Road Trip

[Lloyd_E]

... Well the missis and I are going on a 14 day road trip. Final destination will be Williamsburg and Winchester(friends) area. We will be driving and making Williamsburg our initial destination in 2 commuting days. We will stay in Winchester for a few days and than make our way back home over a 5-7 day period. Other than the obvious and usual spots do any of you have special places to see, road stops for food etc. We will be in Williamsburg for 4 days, Winchester for 3 during which time we will see Washington/White-house/Smithsonian and some historic battle fields. On our way back we plan to travel some of the Skyline Drive, visit Montecello, do some coastal routes, Boston, Cape Cod area, LL Bean, Salem, Old Sturbridge Village, maybe Deerfield and some shopping(for her)... taking the car can't haul any tractor stuff!

Route down will be i95 from Calais to i84 around NY to i81 around Washington, via part of 66 to i95 & i64 to Williamsburg.

Interests for me... historic stuff, blacksmithing, historic villages/towns/homes etc... and tractors.
Her... art galleries, food and shopping... not necessarily in that order!

TIA

Lloyd

 

[Johndeere3720]

My mom, sister, and grandparents just got back from there on sunday. They loved it. I went 2 years ago and really enjoyed it. I hope you have a great time!

 

[Chuck52]

Try to time your visit to Monticello. Maybe call ahead about scheduling a tour, if that is possible. Last time we went by there the wait was so long we gave up on doing a tour.

Sounds like you're staying north of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but that is a nice ride if you get that far....starts at the southern end of the Skyline Drive.

Chuck

 

[Johndeere3720]

If you stop by Montecello stop by Mitchie's Tavern. They got some good food there. :thumbsup:

 

[czechsonofagun]

Yes for Mitchies tavern. And you will go right through our area in Virginia. USMC museum is right off of 95 south of DC - really worth the visit. If you are into history, there is a lot of battlefields in Manassas. Luray caverns are great too, but if you take 66 you will miss them.

 

[mjarrels]

Welcome to my neighborhood.

mark

 

[Dutch445]

We had a trip to the Richmond area last weekend, down Friday, back Sunday.
Way too much windshield time vs family time. But we went down 81 thru PA, down to 66, then skipped down 17 to 95. Overall traffic was good, although our decision to not go near Wash. was probably the right one considering we weren't on a sightseeing trip. Drive safe, watch for everybody else. We almost got mixed up on 66 coming home and I fear folks behind us did as we
passed a disabled car on the shoulder of the road with a trooper on the other side and everybody started doing evasive maneuvers.
Pretty country down there, and pretty much in full bloom. Fog in Southern PA on the way home , which can be typical on that stretch of 81.
Gas was cheapest near Richmond, then some places in PA were 2nd cheapest, 2.69 or so.
Have a great trip!

 

[jinman]

Lloyd, if your wife likes shopping, the Williamsburg Glass and Pottery Factory might be just the ticket. They have some interesting stuff there and some good bargains too. Of course, I guess you'll go to Colonial Williamsburg which is a fun thing to do despite the fact that it is very commercialized.

If you had kids, I'd suggest Busch Gardens, but that's probably not too high on your priority list. If you travel further south toward Norfolk, a trip over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is pretty spectacular and you can stop on the pier and fish or watch ships come and go from Hampton Roads. Virginia's outer banks are scenic and lots of farming is going on there, but you either have to turn around and go back across the bridge or continue on north to Maryland.

 

[om21braz]

Although slightly off the direct route, I'd say you would not want to miss Plymouth, Mass. - lots of history there. Lots of nicely restored homes, Plimoth Plantation, and of course "the rock". Have a safe trip!

 

[Lloyd_E]

Thanks guys. Keep the ideas coming.

I will add this to my return itinerary. We will be returning home via coastal route from Norfolk - including Chesapeake bridge/tunnel - to Phili, around NY to Stamford and than route 95 to Providence, Cap Cod etc.

Colonial Williamsburg is our destination for 4 days. The old town site is not commercial is it jinman? This is a road trip without kids... first time in 9 years!!!

Noted dutchman...

czech... we will reