
DON’T MISS
Visitors are invited to tour Bodie Island Lighthouse (outer
banks.com/bodie-island-lighthouse.html). The 1872 beacon has
undergone a $5 million renovation that included strengthen-
ing the support of the 214 steps that spiral to the top of the
156-foot-tall structure. The third lighthouse built along that
stretch of North Carolina’s barrier islands offers a 360-degree
view of the sea and the Roanoke Sound that is definitely worth
the price of the guided tour.

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 11

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 FAMILY ADVENTURE DINING SHOPPING THE ARTS HISTORY

MOUNTAINS FULL OF
FOOD AND BREWS,
HIKES AND BIKE
RIDES AND SOME
SHAKESPEAREAN
DELIGHTS, TOO.

16/ HARRISONBURG

17/ SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE

18/ LEXINGTON

19/ STAUNTON

20/ WYTHEVILLE

21/ ABINGDON

Photo courtesy NPS/N. Lewis

14 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8

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 HIGHLAND
DRIVES

Shenandoah National Park at sunrise

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 15

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 MOUNTAIN- A duck leg at

SIZED CHARM
Food Bar Food

Harrisonburg offers history, food

and fun / By Robey Martin
When vacationers think about Virginia
travel, Harrisonburg is rarely considered a
front-runner of prime destinations. However,
when delving into the specifics, the city —
home to fewer than 50,000 — makes a
good case for a getaway that is easy on the
eyes and offers an array of activities, too.

Take a Hike
With the Shenandoah Valley
as the city’s backyard, it only
makes sense that guests get
caught up in hiking, cavern
exploring and breathtak-
ing views. Most of the more
popular hiking trails start on
Skyline Drive (visitskyline
drive.org), accessible at Swift
Run Gap about 23 miles east
of the city off U.S. Highway 33.
If you are a novice, start with
the Blackrock Summit trail, a Skyline Drive For beer and burgers, make your way to
mile-long circuit with a trailhead at mile marker the original Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint
84.4. It offers a gorgeous, encompassing view of (jackbrownsjoint.com), the chain from two col-
the valley. lege friends with a dream. (There’s also a location
in Richmond at 5810 Grove Ave.)
Enjoy a Brew Then there’s The Golden Pony (goldenponyva.com), a local
Harrisonburg is home to several breweries, with two sporting hangout, whose name originates from the novel “The Outsiders”
Great American Beer Festival awards: Pale Fire Brewing Co. by S.E. Hinton. Want to sample a bit of everything? Rocktown
and Brothers Craft Brewing. The three Shifflett brothers opened Bites (rocktownbites.com) offers a downtown walking tour that
Brothers Craft Brewing (brotherscraftbrewing.com) in 2012. will introduce you to seven different restaurants.
Top: Courtesy Food Bar Food; Inset: Courtesy visitskylinedrive.org
It’s known for Resolute, its Russian imperial stout lauded for its
intense flavor profile and high ABV. Historic Lodging
Pale Fire Brewing (palefirebrewing.com) was founded in To really get a feel for the charming nature of Harrisonburg,
2015. The brewery touts its focus on creativity as the reason stay in one of its historic homes that have been converted into
behind Salad Days, its award-winning American saison. bed and breakfast inns.
The Joshua Wilton House (joshuawilton.com) is a Victorian
And Some Fine Food, Too mansion converted into a restaurant, lounge and inn. Its five
After hiking and imbibing, take a trip to one of Harrisonburg’s rooms provide views of downtown or the gorgeous patio and
many great restaurants. For something a little out of the ordi- garden. If you are too tired to head back out after a day of fun,
nary, try the kaya toast at Food Bar Food (foodbarfood.com). dinner is served nightly.
The dish has a coconut-kaya custard served on toast with fried Just minutes from downtown, there’s By the Side of the Road
eggs, asparagus and a soy sauce reduction. Inn & Cottages (bythesideoftheroad.com). This complex with a
The Little Grill Collective (lilgrill.com), is open for breakfast large structure and five cottages was at one time a Mennonite
and lunch. This all-local eatery has quite a following for its take church and also served as a hospital during the Civil War. Take
on free-range barbecued chicken and organic seasonal veg- in some history there, and enjoy the luxury of having a gourmet
gie burrito. breakfast delivered to your room or cottage each morning.

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 MAKING WAVES
in Alabama. The site includes a visitor center and self-guided
tour of the property, including a reconstructed slave cabin and

AT SMITH
horse barn.

MOUNTAIN LAKE
Stay
Don’t fret if you’re not lucky enough to have family or friends
with a house at Smith Mountain Lake (smithmountainlake
From boating to fish feeding, it’s all rentals.com). Rentals vary depending on location, number of

about the water at this deep-water bedrooms and length of stay. Just like at the ocean, prices are
lower in the off-season (post Labor Day to pre Memorial Day
getaway / By Sarah K. McDonald weekend); some homes can be rented for less than a week with
a two-night minimum.
Smith Mountain Lake is a great place for a week- Camping and cabins are available at Smith Mountain Lake
end of boating, swimming or just sitting on a deck, State Park (dcrvirginia.gov). There are trails and a public, sandy
watching the sun set. beach at the park.
Located about an hour southeast of Roanoke and
about a three-hour drive southwest from Richmond,
Smith Mountain Lake
Smith Mountain Lake was formed in 1966 when the
American Electric Power Co. dammed the Black-
water and Roanoke rivers to produce electricity via
turbine generators.

On the Water
The Smith Mountain Lake dam
(540-985-2587) itself is an interest-
ing destination. Adults will appreci-
ate the awesome task of building
the dam, and kids will love the in-
teractive exhibits.
The real attraction of Smith
Mountain Lake, of course, is the
lake, with a depth that aver-
ages 55 feet. Bring your own
watercraft if you have it; other-
wise several outlets offer rent-
als (Bridgewater Boat Rentals,
bridgewaterplaza.com/marina.
html; State Park Rentals, bridgewaterplaza.com/ Historical re-enactors Eat
statepark.html). If you’re new to boating, though, at Burroughs Farm The Blackwater Café (theblackwatercafe.com)
Top and bottom: Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce;
Inset: Courtesy NPS/Booker T. Washington National Monument

be sure you understand the rules of the water first,
which are basically the same as the rules of the road.
Discover
Along the way, stop at Burroughs Farm (nps.gov/bowa) in Frank-
lin County. It’s the birthplace of Booker T. Washington, who was
born into slavery and went on to found the Tuskegee Institute
opens for dinner, Wednesday through Saturday, at
5 p.m. The menu includes shrimp and grits ($9.99), Pork
Bahn Mi ($13.99) and a grilled bone-in pork chop ($19.99).
For a treat between meals, order a cone at the Ice Cream Cot-
tage (540-721-1305). You’ll find more than 20 flavors of Hershey’s
ice cream here, including the best birthday-cake ice cream my
husband and I have ever tried.

DON’T MISS
After our then-toddler son fed the equivalent of an entire box of Cheerios to the ducks by my in-laws’
dock, we heard about some huge carp at Bridgewater Marina (bridgewaterplaza.com) that needed
some food. We hopped in the boat, bought a bag of popcorn and let my son go to work dropping
kernels into the water off the dock. The sheer volume and size of these fish is astounding. Even more
amazing was the tween boy who postured for his posse by pulling one of the giants up onto the dock.
He sure impressed us.

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 MOUNTAIN Institute, but I skipped over higher education to South Main Street

HAUNTS and happy hour at the neon-lighted Southern Inn Restaurant

(southerninn.com).

AND JAUNTS
Eclectic adventures await in Lexington
/ By Genevelyn Steele
As I slide into a parking spot in downtown
Lexington, a welcoming wave from a local reminds
me of Tolstoy’s chestnut regarding plot lines: “All
great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on
a journey or a stranger comes to town.”
A stranger comes to town
At first glance this undulating, walkable historic
county seat, named for the Revolutionary war
battle of Lexington-Concord in Massachusetts,
doesn’t look as if it has crossed into the 21st
century. Utility lines are hidden under brick
sidewalks running by Victorian, Antebellum
and Georgian-style houses.
Take a closer look at those walkways and
you’ll notice they are fitted with pavers honor-
ing famous past residents, including musician
Patsy Cline and George Crumb, the first documented
streaker in North America. The Righteous and Rascals
of Rockbridge tour — dozens of histories mapped through-
out downtown — is accessible via cellphone (rrrockbridge.org/
the-stories). Or, do as I did, and
follow artist and actor Mark
Cline on his nightly Haunting
Tales, Lexington’s Ghost Tour
(lexingtonvaghosttour.com).
After checking into one of
the 39 Art Deco rooms in the
luxurious Robert E. Lee Hotel,
(roberteleehotel.com) fully ren-
ovated in 2014, I scouted the
grounds and found a f itness
VMI’s Friday afternoon full-dress parade had just ended, so the
cozy diner booths were filling with cadets in starched grays order-
ing pimento cheese with skillet cornbread and red pepper jelly.
For the main course, I headed to Washington Street and
the quaint, gingerbread-trimmed dining room of The Red Hen
(redhenlex.com), Lexington’s first farm-to-table restaurant.
Across Washington Street, the modest Stonewall Jackson
House (vmi.edu/museums-and-archives/stonewall-jackson-
house/) offered a glimpse of how the general lived with his
family before the Civil War.
After a spicy cup of Red Hen tea, mixed for the restaurant
by Lexington’s Soothing Herbals Apothecary, I set out for the
90-minute walking tour.
Cline’s droll, lantern-lighted impersonations ended in
the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery with illu-
sion, as he levitated a match in front of a looming
statue of Stonewall Jackson, one of two statues
in town designed by Richmond sculptor Ed-
ward Valentine. The other, a bust of Robert E.
Lee, adorns the Lee Chapel at Washington and
Lee. Jackson and Lee are buried in Lexington.
The Natural Going on a journey
Bridge
A nearby attraction is Natural Bridge State Park
(dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/natural-bridge), Virginia’s
newest park. The 215-foot tall gorge was once owned by
Thomas Jefferson.
The area features six miles of walking trails.
Courtesy Lexington and Rockbridge Area Tourism

center and the Rocca Bar Ris-

torante’s second-floor patio over-
looking Main Street.
Italian cuisine figures promi-
nently on the menu; I earmarked
the ricotta cheese zeppoli with
dark chocolate for later. Pronto, a
gelateria and sandwich cafe, is a
few doors from the hotel.
The property is within walk-
ing distance from the city’s two
Actor and artist Mark Cline lights
colleges, Washington and Lee
the way on a ghost tour.
University and Virginia Military

18 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8

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 GET THEE TO work of other playwrights, all following the basic principles of

STAUNTON
Renaissance theater production: universal lighting (which helps to
break down the “fourth wall” between audience and performer),
minimal sets, lavish costumes and live music.
Re-created Shakespeare theater inspires The theater is beautiful, and though the seats (wooden benches
a weekend trip / By Jessica Ronky Haddad with back rests) can get a bit uncomfortable, the resident troupe
is top-notch. We missed our opportunity, but the theater offers
My husband and I recently headed west for a much- daily one-hour tours of the theater for $7.
needed weekend getaway combining some of our
favorite activities: outdoor recreation, fine dining The World’s Mine Oyster
and the arts. Our destination was Staunton, less We grabbed a light lunch and midday bloody mary at Byers
than a two-hour drive over the Blue Ridge Moun- Street Bistro (byersstreetbistro.com), located in a historic ware-
tains from Richmond. house. Our grilled salmon salad and chicken tostada salad
were just the sustenance we
needed for a few hours of win-
dow shopping and gallery
hopping while allowing us to
save room — and calories —
for dinner.
The Shack (theshackva.
com) has become a hot din-
ing destination. Southern Liv-
ing declared this unassuming,
and aptly named, eatery to be
one of the 10 best new restau-
rants in the South in 2014, and
chef Ian Boden was a James
Beard Award nominee in 2013
and 2017. The prix fixe menu
($45 for three courses, $55
for four) changes daily with
seasonal —  and inspired — 
local fare. Standouts in our visit
included the Wagyu oyster steak
with root vegetable gratin, and
young turnips and a cinnamon-
The cast of “Love’s Labour’s Lost” at Blackfriars Playhouse
chocolate pot de crème with
the most sublime orange sugar
To Sleep, Perchance to Dream cookies. It’s wise to make a reservation,
Top: Lauren D. Rogers; Inset: Courtesy Stonewall Jackson Hotel

We spent the night at the 124-room Stonewall Jack-
son Hotel & Conference Center (stonewalljackson
hotel.com), conveniently located downtown and next
door to the American Shakespeare Center (ameri-
canshakespearecenter.com). Staunton is a walkable
town, and it was a huge bonus to park the car and
explore it on foot. The hotel’s Shakespeare package
($185 to $350) includes one night’s accommodations, a
generous breakfast buffet for two, parking and two tickets to
a show of your choice.
The Play’s the Thing
Blackfriars Playhouse, the world’s only re-creation of Shake-
speare’s indoor, stages a rotating repertory of three to five produc-
tions each season, with two or three different plays daily. While
the theater focuses on Shakespeare’s work, it also performs the
since there is only seating for 26 at
communal tables.
Although the Last,
Not Least
Staunton boasts a number of antiques
shops, art galleries, bookstores and other
independent retailers. Our favorites include
Made: By the People, for the People (made-va.
com), a modern-day general store featuring American-made
clothing (think flannel shirts and organic cotton separates),
tongue-in-cheek gifts and handmade goods.
Sunspots Studios (sunspots.com) is a glass-blowing stu-
dio and gallery. Visitors can watch demonstrations, and even
learn to blow their own ornament ($40 to $45) during daily
walk-in workshops.

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 19

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 ding light on the 28th President
of the United States.
Andrew Phillips, curator of
the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace
in Staunton, says, “Sometimes
we joke that Virginia really had
eight and a half presidents,
counting Edith.” She redefined
the role of first lady, as she took
on many routine duties and de-
tails of the executive branch of
government during the last 17
months of her husband’s presi-
dency following his massive
stroke — when she didn’t want
Congress or the public to know
how ill her husband was. The
president and Edith married in
December 1915, a little more than
a year after the death of his first
wife, Ellen.
Edith’s birthplace in Wythe-
ville — 150 miles southwest

NOT JUST Skeeter’s

World Famous
of Wilson’s bir thplace in
Staunton — tells how her early

ANOTHER
Hot Dogs
life prepared her for the chal-
lenges of becoming first lady at a time of na-

ROADSIDE tional crisis. Everything downstairs in the exhi-

bition space, from china cabinets to game tables

ATTRACTION to the Bolling cradle, was owned by the Bolling fam-

ily and has been donated to the museum. The upstairs —

World-famous hot dogs and a first
lady’s birthplace share one roof
in Wytheville / By Martha Steger
Roadside America contains about 250 Virginia
listings and “Skeeter-Dogs – The First Lady of Hot
Dogs,” is one of six in Wytheville, the mountain town
the flat where Edith was born — is in substantially the same
condition it was in when the Bollings left in 1899 and the space
became a boarding house.
Highway Stars
The other five Wytheville attractions on Roadside America’s list?
- The town’s water tower next to I-81, painted to resemble a
hot-air balloon

Inset: Courtesy Wytheville Convention & Visitors Bureau/Mark Soto

at the intersection of I-77 and I-81. The Skeeter slogan - A tiny church that seats six people but has a bell tower
makes sly reference to the fact that it shares space (wythesmallchurch.com)
with a presidential wife’s museum. - The huge pencil hanging over Wytheville Office Supply,
Top: Courtesy Wytheville Convention & Visitors Bureau;

146 W. Main St.

Edith and Skeeter
The only public birthplace of the wife of a United States president
is on the floor above the street-level Skeeter’s World Famous Hot
Dogs (skeetershotdogs.com), which has sold more than 9 million
steamed hot dogs on white napkins in Wytheville since 1925.
“It’s a big deal to be more famous than a Skeeter-dog, but
our Edith Bolling Wilson is trying to be just that,” says Farron
Smith, curator of the Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum
(edithbollingwilson.org).
The museum, along with the Woodrow Wilson Presidential
Library and Museum in Staunton, and the President Woodrow
Wilson House in Washington, D. C., plays a significant role in shed-
- Big Walker Lookout, a 100-foot tower affording a 360-de-
gree view for miles atop Big Walker Mountain, about 25
miles north off U.S. Highway 52 (scenicbeauty-va.com)
- The Great Lakes to Florida Highway Museum, with reno-
vated gas pumps and a collection of turn-of-the-previous-
century garage-mechanic’s tools and equipment inside. It’s
at 975 Tazewell St.
Sleep And Eat
The Bolling Wilson Hotel (bollingwilsonhotel.com) is across
from Skeeter’s and the birthplace museum. As for dining, there’s
Skeeter’s, of course, as well as Graze on Main restaurant, patio
and bar, part of the hotel.

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 ABINGDON fers a well-appointed porch, indoor pool and a lovely two-level
flagstone-lined outdoor Jacuzzi alongside a fire pit. We added

TRAIL MIX massages at “The Martha,” as the locals call it, to work out the
kinks from overdoing the hiking.

Milling around in the southwest Dine

corner of Virginia / By Maureen Egan
After navigating our way out of the traffic on I-81,
my husband and I eased into a slower pace of life,
as we pulled into Abingdon, our home base for
outdoorsy adventures in Southwest Virginia. Here
you should hike, bike or at least sit on a porch with
a good view of the breathtaking scenery.
Eating well in Abingdon is as easy as rolling out of bed at The
Martha and wandering into the dining room. The hotel serves a
free breakfast to its guests, with choices of eggs and ham, fresh
fruit, pancakes or waffles, sweet breads and apple butter. By the
time we’d finished hiking, we were hungry enough that evening
for dinner. The hotel’s dining room boasts a gorgeous old bar with
comfortable leather seating. On another night, we dined at The
Tavern (abingdontavern.com), in Abingdon’s oldest building,
which dates to 1779. Owned by
a German, the restaurant offers
The Virginia Creeper Trail
food with an intercontinental
flair. Schnitzel, spaetzle, rippchen,
chicken saltimbocca and stuffed
filet mignon Palermo-style are
on the menu.

Stay
If you want to feel pampered, check in
at the Martha Washington Hotel and
Spa (themartha.com), in the heart
of downtown. The Martha Washing-
ton — a private residence in 1832 and
a finishing school, a Civil War hospital
and a women’s college in later years — of-
Discover
The pace picked up considerably
when we rode our mountain
bikes along the Virginia Creeper
Trail — a euphoria-producing
trail that starts at Whitetop Sta-
tion. You can bike the entire 34-
mile trail by starting in Abing-
don. But most folks use the town
of Damascus as their launching
point. Six hiking, biking and driv-
ing trails converge there and,
as a result, it’s full of bike-rental
outf itters. We took a shuttle
f rom Adventure Damascus
(adventuredamascus.com) to
the top of Whitetop Mountain
near the North Carolina border and then biked to
Damascus along a stunningly beautiful trail, banked
by rhododendrons and tall trees. A logging train nick-
named the Virginia Creeper once chugged along this
route. We careened downhill, following the rambling
Laurel Creek as it tumbled down the mountain. With
Martha Washington
bridge crossings, waterfalls and scenic overlooks, it’s a
Hotel and Spa
jaw-dropping ride that bikers of most any age can handle.

DON’T MISS
Courtesy Abingdon CVB

Getting away from the grind should include a trip to the picturesque White’s Mill & Mercantile (whitesmill.
org). The working mill is open Wednesday through Sunday (and closed January and February). Powered
by water until 1989, the circa 1790s gristmill now uses electricity to grind cornmeal, buckwheat flour and
grits. The actual grinding, which makes quite a racket, usually goes on when the mill is closed to the pub-
lic. But you might get lucky. You can tour the mill, see old and modern equipment and buy gluten-free
products milled there; other delectables and collectibles are available at the adjoining old-time Mercantile.

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 21

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 PLAYING IS FOR THE YOUNG
AND YOUNG AT HEART. STAY THAT WAY.
Never stop playing.

It’s always play time in Abingdon.

visitabingdonvirginia.com • 888.489.4144

Abingdon-RichmondTraveler-FullPg-8.25x10.875-Kayak.indd 1 3/14/18 2:45 PM

AbingdonCVB.fp.TVL18.indd 1 3/16/18 10:19 AM
 Martinsville.12h.TVL18.indd 1 3/19/18 12:46 PM
PHOTO BY WARREN FAUGHT

“America’s Favorite
Mountain Towns”
— TRAVEL + LEISURE
Find your happy spot in

VisitSpotsy.com VisitStaunton.com

Spotsylvania.14.TVL18.indd 1 3/20/18 10:17 AM

StauntonCVB.14.TVL18.indd 1 3/16/18 3:03 PM

_franks_TVL18.indd 23 3/20/18 3:42 PM

 COUNTRY
SIDE OF LIFE

A great blue heron fishing

in the Rappahannock River.

24 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8

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 FAMILY ADVENTURE DINING SHOPPING THE ARTS HISTORY

GET BACK IN THE

SADDLE OR SIMPLY
SIT BACK AND ENJOY
SOME FINE WINES.

26/ CLARKSVILLE

27/ SOUTH BOSTON

28/ AMHERST

29/ FARMVILLE

30/ GRAPES AND GRAINS TRAIL

31/ RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTY

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 25

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 largemouth bass that entice
The U.S. Route 58 Business
the anglers.
bridge over Kerr Lake
Occoneechee State Park’s
marina (1192 Occoneechee
Park Road, 434-374-2210) of-
fers another jump-off point
for anglers. Here we rented a
pontoon boat to tour the lake
(and a pet-friendly waterfront
cabin in which to stay). After
cruising the shoreline, we
dropped anchor and checked
out the park, hiking the 7.5-
mile Panhandle trail before
lighting up the grill by the
swimming beach.
A 15-minute car ride will
get you to the John H. Kerr
reservoir and its 100-foot-tall
dam near the county seat of
Boydton. The U.S. Army Corps

WATER WORLD Lakefest

fireworks
of Engineers lake itself is on
the Roanoke River and is shared
with North Carolina. Nearby, at
Fishing and festivities in Clarksville, the Joseph S.J. Tanner Envi-
Virginia’s only lakefront city ronmental Education Center

/ By Genevelyn Steele (5164 Buggs Island Road, Satur-

Fun is to be found on and around the water in Clarks-
ville, the small, waterfront town (population 1,186)
known for its fishing and for Lakefest (clarksvilleva.
com), a festival held on the third weekend of July and
one of the Top 20 festivals for July in the South for
2017, according to the Southeast Tourism Society.
The Life Aquatic
Clarksville, founded in 1818, is the only lakefront town in Virginia.
Not surprisingly, fishing rules here. Along the waterfront’s mu-
nicipal dock at Clarksville Marina (411 Fourth St., clarksvilleva
marina.com), you’ll usually see someone with a line in the water.
The U.S. Route 58 Business bridge over Kerr Lake is lighted in a
days, Sundays and federal holidays,
April 1-Oct. 31), our son enjoyed learning
what bears eat for lunch. As for your midday meal, try the New
York-style spinach and ricotta pie at Pino’s Pizza (6288 Buggs
Island Road, 434-738-6999).
Historic Home
You can get a sense of 18th and 19th century gentry life at Prest-
would Plantation (429 Prestwould Drive). It was built in the
late 1700s and holds outstanding examples of early American
handiwork. Outside, the original two-family slave quarters, plan-
tation store, smokehouse and loom house reference life for the
enslaved. On our tour, I met a descendant of Margaret Harris,
a wet nurse whose portrait hangs in Prestwould’s nursery, on a
Courtesy Clarksville Lake Country Chamber of Commerce

Day-Glo green at night, the better to whip the food chain into
a frenzy, attracting bugs that draw hungry bait fish, which lure
Prestwould Plantation manor
family history expedition.
Antiques, Treats and Eats
Antique lovers will find plenty to hold their attention in Clarksville,
such as The Virginia Avenue Mall (317 Virginia Ave., 434-374-
5949), with more than 50 vendors.
We discovered rare Virginia wines and handmade truffles at
The Galleria (216 Virginia Ave., 434-374-5999).
We relied on The Lamplighter (201 Virginia Ave., lamplighterva.
com) for easy eats; fried flounder, homemade desserts (two words:
coconut cake) and growler fill-ups from boutique breweries.
For upscale dining, Traveler’s Tavern at Coopers Landing Inn
(801 Virginia Ave., cooperslandinginn.net) highlights produce,
cheese and meats from area farms in their three semi formal
dining rooms and outdoor tavern.

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 TOWN AND
COUNTRY
A trek through South Boston
/ By Tina Eshleman

“I’m heading to Shangri-La,” I gleefully tell co-

workers, alerting them that I’ll be out of the
office. Borrowed from James Hilton’s 1933 novel
“Lost Horizon”, the name suggests a paradise cut
off from the world. It’s what draws me and my
daughter, Olivia, to the Shangrila Guest Ranch
(shangrilaguestranch.com) near South Boston.

The Ranch
Leaving behind the city life of Ra-
Saddled up at Shangrila Guest Ranch
leigh, North Carolina, Gary and Julie
Holmes acquired their 800-acre
property with the idea of offering a
getaway where visitors can ride horseback through the woods, rels for shipping. Longtime artistic director Christopher D. Jones,
groom horses, catch fish, feed farm animals, collect eggs, enjoy who was instrumental in the effort that led to the arts center
home-cooked meals and sleep in a comfortable cot- opening in 2005, shows us the 250-seat Chastain Theatre.
tage. All-inclusive per night rates for 2017 are $265
for adults and $170 for ages 8-15. Hourly trail rides Fine Dining
and a half-day package are also available. Bistro 1888 (bistro1888.com), serves up dishes like
hoisin-and-brandy-marinated pork tenderloin
The Ride with gingered cranberry applesauce or shrimp-
I’ve had little experience riding horses, but my and-scallop étouffée. About five miles north in
Top: Courtesy Shangrila Guest Ranch; Middle: Terrie Lantor; Bottom: Dianna Allen Portrait Design

Tennessee walking horse, Biggie, is used to nov-
ice riders. Olivia seems much more at ease on
Pretty Boy, a spotted saddle horse. About an hour
into our ride, it starts to rain, which makes us feel like
wilderness adventurers. We forge on and arrive at our
destination soaked, but happy.
Halifax, along U.S. 501, there’s the Molasses Grill
(molassesgrill.com), co-owned by chef Steven
Lantor's Schopen, whose experience includes restaurants
in Germany, Sweden and Morocco. We can’t stay this
time, but I have a feeling we’ll be back.

“Hairspray” at
Main Street The Prizery.
After the ride, we drive into town and look at some
of the antiques and consignment shops. We’re
also interested to discover Lantor’s (lantors.com),
a family-owned women’s clothing boutique that’s
been around for 108 years. I find a linen skirt and
coordinating top for less than $15 in the gently used
clothing section in the front of Mike’s Radio & TV
at 317 Main St. — in the back, there’s a workshop
filled with TVs.

The Prizery
In South Boston’s historic warehouse district, theater
performances (such as “Into the Woods” in 2017),
concerts, art exhibits and music lessons take place
in The Prizery (prizery.com), a 38,000-square-foot
renovated building near the Dan River where layers
of tobacco were once pressed (or “prized”) into bar-

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 27

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 STRESS vines at 1,800 feet above sea level. The result is a perfect getaway,

NOIR MORE
Amherst mountainside vineyard
a peaceful retreat / By Genevelyn Steele
Named for the Sanskrit word for where heaven
meets earth, the family-owned Ankida Ridge Winery
(ankidaridge.com) is a scenic two-hour drive from
Richmond to the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. This micro-vineyard well off U.S. 60 west
of Amherst has limited cell phone service, per-
fect for an off-the-grid getaway.
Buzzards Roost
in Lynchburg
From Charlottesville…
I pit-stopped in Charlottesville’s Downtown
Mall to pick up some essentials for an in-
dulgent weekend.
Wine Loves Chocolate (508 E. Main St.,
wineloveschocolate.com), an extension of
Little Washington Winery and Vineyards of
Rappahannock County, is well worth a visit.
This wine bar matches an artisanal, DIY truffle
bar with boutique vino. Their selections include
wines from Maryland, New York and Idaho.
Accessory shopping from street vendors netted funky hats
and scarves, but listening to a guitar player busking in front of
the Paramount Theater was the highlight of my detour.
I also picked up noodles and steamed buns from an afford-
able eatery, Marco & Luca Dumplings (112 W. Main St.), and both
savory and sweet slices from
The Pie Chest (119 Fourth St. NE,
thepiechestcville.com), sibling
to The Alley Light (108 Second
St. SW, alleylight.com), a 2015
tucked well away from everything. The only sounds other than
vineyard management were occasional barks from the fam-
ily dogs protecting the chicken and sheep roaming the farm.
Ankida’s tasting room is open noon to 5 p.m. each Saturday,
and for special events. The winery is also available for booking
special private events.
Tip: The drive up the mountain is steep and off-grid. Carry
printed directions from their website.
…And Beyond
I toured Lynchburg, 30 minutes away, walking and antiquing.
I loved listening to the American general case clocks at
Buzzards Roost (718 Commerce St., lynchburgbuz-
zardsroost.com) and enjoyed wood-oven-fired
pizza at Waterstone restaurant in the historic
Craddock Terry Hotel (1312 Commerce St.,
craddockterryhotel.com). Originally a shoe
factory, this boutique hotel also has an-
other restaurant, Shoemakers American
Grille. The complex fronts RiverWalk, a walk-
able 3.5-mile section of the James River
Heritage Trail.
In Amherst, a 20-minute drive from the
vineyard, you’ll find Loose Shoe Brewing Co.
(looseshoebrewing.com), Lazy Days Winery (lazyday-
swinery.com) and Rebec Vineyards (rebecwinery.com).
Don’t Miss
The Amherst County Apple Festival (amherstapplefestival.
org) is celebrated each year in the third weekend of October at
Amherst County High School.
The view from Ankida Ridge Winery

Top: Courtesy Buzzard’s Roost; Bottom: Courtesy Ankida Ridge Winery

James Beard Foundation semi-
finalist for best new restaurant.

To the Winery…
When Christine and Dennis
Vrooman purchased high for-
est acreage abutting Chest-
nut Ridge, they planned on
weekend retreats, not a win-
ery. But the builder cleared 2
extra acres, and after talking
with Lucie Morton (an expert
in grapevines who also con-
sulted with Boxwood Winery
of Middleburg) they decided to
try an environmentally sensitive
approach to the vineyard, plant-
ing Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

28 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8

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 SKY KINGS Walk or ride at High
Bridge Trail State Park

Explore tree-top zip lines and a

very High Bridge in Farmville
/ By Jessica Ronky Haddad

Farmville is known as the home of Green

Front Furniture, but there’s lots to do there
beyond rug shopping. With its old-fashioned
Main Street and a wealth of outdoor recreation
options, Farmville makes a great destination
for a family day trip or a weekend getaway.

Get Active
Pack up your bikes and
head to the center of
town, where the 31-mile
High Bridge Trail State
Park (dcr.virginia.gov)
crosses Main Street. The
historic 2,400-foot-long
High Bridge is the cen-
terpiece of the park and
is an easy 5-mile bike ride
from the center of Farm-
ville. Take a break on the bridge to a “black diamond” route that’s a knee-knocking 45
enjoy a picnic and the stunning feet above the ground. A ticket ($50 for adults, $40 for
view from 125 feet above the Appo- youth) gets you three hours in the treetops.
Walking the ropes
mattox River. Make sure you bring
at Sandy River
drinking water. Retreat Stay
The Adventure Park at Sandy River Sandy River Retreat also offers rental cabins and “Glamping
Retreat (sandyriverretreat.com), in Rice offers tipis” that are stocked with necessities from salt and pepper to
Courtesy The Adventure Park at Sandy River Retreat; Bottom: Jessica Ronky Haddad

more than 60 obstacles and 20 zip lines on routes that are physi- coffee and tea. The retreat is located on a family-owned farm, and
cally and mentally challenging. After being fitted with a harness guests are invited to mingle with the sheep, donkeys and chick-
Top: Courtesy The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; Middle:

and gloves, participants receive training from the friendly and
safety-conscious staff. Start off on the easiest of the courses, which
is about 15 feet above the ground. As your skills and confidence
progress, the difficulty of the routes increases, culminating in
ens, and to collect fresh eggs from the henhouse for breakfast.
Eat
Walker’s Diner (walkersdiner.com) is a retro lunch counter..
Established in 1951, it features diner staples such as pancakes,
burgers, onion rings and club sandwiches. I was impressed with
the grilled chicken and portobello mushrooms over a bed of
arugula. Charley’s Waterfront Cafe (charleyswaterfront.com),
is the closest this laid-back town comes to fine dining. Its pretty
riverside patio is a great place to sip a glass of wine — there are
plenty of choices, and you can enjoy a generous pour of Vinho
Verde for $7. For dinner, try The Fishin’ Pig (fishinpig.com). It of-
fers barbecue, fried seafood and tacos in a rustic, yet sleek space.

Shop
It’s hard to escape Farmville without at least taking a peek into
one of the 12 massive warehouses that comprise Green Front
Furniture (434-392-5943 or greenfront.com). Be sure to check
Walker’s Diner can satisfy
an array of appetites. out the English imports in Building 9 and, of course, the rugs —
Green Front stocks more than a million of them.

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 29

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SPIRITED LIVING
Breweries and wineries abound along
the Grapes and Grain Trail / By Martha Steger
When visiting Fredericksburg and environs, my
husband and I have encountered “Mary” — George
Washington’s mother — and, of course, “George,”
who grew up at Ferry Farm north of the Rappahan-
nock River in Stafford County. On our most recent
trip, we met namesakes of the first president
and his mother on the Grapes and Grains Trail.
Grains 
Said George and Mary are two copper stills at A. Smith
Bowman Distillery (asmithbowman.com),
), one of 11
stops on the trail (grapesandgrainstrail.com), a cel-
ebration of vineyards, breweries and distilleries in the
Fredericksburg area.
Tom and I liked the fact we could set our
own pace on the self-guided route. The $15
tickets are good for a year, so we could visit
other area attractions over a weekend or on a
return visit. Tickets include tours, commemora-
tive tasting glasses and discounts on tastings
and merchandise.
The Bowman family distillery — synonymous
with its “Virginia Gentleman” bourbon — has
greatly expanded since opening in 1935. A craft
or small-batch company, it produces bourbons,
gin, vodka, rum and a popular caramel-bourbon
30 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8
TravelBook_CountrySideofLife.indd 30
crème liqueur.
Richmonders Mindy Vaughan (left) and
Allison Johnson visit Hartwood Winery Also on the tour, you’ll find
Adventure Brewing Company
(adventurebrewing.com), which
offers tours of its Spotsylvania
County facility on a staff-avail-
able basis. After touring the
brewing room, we enjoyed a
vegetarian Reuben sandwich
and fish tacos with a Stone-
wall Stout appropriate to area
Civil War heritage, as well as a
Fred Red, a deep-red ale with
a creamy head.
Grapes
Potomac Point Winer y
(potomacpointwinery.com) is
a Tuscan-style vineyard and
winery-villa in Stafford County.
After a comprehensive tasting
of award-winning wines and
some complimentary olive-oil
dippings, we lunched at the winery bistro on the veranda over-
looking the vineyard, accompanied by Potomac Point’s 2015 La
Belle Vie white table wine.
At Hartwood Winery (hartwoodwineryva.com) in Fredericks-
burg, the husband-and-wife team of Jim and Beverly
Livingston celebrated their 28th anniversary in the
wine business this year. While they make several
good whites and reds, the 2012 Petit Bordeaux is
a standout, featuring a smooth but earthy, smoky-
raspberry tone with a hint of chocolate and a slightly
peppery finish.
Lake Anna Winery (lawinery.net) is laid back,
reflecting the attitude of its owner, Jeff Heidig,
who believes wine should be fun. His philoso-
phy showed as we checked out his winery
Top: Courtesy Hartwood Winery; Bottom: Courtesy Bowman Distillery
late on a Sunday afternoon. Contemporary
background music pervaded the winery and
contributed to a lack of wine stuffiness as sati-
rized in the 2004 film “Sideways.”
Shop
We shopped for a gift at Deep Creek Vintage
(deepcreekvintage.com), an antique shop in
(deepcreekvintage.com
DON’T MISS Spotsylvania that also carries refurbished and
painted Americana.
In Spotsylvania, try
Mattaponi Winery’s
Pow Wow, a chocolate- Stay
strawberry wine, or Stevenson Ridge inn (stevensonridge.net)
the new Golden Horse- in Spotsylvania is situated on 87 quiet acres
shoe, a semi-dry, semi-
convenient to the city and has seven private
sweet grape wine.
(mattaponiwinery.com) cottages. Ours was the Corn Crib. (At $150 to
$180 nightly — it wasn't quite the corn crib I
grew up with on an Eastern Shore farm!)
3/25/18 4:48 PM
 REELING IN
RAPPAHANNOCK
Fine dining and scenic beauty,
rain or shine / By Stephanie Breijo
In need of a quick getaway? Head for the hills.
Rappahannock County, 113 miles northwest of
Richmond, is home to one of the nation’s top
restaurants, historic trails, quaint independent
shops and more. The drive there — long, twisting
roads through sprawling farmland — feels like a
mini vacation in itself.
Sip a fine wine and
enjoy the view at
Narmada Winery.
Nothing Amiss Here
Rappahannock is home to several esteemed wineries, but Nar-
mada Winery (narmadawinery.com) in Amissville stands apart
in its pairings: Its husband-and-wife, Mumbai-born owners focus
on matching their 19 wines with Indian food. I opted for a glass
of the signature Narmada Mom wine, a blend of Chardonel and
Vidal Blanc, to sip alongside a crisp vegetable samosa as I watched
the rain pour onto the winery’s rolling hills.
Public Places in Flint Hill
Griffin Tavern & Restaurant (griffintavern.com) is in a bright
and cheerful repurposed home from the 1850s in Flint Hill. I wan-
dered up the polished wooden staircase to find a collection of
local paintings and sculptures. At night, it’s a lively place where
Stephanie Breijo
dartboards and live music take the spotlight.
Just a few doors down stands the Flint Hill Public House
Restaurant & Inn (flinthillva.com), a luxurious and eco-friendly
bistro and lodge in a 1907 schoolhouse. It serves all-local produce,
TravelBook_CountrySideofLife.indd 31
meat and dairy. I settled on a bowl of broccoli soup (made from
broccoli grown in the garden out back, naturally) topped with a
dollop of walnut goat cheese.
Another Round
The beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains isn’t lost on Rappahan-
nock Cellars (rappahannockcellars.com), a family-owned winery
on more than 85 acres in Huntley, with 30 acres dedicated to
growing Merlot, Petit Verdot, Norton and other varietals. When
I arrived, a mist was lifting off the vines, making for one of my
most stunning visits of the day. I’d sadly missed the most recent
winery tour, but I consoled myself with a glass of Meritage 2013,
their flagship red.
Artful Shopping
In Washington (the Rappahannock Coun-
ty village, not D.C.), you’ll find R.H. Ballard
Shop & Gallery (rhballard.com). It offers
a variety of home and décor goods, from
French table linens to Rappahannock
Arboreal’s pure, local honey. In the base-
ment, contemporary art is just as taste-
fully selected for display as its upstairs
counterparts.
The Dining Destination
The trip’s highlight was dinner at 40-year-
old The Inn at Little Washington
(theinnatlittlewashington.com). Patrick
O’Connell, the James Beard Award-win-
ning chef and proprietor, built his repu-
tation on local, farm-to-table fine dining
before the movement was even a thing.
Course after course placed fantastical
dishes before us: from grilled pigeon
breast marinated in blueberry vinegar,
served atop a zucchini crêpe with local
blueberries, to Pommes Anna with chilled, Dijon-dressed Maine
lobster and tomato-lobster gazpacho. Impeccable service, an
eclectic mishmash of tapestry and upholstery of all patterns and
colors, and flawless execution round out the experience, which
should very much be experienced at some point in your life.
Art at R. H. Ballard Shop & Gallery
RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 31
3/25/18 4:49 PM
 Expanded Winery
Tasting Room

JamesRiverCellars.12h.TVL18.indd 1 3/19/18 12:44 PM

TRAILS WINERIES
TRAI
BIKING BOATIN
NG STATE PARKS
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EQUE
HIKING HUNTIN
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FISHING PADDLING
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South Boston
DISCOVERHALIFAXVA.COM

HalifaxCounty.indd 1 3/15/18 4:18 PM

_franks_TVL18.indd 32 3/19/18 3:48 PM

 A R L I N G TO NVIRGINIA

American Treasures. Homegrown Delights.

The perfect combination of convenience and value in the nation’s capital, Arlington is just minutes from the National
Mall, Smithsonian museums, U.S. Capitol, White House and much more. Along with its own American treasures,
Arlington is home to more than 40 hotels with rates up to 20 percent less than those in downtown Washington,
D.C. Discover Arlington’s unique mix of history, culture and fun! To plan your trip,
visit www.stayarlington.com or call (877) 504-8054.

Arlington.fp.TVL18.indd 1 3/8/18 3:01 PM

 FAMILY ADVENTURE DINING SHOPPING THE ARTS HISTORY

CAPITAL
STEPPES

FINE FOOD, SHOPPING

AND UNEXPECTED
PLEASURES AROUND
WASHINGTON D.C.

36/ WASHINGTON D.C.

37/ EDEN CENTER IN

FALLS CHURCH

38/ ALEXANDRIA AND

GEORGETOWN

39/ WASHINGTON D.C.

HOUSE MUSEUMS

40/ NATIONAL HARBOR

41/ GLEN ECHO PARK

34 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8

TravelBook_CapitalSteppes.indd 34 3/25/18 4:49 PM

 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 35

TravelBook_CapitalSteppes.indd 35 3/25/18 4:49 PM

 FOOD FOR ALL
Washington’s dynamic and diverse food
culture worth exploring / By Ashley Wright
The initials “D.C.” probably bring several things to
mind: traffic; the clipped tones of people in a rush;
or angry talking heads yelling about what Trump has
done now. But it’s Washington’s burgeoning food
culture that best exemplifies this city’s kaleidoscopic
diversity. The District of Columbia should be at the
top of any foodie’s list, traffic be damned.
Cheap(er) eats
The District has a reputation for being expensive. While
this is (mostly) well earned, as far as dining goes, there
are cheap and middling options available as well. If you
want a cultural experience, a decadent chili dog — nay,
half-smoke — and money left over for bar-hopping, Ben’s
Chili Bowl (benschilibowl.com) is a must-try. For those
of a sweeter persuasion, compare the pastries from.
D.C.’s Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken (astrodough
nuts.com) with the Sugar Shack variety.
Taking it up a notch in price, Old Ebbitt Grill (ebbitt.
com) next to The White House is decorated with trophy
mounts from Teddy Roosevelt’s hunting expeditions for
a little historical value. Don’t count it out for late-night
snacks, either; the grill offers half off on oysters during
its regular and late-night happy hours.
36 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8
TravelBook_CapitalSteppes.indd 36
World of Food
Toki Underground (tokiunderground.com) has the best bowl of
Taiwanese ramen on the East Coast. Drop your name with the
host early — there may be a wait for this cozy spot — and then
grab a beer at H Street’s resident dive, The Pug (thepugdc.com)
while you wait. The Laotian restaurant Thip Khao (thipkhao.
com) is also worth a visit if you crave more exotic dishes than
you could find at your typical Asian take-out.
Johnny Monis’ L i tt l e S e row is th e best Nor th-
ern Thai food in the city, and above that subterra-
nean oasis is Monis’ Komi (komirestaurant.com), a cel-
ebration of all things delicious and Greek. If excellently
prepared raw fish is more your pace, Dupont Circle’s Sushi Taro
(sushitaro.com) deserves a stop,
as does Georgetown’s Fiola Mare
Kimchi ramen at
Toki Underground (fiolamaredc.com). You should enjoy
the latter’s patio on the Potomac
during the warmer months, but the
beautifully balanced Italian menu
will warm your bones in even the
coldest weather.
Drinking it In
The District also has a thriving bar
scene to explore. Admire the soaring
glass ceiling of Blue Jacket Brewery
(bluejacketdc.com), where all the
beer is made in-house near the wa-
terfront. Biergarten Haus (biergar-
tenhaus.com) is a must for its steep
selection of German brews in a tra-
ditional atmosphere (see also: out-
door beer garden). Whiskey lovers will
admire the extensive selection and
Old-World feel of Jack Rose Dining
Saloon (jackrosediningsaloon.com),
while those who love a well-craft-
ed cocktail paired with an intimate
speakeasy atmosphere should make
a beeline for Denson Liquor Bar.
Making Music
Top: Courtesy Toki Underground; Bottom: Destination DC
Take in a band at the 9:30 Club,
Black Cat, Rock & Roll Hotel or
U Street Music Hall.
Stay a While
Kimpton (kimptonhotels.com) has
several adorable (and relatively af-
fordable) hotels throughout the city,
so if a boutique hotel catches your
fancy, try the Palomar, the Madera
or Donovan House. The District has
Try a half- charming B&Bs as well as inns, including Swann House
smoke
(swannhouse.com) the Embassy Circle Guesthouse and
at Ben’s
Chili Bowl. Woodley Park Guest Park (dcinns.com).
3/25/18 4:49 PM

VIETNAMESE
EDEN IN
SUBURBAN
WASHINGTON
Shopping center a focal point for
Vietnamese culture and food / By Rich Griset
After Saigon fell in 1975, thousands of Vietnamese
immigrants flocked to Northern Virginia to start
a new life outside of Communist rule. Some came
to Falls Church in the 1980s and opened 120 shops,
cafes, salons and bars in a shopping center now
known as Eden Center (6751 Wilson Blvd.,
edencenter.com).
Welcome In
A replica of the downtown Saigon (now Ho
Chi Minh City) clock tower watches over the
Courtesy Eden Center
shopping center, and a large Asian-style gate
welcomes visitors at a parking lot entrance. As
an entry point into Vietnamese cuisine, it’s hard
to go wrong with bánh mì, which means bread,
but the term has become synonymous with
TravelBook_CapitalSteppes.indd 37
a sandwich. Several bakery/delis
offer the sandwiches here, for $3
or $4 each. They’re made with
the airy, flaky bread (a Vietnam-
ese version of baguette), grilled
pork (or some other grilled meat),
Vietnamese sausage or pâté and
garnished with cucumber, ja-
lapeno, daikon radish, pickled
carrots and cilantro.
Good Fortune
Eden Center is anchored by Good
Fortune, a massive supermar-
ket filled with exotic fruits and
vegetables including durian,
taro, ratalu and yams the size
of baseball bats. After visiting
the seafood counter you can fi-
nally make that cuttlefish recipe
you’ve always wanted to try ($3.99
per pound). The f rozen-food
section includes an area where
you can mix and match balls
of meat for a home-cooked
hot pot. The market also
sells sake, candy and Asian-
style crockery.
Drinks and Eats
Hit any restaurant or café
here and you’re bound to
find a slew of unique bever-
Huong Viet
ages. There are fruit and coconut
sodas, bubble teas with milk and chewy
Restaurant fruit jelly balls, smoothies and coffee. Vietnam-
ese coffee is the strongest stuff you’ll ever sip.
We were warned repeatedly at Pandan Desserts and Drinks
that we may not like it and they don’t offer refunds. We suggest
ordering it with condensed milk.
The café Phu Quy Deli Delight has a treasure trove of snacks.
There’s dried fish, fruit candies and other treats, but my vote is for
the 21 bins of beef jerky in the corner. Chili flakes, barbeque, curry
powder and lemongrass are just a few of the seasonings that go
into these meat masterpieces, alternately sliced into strips, cubed
or shredded.
At Huong Viet Restaurant, a long, far wall is covered with
articles from The Washington Post, Wash-
ingtonian magazine and other publications
GOOD TO KNOW recommending this eatery, and we aren’t dis-
appointed. My brother’s pho (a popular noodle
Bring your appetite, but
also bring cash. Though dish) has a rich broth and is filled with tender
some shops and eater- beef round, flank and tendon. I’m feeling ad-
ies accept credit cards, venturous and order a five-spice beef soup with
many don’t.
pork feet. The dish is expertly spiced with just
enough heat to give it an edge.
RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 37
3/25/18 4:50 PM
 CAREFREE
AND CAR-FREE
Washington is easy to navigate
without the car / By Susan Winiecki

Our Fourth of July weekend in Washington,

D.C., didn’t turn out as my husband and I had
planned, mainly due to a searing toothache
for him, but I was still able to hit the pavement
and the river between Alexandria and George-
town for plenty of side-street discoveries and
dining options that didn’t break the bank.

Dine
In both Alexandria and
Georgetown, I ate at La Mad-
eleine Café and Bistro (lam-
adeleine.com). This chain is a
lovely surprise. While you or-
der cafeteria-style, the soups,
breads and pastries are very
good. My blackberry/cream-
cheese croissant hit the sweet Getting Around
spot on Saturday afternoon, The King Street Trolley (alexandriava.gov/Trol-
and a cup of vegetable soup ley), goes up and down King Street in Old Town
and Parmesan crisps made for Alexandria — a great service. There’s also a met-
a perfect late-Sunday lunch in ro station on King Street. Get almost anywhere
Georgetown. Also try lunch in D.C. by riding the Metro, except for George-
or dinner at The Majestic Café town and National Harbor.
(majesticcafe.com), where every-
thing, from pickles to chips, is made Shop
on-site. The restaurant also serves a I tried to shop the side streets in Alexandria, staying off
family-style Nana’s Sunday dinner for $22 of packed King Street, and I was pleased with what I found.
per person. In September, the set menu is lasagna A block from the hotel is the Crate and Barrel Outlet (703-739-
Bolognese, Caesar salad, sautéed rapini with 8800). I scored here on Marimekko fabric for
cherry tomatoes, focaccia and tiramisu. $8 a yard as well as an adjustable beach chair
and umbrella for $50. Don’t miss the Shoe
Courtesy Alexandria Convention and Visitors Association

Stay Hive (theshoehive.com) and Hysteria (shop-

My idea of visiting D.C. involves avoiding the
Capital Beltway and ditching my car for the
weekend. I’m able to do both by staying at
Embassy Suites Alexandria (weekend rate of
$180/night), an easy drive from the King Street
exit on I-395. Pull into the hotel’s adjacent park-
ing deck ($24 a day) and pull out only when
you are ready to head back to Richmond. This
hotel, located across the street from the King
Street Metro/VRE/Amtrak station, offers a com-
plimentary cooked-to-order buffet breakfast
every morning, making it oh-so popular with
families and school groups.
DON’T MISS
Take the Potomac River
Boat Company’s Monu-
ment Cruise (potomac
riverboatco.com) from
Alexandria’s City Marina,
which is directly behind
the Torpedo Factory
Arts Center.
hysteria.com) in the 100 block of South Fair-
fax Street. Both shops have well-edited collec-
tions in creatively compact spaces. The jewelry
and bag selection at Hysteria was also worth
a long look. At Gossypia (gossypia.com), the
store was heavy on Eileen Fisher and Flax. In
Georgetown, don’t miss Barney’s Co-Op (202-
350-5832) and Cusp, both with edgy designer
labels and accessories. If you have the time on
a Sunday, try the Georgetown Flea Market
(georgetownfleamarket.com) at 1819 35th St.
NW. More than 40 vendors gather here weekly
from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

38 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8

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 (woodrowwilsonhouse.org), home to the
Ornate displays
are part of the
only presidential couple to continue to live
holiday fun at in the nation’s capital after leaving the White
the United States
Botanic Garden
House. Although there’s no special holiday
event, gifts do abound – those given to the
28th president by world dignitaries before
and after World War I, that is. Originally built
for a corporate executive, the house’s marble
entryway and grand staircase, Palladian
window, dumbwaiter, butler’s pantry and
solarium overlooking the formal garden
are impressive.

Other D.C. Homes (And A

Garden) For The Holidays
Celebrate winter as well as the holidays at
Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4115
Linnean Ave. NW (hillwoodmuseum.org),
home of cereal heiress and philanthro-
pist Marjorie Post. The annual Russian
Winter Festival (second weekend in
December) includes lively Russian
folk music and dances and a fun

A CAPITOL play based on traditional Russian

stories of Grandfather Frost (Santa

CHRISTMAS Claus) and his granddaughter, the

Snow Maiden.
Tudor Place (tudorplace.org), the
D.C.’s historic house museums
1816 estate built by a granddaughter
offer holiday surprises / By Martha Steger of Martha Washington and her husband
The French Thomas Peter, is elegantly adorned for the
Drawing Room
Hidden away in a city of world-class tourist attrac- at the Hillwood holidays. The mansion, located at 1644 31st St.
Top: Courtesy United States Botanical Garden; Inset: Courtesy Hillwood Estate and Museum;

tions you’ll find some gems that glow especially
bright during the holidays. Several house museums
around metro Washington are well worth a weekend
excursion at any time of year, but with special attrac-
tions and festive period décor, they are must-sees in
D.C. in December.
Dupont Circle And Embassy Row
My husband and I hopped up (pun intended) to DuPont Circle
to enjoy a brew in tribute to the family of Washington brew-
master Christian Heurich at the mansion he had built for his
family in the 1890s. At its height, his brewery was the largest
Bottom: Courtesy Heurich House Museum
Estate and NW in Upper Georgetown, plays host to sea-
Museum
sonal events including candlelight tours, and
an opportunity for “history detectives” to find decorations and
clues to celebrations past.
While home only to plants and trees, the United States Bo-
tanic Garden, 100 Maryland Ave. on the National Mall (usbg.
gov), is the biggest holiday bargain in town — visits are free. Its
annual themed holiday exhibit runs Thanksgiving Day through
New Year’s Day and includes a model train show.

non-government employer in the city.

One-hour tours of the Heurich home/castle/museum, 1307
New Hampshire Ave. NW, always include tastings and snacks,
but the home becomes a destination on first weekends in De-
cember for the annual Christkindlmarkt (heurichchristmas.org).
The event offers a re-creation of a German Christmas market and
also showcases the Victorian splendor of its holiday decorations.
It’s also worth a visit in any season for one of DuPont Circle’s First
Friday events (firstfridaydupont.org).
For a peek at 1920s-style holidays (the era of wind-up
Heurich House Museum
tin toys), visit the Woodrow Wilson House, 2340 S St. NW

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 39

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 AN EASY BET Getting Around
You can park your car and walk or get around via the Circulator
(bus) for an all-day fee of $5.
National Harbor is an all-ages
attraction near D.C. / By Joan Tupponce Fun
The National Harbor Waterfront Plaza is home to the Capital
Driving north on Interstate 95 around Washington, Wheel, a Ferris wheel with air-conditioned and heated glass-en-
I always glance at National Harbor as I cross the closed gondolas that provides 180-foot-high views of the riverfront
Potomac River into Maryland, but I never knew and on clear days, of the city. For a real treat, take a ride at sunset
what that area had to offer until recently. Opened when the sky is ablaze with color. Nearby is a 36-foot Americana-
in 2008, National Harbor (nationalharbor.com) is themed carousel, playground and picnic tables.
a micro-city that has become a tourist destination The waterfront area is also the place to rent a kayak, pedal
with everything from water activities to gaming. boat or a stand-up paddleboard. Other activities include trips
on a pirate ship or on the glass-enclosed Odyssey, with live
entertainment, dining and dancing.
Stay And Shop For a nice day trip, take a water taxi to Washington (40 min-
The development is anchored by two huge hotels — the MGM utes), Old Town Alexandria (20 minutes) or Mount Vernon (50
National Harbor and the Gaylord National Resort & Convention minutes). Fees start at $16.
Center. The harbor boasts five additional hotels, 40 restaurants MGM’s 125,000-square-foot casino is a great place to cool off
and 160 stores. You’ll find lots and people watch. Always buzzing with folks testing out
of local shops near the water- MGM their luck, it offers everything from slots to poker.
front, including Betty, a high- National
Harbor
end — think Christian Loubou- Dining
tin, Ferragamo, Chanel and The harbor has 40 restaurants that range from seafood
Louis Vuitton — consignment to Thai. Ginger, in the MGM National Harbor, is a charm-
shop for accessories. If you’re ing restaurant featuring a menu that includes Japanese,
a shoe fanatic and loved “Sex Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and Korean selections. Portions
and the City,” wander through are large, so plan 
on sharing.
The District at MGM National Old Hickory at the Gaylord specializes in artisanal
Harbor and slip into Sarah Jes- cheeses and steaks and offers great views of the wa-
sica Parker’s shoe store, SJP. ter. Local restaurants include Succotash from five-time
James Beard Award nomi-
nee Edward Lee. The down-

Top: Courtesy MGM National Harbor Resort & Casino; Bottom: Courtesy National Harbor
home décor hints that you’ll
have Southern cuisine, but
the Korean touches are
a surprise.

Entertainment
The main entertainment
district in the harbor runs
along Fleet Street — you’ll
recognize it by its red-paint-
ed roadway. Here you’ll find
the Brass Tap craft beer bar,
Bobby McKee’s Dueling Pi-
ano Bar and Cadillac Ranch,
where you can cowboy it up
on the mechanical bull. Other
offerings include the Public
House restaurant and the
Irish Whisper pub.
For top-name entertain-
ment, check out the intimate,
The Capital Wheel lights up the waterfront. state-of-the-art theater at
MGM National Harbor.

40 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8

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 ECHO OF
THE PAST
A Maryland landmark has enter-
tained and informed generations
of visitors / By Tina Eshleman

Glen Echo Park (glenechopark.org) in

Maryland has always been about entertain-
ment. It had its origins in a Chautauqua
retreat founded in 1891 to bring culture and
education to the masses. It evolved into
an art deco era amusement park and is
now a hub for arts, culture and recreation.

Explore
It’s easy to get to the park
from Interstate 495. From
the parking lot, we walked
down the path over Min-
nehaha Creek, past the
Living Classrooms for chil-
The Dentzel Carousel has been
dren and around the 1970s- returned to its circa 1921 glory.
era yurts that house callig-
raphy and pottery studios.
We wandered through the
Stone Tower Gallery, the
only structure that remains echo.com). Patrons have their choice of atmosphere —
from the Chautauqua retreat, formal dining rooms, casual pub or outdoor patio — in which
where several artists were at to enjoy their shepherd’s pie, fish and chips or lamb chops,
work on paintings, and met J. along with a pint of Guinness.
Jordan Bruns (jjbruns.com), a resi-
dent artist and instructor who has a studio Upcoming
there. The Popcorn Gallery holds exhibits from The Puppet Co. (thepuppetco.org), at Glen Echo
artists working at Glen Echo and around the Park’s 2018 main stage schedule includes “Little
region. We admired the pottery on display, Red & the Pigs” March 29-May 12; and “Sleeping
and I later regretted not buying one of the Beauty” May 13-June 24.
Top and Inset: Daniel Schreiber; Clara Barton:Courtesy NPS

pieces as a gift. The Adventure Theatre (adventuretheatre-

The meticulously restored Dentzel Carousel,
at the park since 1921, wasn’t open for the season
yet when we visited in April, but a park ranger DON’T MISS
allowed some visitors in and turned on the lights The Clara Barton
so we could see its grandeur. Rides, just $1.25, National Historic Site
(301-320-1410), adjacent
are accompanied by music from a 1926 Wurlitzer
to Glen Echo Park, is
with 256 wooden pipes. where the American
Red Cross founder lived
Eat during the last 15 years
Praline at Glen Echo Park offers bakery items, of her life. As of mid-
March, it was closed
soups, sandwiches, salads and other light fare.
for rehabilitation work.
Picnic tables and a playground are close by. Check the National Park
Another option right next to the park is the Service website (nps.
popular Irish Inn at Glen Echo, (irishinnglen gov) for updates.
mtc.org) at Glen Echo’s professional theater
lineup for 2018 includes “Judy Moody & Stink:
The Mad, Mad, Mad, Treasure Hunt” April 20-
June 3.
The park’s annual Labor Day Art Show, spot-
lights works from more than 250 regional artists.
Stay
We checked into the Gaylord National Ho-
tel and Convention Center (301-965-4000)
in Oxon Hill, a spectacular-looking place with
access via water taxi to Alexandria. We’d have
been happy lounging at the pool all day, but
adventure called us forth.

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 41

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 Experience a True Sailing Adventure
aboard the Yorktown Schooners

Serenity &
Alliance
Alliance Daily Sails
April to November
Morning and Afternoon Cruises
Adults $37, Kids $25
Sunset Cruises $37 per person
No child discount

Pirate Cruises Bring the kids to Captain Mayhem’s May to September

School of Piracy! Adults $37, Kids $25

Sailing from Riverwalk Landing For information call 888.316.6422 or visit www.sailyorktown.com

YorktownSailing.1/2h.TVL18.indd 1 3/19/18 10:46 AM

April 19 - 22 | The Williamsburg Taste Festival is the newest event in

the Williamsburg Spring Arts line up. Come discover our mouthwatering
cuisines, enjoy a craft cocktail or sommelier-paired glass of wine, and
meet the chefs, brew masters and vintners making one of America’s
oldest foodie destinations one of the newest.
WilliamsburgTasteFestival.com

March - May | With over 50 events covering everything from

culinary to fine arts, you’ll discover something fresh this spring!
ArtsInWilliamsburg.com

GreaterWilliamsburgChamber.12h.TVL18.indd 1 3/15/18 11:44 AM

_franks_TVL18.indd 42 3/20/18 3:42 PM

 WELCOME TO Beautiful BEDFORD!
e
Smith Mountain Lak National D-Day Memorial
Virginia is for Lovers

Wine T
rail

From the
Blue Ridge Parkway
to Smith Mountain Lake,
you’re invited to
Come, Stay, Explore!
Artisan Trail
Bedford Area Welcome
Center & Tourism Peaks of Otter
816 Burks Hill Rd.,
Bedford, VA 24523
(877) 447-3257
VisitBedford.com

Bedford.12h.TVL182.indd 1 2/5/18 1:14 PM

DON’T JUST LEARN

A B O U T H I S TO R Y
HAVE A BLAST

Plan your trip to Virginia now at

HISTORYISFUN.ORG

Jamestown.12h.TVL18.indd 1 3/2/18 3:23 PM

_franks_TVL18.indd 43 3/14/18 12:13 PM

 DAY
TRIPPING

44 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8

TravelBook_DayTripping.indd 44 3/25/18 4:57 PM

 FAMILY ADVENTURE DINING SHOPPING THE ARTS HISTORY

STAY-CATION EXCURSIONS
FOR THE FAMILY

46/ CENTRAL VIRGINIA

47/ WILLIAMSBURG, YORKTOWN

AND JAMESTOWN

48/ CHARLOTTESVILLE

49/ NELSON COUNTY

50/ DOG TROTTING

51/ CULPEPER

Yorktown Battlefield Alexander Kravets Photography

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 45

TravelBook_DayTripping.indd 45 3/25/18 4:57 PM

 The owner has a great eye for
lamps, artwork and furniture,
from primitive to midcentury
modern, and we were told that
interior designers and dealers
from Richmond often stop by.
In Bedford, after seeing the
striking but somber National
D-Day Memorial (dday.org),
our mood was lifted with some
antiquing at North Bridge
Antiques (540-586-2220).
We also stopped in Farm-
ville at Green Front Furni-
ture’s clearance warehouse
(greenfront.com) and Prince
Edward Art and Antiques (434-
392-1914), next to Green Front
Building No. 6 on Main Street. It’s
another terrific source for lamps,
primitives and art.
Appomattox
Court House
Visit

STRAIGHT
The National Park Service rang-
ers at the visitors center for the Ap-

TO THE CORE
pomattox Court House National
Historical Park (434-352-8987) are
terrific. Be sure to pepper them

Central Virginia offers history, with questions, watch the movie

and look for “The Silent Witness
antiquing and plenty of Doll,” which was in the McLean
home décor / By Susan Winiecki House’s parlor at the time of
the surrender. A Union officer
The game plan was simple: an early-in-the- grabbed 7-year-old Lula McLean’s
workweek getaway that wouldn’t cost an arm Magnolia doll as a souvenir, but it has
and a leg while offering equal doses of history Foods been returned.
and antiquing. My husband, who lives for presidential Also make sure you take a trip down

and Civil War history, hadn’t checked off Appomattox
Court House, the site of the Confederate surrender,
from his list of Virginia sites, so it served as the hub
for our mini vacation. A Facebook message to buddy
Martha Steger, the former public-relations director for
the Virginia Tourism Council, provided some must-
sees for us in Lynchburg and Bedford, and Farmville
was chosen as our midway stop there and back.
Shop
Appomattox left a lot to be desired in the way
of shops, so we hit the road to Lynchburg and
Bedford. In downtown Lynchburg on Main
Street, we stumbled upon James River Fram-
ing and Art (434-846-0096) in a storybook
cottage. It was the outdoor display of furni-
ture and architectural salvage that drew us in.
This was not just your ordinary framing shop.
Top: NPS staff photo; Middle: Laura Owen Sutherland; Bottom: Warfieldian
Rivermont Avenue in Lynchburg, where beautiful
old homes, a great little row of shops and restaurants including
the gourmet takeout joint Magnolia Foods (magnoliafoods.com),
and the serene campus of Randolph College all reside.
Sleep
We’re sold on bed-and-breakfasts, and we found a great one in
Appomattox. The circa-1884 Babcock House (babcockhouse.com),
minutes from the Appomattox Court House National Historical
Park, was quiet and cozy.
DON’T MISS
Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest (poplarforest.org)
in Forest is open daily from mid-March through Dec. 30
(closed on Easter, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The third U.S. presi-
dent’s restored retreat is open for self-guided tours on
weekends from mid-January through mid-March, from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m.

46 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8

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 HISTORIC FUN
Antiquarian adventures await just
down the road / By Erica Jackson Curran
Just an hour east of Richmond, Williamsburg, York-
town and Jamestown and environs offer more than
four centuries of history presented in engaging, inter-
active ways. There are international-caliber museums
and attractions in each town, but along the way, you’ll
also find historic homes and plantations, and Native
American reservations and museums, and some
major amusement parks, too.
Colonial Williamsburg features
historical re-enactors
Colonial Triumvirate
Colonial Williamsburg (colonialwilliamsburg.
com), the nation’s largest outdoor living-history
The Verbolten roller
museum, has 500 restored or reconstructed pub- coaster at Busch Gardens
lic buildings, homes, stores and taverns. It’s a great
way to immerse yourself in 18th century life. An annual
pass, which includes access to the historic area and the two
art museums, a free shuttle and guided tours of government
Photos courtesy Percepture
buildings, costs $66.99 for adults and $33.49 for ages 6 to 12. Ad-
mission is free for younger children.
At Historic Jamestowne ($14, or free for active military and
ages 15 and younger, historicjamestowne.org), visitors can ex-
plore England’s first successful North American colony. At nearby
Jamestown Settlement (historyisfun.org), costumed historical
interpreters demonstrate daily life in the 17th century.
TravelBook_DayTripping.indd 47
In Yorktown, quaint waterfront streets offer shopping and
dining options, while the American Revolution Museum at
Yorktown (historyisfun.org), which opened in 2015, explores the
“causes, impact and meaning” of the Revolution. Visitors can
participate in Continental Army military drills, load a real cannon
and tour a working 1780s farm.
The American Heritage Annual Pass includes admission to
the Yorktown museum and the Jamestown Settlement. Cost is
$23 for adults and $12 for ages 6-12.
Contemporary Fun
Two theme parks, Busch Gardens (buschgardens.com/va) and
Water Country USA (watercountryusa.com/en/williamsburg/),
offer thrilling rides, roller coasters and slides. Great Wolf Lodge
(greatwolf.com) boasts a 67,000-square-
foot indoor water park.
American Indian
Reservations
King William County is home to three of
Virginia’s 11 state-recognized American In-
dian tribes and the state’s only American
Indian reservations. The Upper Mattaponi
Festival and Powwow takes place Memo-
rial Day weekend. The Mattaponi Muse-
um (804-769-2229) is open on weekends.
The Pamunkeys, the only Virginia tribe to
gain federal recognition, share their story
at the Pamunkey Indian Museum and
Cultural Center (804-843-4792 or see
them on Facebook). It’s open 10 a.m. to 4
p.m. Saturdays, 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. Tours
by appointment.
Plantations
Take in the beauty and history of the
James River plantations (jamesriver-
plantations.org), only a 45-minute drive
from Richmond along state Route 5. Many
of the plantation houses and grounds are
open to the public.
There’s Berkeley (804-829-6018 or
berkeleyplantation.com), where settlers
observed the first official Thanksgiving, in
1619. The plantation at 12602 Harrison Land-
ing Road, in Charles City was also the birthplace
of Benjamin Harrison V, one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence.
An 1849 landmark that’s now a bed-and-breakfast, Edgewood
(829-2962 or edgewoodplantation.com) features 10 fireplaces,
a flying staircase, gardens and a gristmill. In addition to regular
tours, Edgewood offers candlelight tours and ghost tours at 4800
John Tyler Memorial Highway, in Charles City.
Other choices range from Belle Air, circa 1670, making it the
oldest frame house in Virginia, to Shirley, which was established
in 1613, and is the oldest plantation in Virginia.
RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 47
3/25/18 4:58 PM

A TASTE OF
CHARLOTTESVILLE
You’ll find fine food and world-
class attractions in this historic
college town / By Bethany Emerson
Less than an hour’s drive from Rich-
mond, Charlottesville offers the per-
fect weekend road trip, with an array
of pampering lodging and a plethora
of history, shopping, food and fun.
Stay
You can book a private cottage through an agency
called Guesthouses (vaguesthouses.com), which
handles accommodations in Charlottesville and
its surrounding areas. Milton Cottage, our home
for the weekend, was idyllic. Six French doors in
a row led to a large porch with rocking chairs
and views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The cozy
interior was tastefully decorated with original
art and fresh flowers. Before heading into town
the next morning, we leisurely nibbled on fresh
strawberries and nutty granola provided by our
hosts. Passing horse farms, the roads were awash
with naturalized daylilies.
Dining
Dining options are varied, from college town
joints to upscale bistros.
48 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8
TravelBook_DayTripping.indd 48
striking glass-topped wood case, his hand-dipped chocolates are
worth seeking out. The “Taj,” bittersweet chocolate ganache infused
with candied ginger, cardamom and rose, and then dipped in dark
chocolate, was divine.
Downtown Mall
DON’T MISS
Charlottesville was also
home to our fifth presi-
dent, James Monroe,
whose estate Highland
(highland.org) is open
year-round, except for
major holidays.
We started with a visit to
Albemarle Baking Company
(albemarlebakingco.com),
the original anchor of the
group of vendors.
For lunch, try Feast! (feast
virginia.com). It’s owned by
Eric Gertner and Kate Collier
and specializes in artisanal
cheeses, cured meats, olives
and other gourmet fare. They
make tasty sandwiches that
can be packed to-go. It’s one of
10 specialty stores in the Main
Street Market.
A stone’s throw away is the
original location of Gearharts
Fine Chocolatier (gearharts
chocolates.com). Owner Tim
Monticello Gearharts told us that most visi-
tors assume they are entering
a jewelry store. Displayed in a
Top: Courtesy visitcharlottesville.org/Jack Looney Photography; Middle: Courtesy visitcharlottesville.org; Bottom: Gene Runion
Learn
Head to Monticello (monticello.org) for
insights into our third president, Thomas
Jefferson. Guided house tours of the
first floor are offered throughout the
day. Tours that detail the lives of the
enslaved at Monticello are offered daily.
Weekends from February through
November you can see Monticello
through the eyes of the Hemings fam-
ily members, the best known and best
documented enslaved family at Monticello.
Also be sure to take in a Gardens and Grounds
tour, offered April through October, and try to fit
in a hike on the Saunders-Monticello Trail.
Jefferson is also the founder of the University of
Virginia. His handiwork is evident in the Academi-
cal Village (tclf.org), the heart of the campus, and
like Monticello, a World Heritage Site.
Shop and Stop
People watching and listening to buskers makes
for an interesting afternoon along the pedestrian-
friendly Historic Downtown Mall (downtownchar-
lottesville.net), eight blocks of shops, clubs, res-
taurants and general college town life. One end
of the mall is anchored by the Sprint Pavilion, a
3,500-seat amphitheater that plays host to national
and regional musical acts.
3/25/18 4:58 PM
 UPWARD
OVER THE
MOUNTAINS
Exploring Nelson County
/ By Genevelyn Steele
Along state Route 151 in Nelson County, you’ll
find unexpected culinary delights. Also known
as Rockfish Valley Highway, this road off Inter-
state 64 buttresses the Blue Ridge Mountains,
stitching together an array of beverage and
bucolic interests with nary a stoplight in sight.
Potables
I hit up the bustling, tour-bus-
filled Blue Mountain Brewery
(bluemountainbrewery.com) in
Afton for a patio beer. Cottony
clouds fill the blue and white
tie-dyed sky, but a few sips lat-
er, I press on to Veritas Vine-
yard & Winery (veritaswines.
com). A stone fireplace warms
Veritas’ ritzy tasting room. The
manicured setting and impres-
sively built wines could substi-
tute for some of Napa Valley’s
finest, but they’re affordable
in comparison.
I zigzag further off the main
road to visit Afton Mountain Vineyards (aftonmountainvineyards.
com), where scaled-down elegance means no waiting to taste
Top: Courtesy Nelson County /Camden Littleton; Bottom: Stephanie Gross
their lighter-style cabernet sauvignon brimming with cherry
flavors. I hate to spit out the wine, but I’m driving.
I double back to Route 151 for Virginia vodka, gin and white
lightning at Silverback Distillery (sbdistillery.com).
Bold Rock Cidery (boldrock.com) operates a tast-
ing room and barrel barn in Nellysford. I loved
the drier ciders available by glass or growler,
or by the bottle in the gift shop.
A hop, skip and a jump away, the kid-
friendly Wild Wolf Brewing Co. (wildwolf
beer.com) is equipped with a toddler play
area, gazing ponds and live music. There
are 13 beers on tap, including seasonal and
signature brews.
The sporty set rides the bar at Devils Back-
bone Brewing Co. (dbbrewingcompany.com) in
Roseland, where a stuffed mountain lion and other
big game watch over the crowd.
TravelBook_DayTripping.indd 49
Victuals
A latte stop at Greenwood Gourmet Grocery (greenwoodva.
com) in Crozet amps up the ride and supplies Virginia meats
and cheeses, JAM According to Daniel seasonal spreads,
and chocolates.
In Nellysford, barbecue lovers should seek out the smoky, pep-
pery ’cue at the cash-only Blue Ridge Pig (434-361-1170). Enjoy a
meal at Basic Necessities (basicnecessities.us), or stock up on
wine, cheese and smoked salmon spread to go.
Saturdays from May through October, find organically raised
produce, meat and lavender; hickory nuts; and native paw paws
at the producer-only Nelson Farmers Market Cooperative
(nelsonfarmersmarket.com), voted third best on the East Coast.
Lock'n Music Festival
To Do
Swannanoa Palace (540-942-5201), the abandoned, desolate
Italian Renaissance Revival summer home in Afton that was
commissioned by Maymont’s James H. Dooley, is rarely open
to the public, but seeing this site merits the 90-minute drive
from Richmond alone.
In summer, check out the annual Lockn’ Music Fes-
tival (locknfestival.com). The Avett Brothers and the
Dead’s Phil Lesh and Bob Weir performed in 2017.
To Stay
Blue Haven 151 Farm and B&B (bluehaven
farmandbnb.com) features nine lovingly re-
stored American travel trailers for guest stays. A
tricked-out 1990s Airstream Excella with a queen
bedroom and pink-accented salon caught my
eye. But the main house proffers five bedrooms and
jaw-dropping views in the great room facing DePriest
Brunch at Basic Mountain, whose 4,063-foot summit is accessible from
Necessities
the Appalachian Trail.
RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 49
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 DOG TROTTING
The joys of roving Virginia’s roads
with Rover / By Genevelyn Steele
I adore the dog days of summer! No, I’m not
talking August scorchers, but the time of year
when weekends mean time with my fur baby
at Fido-friendly museums, wineries and patios.
These getaways go beyond mere acceptance
of my canine companion and provide delightful
hospitality, commanding us to sit and stay.

This jaunt takes you on

U.S. 301 north to avoid the
stressful parking lot that’s
peak-season Interstate 95.
Unlike that concrete ser-
pent, this route is primed
for pit stops and play.
Pups are welcome to
We begin with a stop accompany you on the
in Ashland at Taylor Dog grounds of Mount Vernon.

Park (12471 Taylor Com-

plex Lane) to introduce
my boxer, Dodger, to agility equipment inside the fenced dog
park. Dodger is shaky on the ramps, preferring the 5 kilome-
ters of adjacent walking trails to the trickier sloped pallets.
After burning off some energy, we take a break in Hanover for
hand-cut fries and softshell crabs on the front porch of Liliana’s
Houndstooth Cafe (13271 Hanover Courthouse Road), at the in-
tersection of Virginia Highway 54 and U.S. 301, where polite dogs
are welcome.
Back on the road, we roll by Horne’s Restaurant and Gift
Shop in Port Royal. The diner is the last operating location of
Bob Horne’s Midcentury, Southeast restaurant chain, known for
its iconic pitched roof, red trim and neon accents. Behind the
counter, shakes whir in 1960s milkshake machines.  President’s Pups Walking Tour (10 a.m. Saturdays, April-June
Twenty-minutes later and we’re riding down the Chesapeake
Bay Wine Trail, home to Ingleside Vineyards (inglesidevineyards.
com), one of the oldest wineries in Virginia. Dogs are allowed on
Ingleside’s grounds and in the European courtyard.
I taste through eight wines inside while my friend walks
Dodger, then I select a crisp Albariño for us to sip al fresco.
Dodger cools his belly on the stonework by the fountain.
After an overnight stay in National Harbor, Maryland, we take
U.S. 1 south to Mount Vernon (mountvernon.org). 
George Washington, an avid dog lover, raised every group of
dog registered by today’s American Kennel Club, including a
hound named Sweetlips. We confirm our tickets for the All the

Top: Courtesy Mount Vernon/ Russ Flint; Bottom: Courtney Sisson

Collectors of vintage and September-Octo-
Fire King and Pyrex Ingleside Vineyards ber) as Dodger paces by
should stop at the Port welcomes canine com- the door.
panions on its grounds.
Royal Trading Post (port Dogs are allowed on
royaltradingpost.com). Mount Vernon’s grounds,
The former car dealer- where you’ll find 12 out-
ship houses more than buildings and upper
70 antique dealers. and lower gardens. Wa-
Purse-sized dogs are ter bowls stand filled by
permitted inside. Nearby the entrances. Leashes
attractions are an ex- — and poop scooping
tended fishing pier and — are required for the
the Port Royal Museum hour-long traipse, where
of American History we learn of other favor-
(506 Main St., open Sat- ite presidential pups, in-
urday only), which con- cluding a ham-stealing
tains presidential relics.  canine called Vulcan.

50 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8

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 CHARMED BY
CULPEPER
There’s much to explore in and
around this small town
/ By Catherine Amos Cribbs
From the independent shops and travel-worthy
restaurants to the tight-knit community of natives
and transplants alike, Culpeper’s charm makes it a
must-visit Virginia town.
Food
The casual European cuisine at It’s About
Thyme (thymeinfo.com) or its sister Thyme
Market — from grilled rockfish with broc-
Courtesy Paige Read/Town of Culpepper
colini to daily puff-pastry specials — is worth
the trip alone. But there’s also Baby Jim’s
Snack Bar (701 N. Main St.) if you’ve got cash
and are looking for a classic, old-school burger and
fries; Knakal’s Bakery (146 E. Davis St.), where you can
get a Westhampton Pastry Shop-style glazed doughnut; or the
opportunity to dress up for fine dining at Foti’s (fotisrestaurant.
com) or Lucio (luciorestaurant.net). Start your day at Raven’s
Nest (ravensnestcoffeehouse.com) for a latte and house-made
lemon poppy-seed scone.
TravelBook_DayTripping.indd 51
Libations
Culpeper can’t compete with Charlottesville for the sheer num-
ber of wineries in the vicinity, but you can still find a good va-
riety of booze. Throw back a few samples of Virginia Lightning
moonshine at Belmont Farm Distillery (belmontfarmdistillery.
com), off U.S. 522 south of town, or walk among the vines at Old
House Vineyards (oldhousevineyards.com) east of Culpeper;
or Gray Ghost Vineyards (grayghostvineyards.com) along
U.S. 211 in Amissville. Back in town, we sampled a hefty flight
of pooch-named brew at Beer Hound Brewery (beerhound-
brewery.com), like Kujo, a “rabid” pale ale, and their Olde Yella
American wheat.
Shopping
It's About Thyme It’s only a few blocks, but the tiny,
historic downtown is packed with
swoon-worthy finds. We spent the
day getting lost among the oh-so-
trendy Americana goods at Harriet’s
General (blog.harrietsgeneral.com).
I treated myself (and the environ-
ment!) to some eco-friendly gifts at
Green Roost (shopgreenroost.com)
and browsed international wares
at The Cameleer (thecameleer.
com). If you’re feeling so inclined, kick
off a date night with Neuhaus choco-
lates from The Frenchman’s Corner
(frenchmanscorner.com) and specialty
cheeses and wines from the Culpeper
Cheese Co. (culpepercheese.com).
The Archive
Built into the side of Mount Pony sits
a former Cold War-era bunker that
the Federal Reserve once used to
store currency. Today, the gorgeous
facility houses the Library of Con-
gress’ Packard Campus of the Na-
tional Audio-Visual Conservation
Center, home to the world’s largest
and most comprehensive collection
of films, television programs, radio broadcasts and
sound recordings. The campus includes a 205-seat
Art Deco-style theater with state-of-the-art film
projection. It screens free movies and holds other
events, usually Thursdays through Saturdays. For a
Old House listing of upcoming events, visit loc.gov/avconserva-
Vineyards tion/theater/schedule.html.
The Scenery
Whether you’re just up for the day or staying overnight at one of
the posh boutique hotels — like the contemporary, luxury Suites
at 249 (suitesat249.com) that overlooks downtown — Culpeper
offers beautiful views of the Blue Ridge, historical Civil War
battlefields, horse-show parks, vineyards and sprawling farms.
RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 51
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 feel the festival
LOCKN’ Festival | August 23-26
Locknfestival.com

Devils Backbone Hoopla | September 28-30

dbrewingcompany.com

The Festy Experience | October 5-7

Festy.com

nelson county
VIRGINIA
nelsoncounty.com
Register for a weekend getaway: 800.282.8223

Nelson.12h.TVL18.indd 1 2/5/18 11:42 AM

Culpeper.12h.TVL18.indd 1 3/7/18 9:58 AM

_franks_TVL18.indd 52 3/14/18 12:13 PM

 VIRGINIA

Trending Vibrant!

LynchburgVirginia.org

Lynchburg.12h.0218.indd 1 1/10/18 12:52 PM

YorkCounty.12h.TVL18.indd 1 3/14/18 11:23 AM

_franks_TVL18.indd 53 3/15/18 2:51 PM

 FAMILY ADVENTURE DINING SHOPPING THE ARTS HISTORY

TAKING
SIX DESTINATIONS
WORTH A QUICK
FLIGHT FROM THE RIC

FLIGHT
56/ ATLANTA

57/ CHARLOTTE

58/ NASHVILLE

59/ MINNEAPOLIS

60/ NEW YORK CITY

61/ SANDUSKY, OHIO

54 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8

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 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 55

TravelBook_TakingFlight.indd 55 3/25/18 4:59 PM

 ATLANTA BY DINE
A late-night Saturday

DESIGN dinner was on tap in In-

man Park. One Eared
Stag (404-525-4479 or
Fine arts and fine foods are part of the oneearedstag.com) was
fun in Georgia’s capital city / By Susan Winiecki one of Eater’s 38 Essen-
tial Atlanta Restaurants
I love a plane ride that’s over before the flight at- for Summer 2017, and it
tendants can even roll their cart the full length of delivered. Raisin chut-
the cabin, and a nonstop flight to Atlanta is just that, ney was the unexpected
clocking in at under 90 minutes. Say hello to a city of addition to my cauliflower soup with fenugreek. Hot Chicken
at One
inventive neighborhood restaurants, artist-run shops Richmond butchers beware: There soon will be a
Eared Stag
and inspiring museums. run on beef spinalis (aka the cap steak). My roasted
version with green-chile salsa, black garlic and cippolini onions
was a perfect foil for a chilly evening. An individual brown-butter
Sleep sponge cake slathered in buttercream and a meringue on top,
The Crown Plaza Atlanta-Midtown (cpatlantamidtown.com), for $9, was the best money I had spent all weekend, until the
is about $127 per night. Friendly staff, a welcom- next morning.
ing lobby with a Thrive Farmers sustainable coffee A mural by artist Sunday brunch begins at 10:30 at Empire State South
shop, and a firm bed make for a restful overnight. Louis Delsarte (404-541-1105 or empirestatesouth.com), chef/owner Hugh
on the MLK Jr.
natatorium Acheson’s Atlanta restaurant. I arrived on the dot and
Explore ordered pimento cheese with bacon marmalade and
After brunch at Empire State South toast. I added a bowl of house-made granola with fresh
(999 Peachtree St. NE, No. 140, yogurt and blood oranges and a biscuit served with pepper
empirestatesouth.com), which jelly. The restaurant also has a bocce court outside and a
is across from the Margaret cash-and-carry section with delectable sweets. I went
Mitchell House (margaret away happy with raspberry caramels.
mitchellhouse.com), I
walked to the Museum of Worth The Trip
Design Atlanta (museum Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site (nps.
ofdesign.org). Nearby, you’ll gov/malu/index.htm) is actually a collection of sites that
find the High Museum of Art celebrates the civil rights icon, including his birthplace,
(high.org), where a major exhibit the King Center and the original Ebenezer Baptist Church,

Top: One Eared Stag; Middle: Jenni Gartman, courtesy of ACVB & AtlantaPhotos.com;
of works by influential Japanese art- where he and his father served as pastor.
ist Yayoi Kusama opens in No-
vember 2018.

Shop
Don’t miss the Beehive (404-
581-9261 or thebeehiveatl. Bottom: Gene Phillips, Courtesy of ACVB & AtlantaPhotos.com
com), a designer collective in
the Edgewood neighborhood.
From local food products to
locally designed clothing, the
variety and quality of merchan-
dise was outstanding. I left with
three infinity scarves, preserves,
letterpress cards and a vow to re-
turn. Two outside-the-perimeter
stops include the Ballard De-
signs outlet in Roswell (ballard
designs.com) and Boca Bar-
goons (770-475-1219 or boca
bargoons.com) discount fabric
High Museum of Art
store in Alpharetta.

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QUEEN CITY
STANDOUTS
The neighborhoods of Dilworth and
NoDa link Charlotte’s past
and future / By Susan J. Winiecki
I grew up in the Queen City of the North — Buffalo,
New York, — but I was overdue for a first-time visit
to the Queen City of the South — Charlotte, North
Carolina — where a college friend is only a direct
flight away from Richmond. Museums, shopping and
hikes through historic neighborhoods
Top: Courtesy CRVA; Bottom: Courtesy Amelie’s French Bakery
were on tap for the long weekend.
The Olmsted Connection
In the 1870s, landscape architect
Frederick Olmsted changed the
face of Buffalo by connecting neigh-
borhoods with six parks and seven
Amelie’s French
parkways. His sons had a similar im-
pact on Charlotte. Their work is seen in Dil-
worth, the city’s first streetcar suburb, where
curving, tree-lined streets follow the topography, not a formal
street grid. This neighborhood set the bar for the city’s future
suburban development.
TravelBook_TakingFlight.indd 57
Bike Share
The Charlotte skyline
Tour Dilworth using one of the
lights up the twilight.
largest urban bike-share programs
in the Southeast. Grab a Charlotte
B-cycle (charlotte.bcycle.com) at
East-West Station, pass turn-of-
the-century homes along Dil-
worth Road and ride on East Bou-
levard, where the locally owned
gift shop Paper Skyscraper (330
E. Boulevard, paperskyscraper.
com) should be on your after-
ride agenda.
Freshly Minted
The Mint Museum (2730 Ran-
dolph Road, mintmuseum.org)
has three expansive galleries filled
with men’s, women’s and chil-
dren’s clothing. Be sure to check
out the exhibit of contemporary
Mexican photography, which
runs through June 18 at the up-
town branch. Admission is free
5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Morning in Myers Park
On Sunday morning, we took a drive through the Myers Park
neighborhood. Named for William R. Myers and his son,
Jack, it’s a 1,000-acre community filled with tree-lined streets
and flowers.
Built in 1915, The Duke Mansion in Myers Park was expanded
by owner James Buchanan Duke, who founded Duke Energy and
the Duke Endowment. The 20-room inn (400 Hermitage Road,
dukemansion.org) now operates as a nonprofit, with proceeds
used to preserve the home.
NoDa
The North Davidson neighborhood, aka NoDa, has undergone
30 years of redevelopment after artists discovered this former
mill community in the 1980s. Don’t miss a lunch at Cabo
Fish Taco (3201 N. Davidson St., cabofishtaco.com).
Blackened tuna tacos with pineapple-kiwi sauce were
a great start to an afternoon of gallery hopping and
shopping. Dessert was found at the flagship location
for Amelie’s French Bakery (2424 N. Davidson St.,
ameliesfrenchbakery.com), where crunchy palmiers
left their telltale shards all over my lap.
The Sleepy Poet
Bakery It doesn’t look like much from the outside — a low-
slung brick warehouse off South Boulevard, but it’s what
is inside that counts. The Sleepy Poet Antique Mall (4450 S.
Boulevard, sleepypoetstuff.com) contains 55,000 square feet
of well-organized booths, from vintage clothing and jewelry to
repurposed industrial finds.
RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 57
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 HOT CHICKEN, South And East
On Rutledge Hill, south of Broadway, sits chef Sean Brock’s Husk

HOT TIMES restaurant (husknashville.com) in a converted 1880s mansion.

A huge chalkboard lists familiar Virginia product names like
Rappahannock River Oysters and Foggy Ridge Cider. My Bear
Good food and great music make Creek Farm pork, succotash and West Af-
Nashville memorable / By Susan Winiecki rican mustard greens were a perfect
Southern blend.
Sock sausage, caramel cake and “shut- In East Nashville, you can
the-cluck-up” chicken caught my fancy enjoy a cozy dinner at Mar-
in Nashville, Tennessee, and all three left got Café (margotcafe.com),
me planning a return trip. Filled with mu- founded in 2001 by chef Mar-
seums and other restaurants to try, the got McCormack, who has been
city’s neighborhoods are reverberating called the “Alice Waters of
with creative energy. Nashville”; and be sure to stop
by artisan chocolatiers Olive
The Hermitage
Hotel and Sinclair (oliveandsinclair.
com), which offers public fac-
tory tours on Saturdays.

Germantown
The 18-block Germantown
neighborhood dating to
the 1850s houses some of
Nashville’s f inest restau-
rants, including City House
(cityhousenashville.com). A
Thursday-night dinner started
with a tangy Bandit, a cock-
tail combining Averna with
grapefruit juice, and finished
with the best panna cotta I’ve
eaten, laced with blackberries,
topped with cream and gar-
nished with crumbled oatmeal
cookies. The house-made lin-
Shrimp and guine with chickpeas, fennel,
grits at Husk
kale and chilies was another
bright spot.
Midtown Hub
West Nashville Bottom: Courtesy the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Top: The Hermitage Hotel; Middle: Courtesy Husk Restaurant;
On the north side of Broadway downtown is The Hermitage
Hotel (thehermitagehotel.com), Nashville’s first million-dollar A visit with friends who live in Sylvan Park meant a jumbo
hotel when it opened in 1910. From its grand lobby with a paint- chicken-tender dinner buffet, complete with pimento macaroni
ed-glass skylight to its bath-drawing service, the hotel exudes and cheese, from Hattie B’s (hattieb.com). My friends ordered
Southern graciousness. The hotel also has its own garden five the “damn hot” chicken for me, but I intend to try “the shut-
miles away and its own cattle farm called the Double H. Both the-cluck-up” version next time.
properties play into what is of-
fered at the hotel’s Capitol Grille DON’T MISS
restaurant. From a golden but-
Yes, the Ryman Auditorium (ryman.com), home to the Grand Ole
termilk breakfast biscuit served Opry from 1943 to 1974, is definitely worth a stop, but the Country
with pork-and-pepper sock sau- Music Hall of Fame and Museum (countrymusichalloffame.org) in the
sage to a blue-plate lunch spe- growing South of Broadway (SoBro) neighborhood is truly something
to sing about. The exhibit “Loretta Lynn: Blue Kentucky Girl” runs
cial of sliced Double H roast beef,
there through Aug. 5. Also worth a stop is the Johnny Cash Museum
buttermilk mashed potatoes and
(johnnycashmuseum.com), a 18,000-square-foot trove of Cash family
collard greens, there was no need memorabilia, including tin cups from Folsom Prison, where Cash re-
for supper. corded his famous live album.

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 MINNESOTA NICE? Minneapolis skyline from

YOU BETCHA!
the Hewing Hotel

Minneapolis is a pleasant, polite and

sophisticated destination / By Alexis C. Holcombe
Bitter cold winters. That’s what most people think of
when asked about Minneapolis. However, my travel-
ing partner and I searched for another side of this great
Mississippi River city: Scandinavian heritage and cuisine,
beautiful lakes, and some of the country’s best museums
and cultural venues.

Mega Mall A Must

If shopping is on your itinerary, use
the light rail to the suburb of Bloom-
ington to visit the Mall of America
(8100 S. 24th Ave., mallofamerica.
com). Legoland, Nickelodeon Uni-
verse and American Girl are some
of the featured attractions, along
with more than 520 stores and
50 restaurants.

Lakes And Hills

By Wheels
Using Uber to reach the shore of Lake Calhoun on the Chain of
Lakes, we also stopped by Wheel Fun Rentals (wheelfunrentals.
com/Locations/Minneapolis) to rent road bikes. Along well-marked
paths we marveled at the quiet grace of the mansions lining the
Linden Hills neighborhood between lakes Calhoun and Harriet.
Bottom: Hanna Voxland, Courtesy of The Bachelor Farmer and Meet Minneapolis
Flour Power
The Mill District on the Minneapolis riverfront commemorates
the city’s former glory as the world’s flour milling capital. The
“Tower of Flour” audiovisual tour at the Mill City Museum (704
S. Second St., millcitymuseum.org) is a must-see for visitors of all
ages and ends at an observation deck, with an expansive

Nice Way To Travel view of St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge.
Minneapolis is widely considered one of the best The “You betcha!” offered by the cashier at the
bike cities in the United States. The sturdy lime- museum’s gift shop was a bonus.
Top: rau+barber, Courtesy of the Hewing Hotel and Meet Minneapolis

green bikes offered by Nice Ride Minnesota

(niceridemn.org), the local bike-share pro- On The Town
gram available from April to November, Museums and exhibits not to miss include
give easy access to numerous stations for the Walker Art Center (1750 Hennepin Ave.,
cruising hundreds of miles of bike lanes. walkerart.org), where a major retrospective
(Nice Ride doesn’t provide helmets, so bring of works by Allen Ruppersberg runs March
your own.) 17-July 29, 2018. Also worth a visit is architect
The Bachelor Frank Gehry’s Weisman Art Museum (333 E.
Farmer
Nordic Niceties River Road, weisman.umn.edu), where the life
“Minnesota Nice” reflects the agreeableness that is so and work of Prince is celebrated in a photo exhibit
typically Scandinavian. At the American Swedish Institute running through June 17, 2018.
(2600 S. Park Ave., asimn.org), we ate a savory Swedish lunch
from the Institute’s onsite cafe, FIKA. Continuing our search for Getting There
New Nordic cuisine, we also dined at The Bachelor Farmer (50 N. Delta offers direct flights from Richmond International Air-
Second Ave., thebachelorfarmer.com) with pre-dinner cocktails port to Minneapolis-St. Paul. From there it’s best to skip the
at Marvel Bar, an unmarked speakeasy in the Bachelor Farmer’s expensive airport cab and instead take the Metro Blue Line’s
basement. After dinner we stopped by Askov Finlayson (200 N. light rail (metrotransit.org), part of the region’s rail and bus
First St., askovfinlayson.com), men’s clothing boutique. rapid transit system.

RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8 59

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 IT’S UP TO YOU Yankee Stadium

Making the most of the Big Apple

with kids in tow / By Chad Anderson
Just as there are 8 million stories in the
naked city, there are probably 8 million
ways to visit New York with children —
this is just one of them.

Location, Location
We took up residence at the
Hotel Wales (hotelwalesnyc.
com), an Upper East Side es-
tablishment featuring a charm-
ing rooftop terrace and plenty
of neighborhood convenienc-
es. The much-loved breakfast
spot Sarabeth’s (sarabeths
restaurants.com) has a location
in the hotel. Nearby, there’s the
Corner Bookstore (cornerbook-
storenyc.com), an independent
shop that’s small in stature but
large in literary knowledge. The repeated viewings of the Disney film, I have to admit that the
Central Park
staffer helping us offered numer- genie still made me laugh.
ous suggestions for our son and
daughter, and each was a hit. Simple Sustenance
My kids aren’t foodies, at least not yet. As a result, our New York
Going Green dining was more about function than form, with meals at my old
The Wales is only a block from pizza standby, Two Boots (twoboots.com); Hill Country Chicken
Central Park. In addition to (hillcountrychicken.com), a fried-chicken spot with tasty pies
mapping out the park’s numer- and old-school video games downstairs; and whatever I could
ous attractions, the Central Park find when hunger hit by calling up New York magazine’s infor-
Conservancy (centralparknyc. mative, organized-by-location restaurant guide (nymag.com/
org) has a super-useful free app restaurants) on my smartphone.
that will direct you to the near-
est restroom and (perhaps even better) the closest playground. Day At The Museum
As you explore, the app also features free celebrity audio guides My daughter had “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frank-
on park attractions. Alec Baldwin talks about the Great Lawn, weiler” assigned for summer reading, and given that the book’s
and Whoopi Goldberg opines on the Alice in Wonderland statue, protagonists hide out at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Christopher Postlewaite; Bottom: InSapphoWeTrust

among others. (metmuseum.org), we had to stop by. Many of the displays the
Top: New York Yankees; Middle: NYC & Company/

Under The Big Lights
I wish I could hate the new Yankee Stadium
(yankees.com), but the much-improved food and
beverage offerings have won me over, even if I
still miss the old place and its friendlier ticket
prices. The kids got introduced to the magic
of rally caps, albeit defective ones, as the To-
ronto Blue Jays topped the Yanks on our visit.
A couple days later, we took the children to
their first Broadway show, “Aladdin” at the New
Amsterdam Theatre. They loved it, and despite
book references are now gone, but the Egyptian artifacts and
an impressive collection of armor held our kids’ interest.
Staten Island
Ferry
Ferry Tale
When I lived in New York, the Staten Island
Ferry (siferry.com) was one of my go-tos for
out-of-town guests. It’s free, it gets you out
on the water, and it offers great views of lower
Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. There’s a
Dairy Queen at the terminal on the Staten Island
side, so we enjoyed some soft serve during our
trip back to Manhattan.

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 A GREAT LAKE There are five places to stay, including the Hotel Break-
ers (reservations.cedarpoint.com) which dates from 1905 and

GETAWAY was refurbished in 2015. It offers a beautiful beachfront view

and boardwalk.
The park has dozens of dining options (Pink’s hot dogs and
Safaris, roller coasters and other Johnny Rockets ‘50s-style diner top my list), plus typical amuse-
amusements abound around ment park concessions, including boardwalk fries, burgers and
hot dogs. Sticking to a tighter budget? No problem, because
Lake Erie / By Taylor Horvath
the park has a nice picnic area, where you can enjoy your own
food. A tip: Buy a souvenir bottle ($11.99) and you’ll get free drink
Fly in to Cleveland and drive about an hour west and
refills all day.
you’ll find yourself in Sandusky, Ohio. You’ve prob-
ably never heard of it, but there’s a bit of everything
here, from Cedar Point, where you can take your
On Safari
Across Sandusky Bay in Port Clinton, you’ll find African Safari
amusement park thrill seeking to new levels, to subtle
Wildlife Park (africansafariwildlifepark.com), which offers drive-
and sublime lakeside life around Put-in-Bay.
through or walk-through expe-
riences for all ages. You can see
Cedar Point
and feed animals from around
the world, not just Africa, all
from the comfort of your car.
The walk-through safari would
be great for older children and
couples without kids.

Island Time
If you’re in need of an island
getaway, try the village of
Put-in-Bay (putinbay.com), a
20-minute ride by ferry (miller-
ferry.com) from the mainland.
Whether it’s just for the day
or overnight during the long
weekend, there’s plenty to do
in Put-in-Bay. Rent a go-cart,
moped, bike, or just go about it
the old-fashioned way — walk-
ing — it doesn’t matter how
you get around.
African Safari
Top: Courtesy Cedar Point; Inset: Courtesy African Safari Wildlife Park

Wildlife Park Water sports and activities

Amuse Yourself
Start with Cedar Point (cedarpoint.com), the world’s top
amusement park, or so says Amusement Today. Cedar Point
is also known as the Roller Coaster Capital of the World and is
a sister park to Kings Dominion in Doswell. Its first roller coaster
was built in 1892, but it is now home to 18 roller coasters and
more than 70 rides, including water, thrill, family and kids rides.
But the roller coasters are the main attraction. Ride the Mag-
num roller coaster, which is more than 200 feet high, and you
may catch a glimpse of Canada. The Valravn, crushes 10 world
records, including the world’s tallest and the fastest dive coaster.
This park is like Walt Disney World in that it’s massive and also
offers food and dining options.
including personal watercrafts
and parasailing are popu-
lar here, as you’d expect on
an island.
Must-sees include the Put-
in-Bay Winery (putinbaywinery.
com), and Chocolate Café & Mu-
seum (chocolateohio.com), where
you can enjoy confections and see the
antique chocolate collectibles, and Kim-
berly’s Carousel, a circa-1916 restored carousel.
You can learn about the lake’s crucial role in the War of 1812
at the 352-feet-tall Perry’s Victory and International Peace
Memorial (nps.gov/pevi). It’s named for Oliver Hazard Perry,
the American Navy commander who played a key role in that
conflict. From this tower, all Lake Erie Islands can be seen, as
well as the shores of Ohio, Michigan and Ontario.

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Northern Neck
When was the last time you did something for the first
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Cruise on a skipjack or take a fishing charter, and cap the
day with local oysters and wine. Enjoy kayaking events at
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62 S P EC I A L A D V E R T I S I N G S ECT I O N / T R AV E L

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 Stratford Ad-3.5x4.812.pdf 1 2/26/2018 7:04:40 PM

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

La Bella ▪ Pastures, woodland, riverfront ▪ Original 18th-century buildings

▪ Programs on history & science ▪ Summer camps

Italia Red Mill ▪ Celebrations and festivals ▪ Hiking, biking, kayaking

Born in Sicily, Anna Alaimo moved to Virginia

Beach in 1990 with her newborn son Marco,
C
Explore the Past.
Enjoy the Present.
M

daughter Victoria and oldest son Andrea. Y

Together, they have created a place where diners

CM

feel the warmth of family and tradition as well

as enjoy exceptionally exquisite food. You will MY

find Anna in the Red Mill dining room welcoming CY

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can be found in the kitchen following his

K

mother’s recipes. And you’ll find daughter

Victoria helping out, too. It’s the quintessential
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VIRGINIA BEACH, VA 23454
(757) 301-3603 483 Great House Rd | Stratford, Virginia 22558
804-493-8038 | StratfordHall.org

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 VIRGINIA
ROADWAYS
A TO Z
Informative, fun or just
plain odd sites across
the commonwealth
A Apple picking, Jenkins
Orchards, Woodville
Pick your own or mix and match a
bushel or two. Find them on Facebook.
B Busch Gardens, Williamsburg
Check out the new VR ride, Battle
for Eire. buschgardens.com
C Carter Family Fold, Hiltons
Carter Festival on Aug. 4.
carterfamilyford.org
D DEA Museum, Arlington
Where else can you buy a DEA
keychain or beanie? deamuseum.org
E Edgar Cayce’s Association for
Research and Enlightenment,
Virginia Beach
Walk the labyrinth and learn more about
the Sleeping Prophet. edgarcayce.org
F Foamhenge, Cox Farms, Centreville
If you can’t go to Stonehenge, see the
foam version in the fall. coxfarms.com
G Great Dismal Swamp
Hike, bike or kayak through this
pristine expanse. fws.gov
H Hampton University Museum
Massive collection of African-American
fine art. museum.hampton.edu
I Isle of Wight County Museum
The world’s oldest, edible Smithfield
ham is here. historicisleofwight.com
J Jamestown-Scotland Ferry
Free ferry ride across the James.
virginiadot.org
64 RVA T R AV E L E R 2 0 1 8
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A rocket ready to soar at the
spaceport on Wallops Island
K Kings Dominion
Twisted Timbers rollercoaster is new
for 2018. kingsdominion.com
L Luray Caverns
The only place to hear a stalacpipe
organ. luraycaverns.com
M Middleburg horse country
Check out the Middleburg Spring
Races and Virginia Fall Races.
visitmiddleburgva.com
N Natural Bridge
Thomas Jefferson once owned this
rock arch. dcrvirginia.gov
O Old Fiddlers Convention, Galax
The convention is Aug. 6-11 this year.
oldfiddlersconvention.com
P Patsy Cline House, Winchester
House museum honoring the life
of this country crooner. celebrating
patsycline.org
Q Quantico, National Museum
of the Marine Corps
Don’t miss the Marine Corps Combat
Art Gallery. usmcmuseum.com
R Raven Room, UVA, Charlottesville
Shrine to Edgar Allan Poe, who
attended the college in 1826.
aig.alumni.virginia.edu
S Stonewall Jackson’s arm,
Locust Grove
The Confederate general’s amputated
left arm has its own marker. nps.gov
T Tank Museum, Danville
Homage to military armor.
aaftankmuseum.com
U Upper Falls, Doyles River
Round trip of 3.3 miles includes
lower falls, too.
V Virginia Creeper Trail
Onetime railroad track converted
to hiking/biking recreation trail.
vacreepertrail.org
W Watermen, Tangier Island
Get a hint at the life of families making
their livelihood along Chesapeake Bay.
tangierisland-va.com
X eXploration
NASA Wallops Flight Facility celebrates
space exploration. nasa.gov
Y Yogaville
Ashram community is home to the Light
of Truth Universal Shrine. yogaville.org
NASA/Bill Ingalls
Z Zip line, Virginia Canopy Tours,
Bentonville
High-line views of the Massanutten
mountains. zipthepark.com
3/25/18 4:35 PM
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 ALEX
likes a quick ride to D.C.
ANDRIA
likes a slower pace.

Let’s get together.

Just minutes from the hustle and bustle of D.C. you’ll discover the town that
George Washington once called home. Come stroll down historic King Street.
Duck into a unique shop or romantic eatery. And ride the trolley to our scenic
waterfront. You’ll agree, there’s always something new to find in Old Town
Alexandria - the convenient and relaxing home-base for your D.C. vacation.

#1 BEST VALUE U.S. TRAVEL DESTINATION

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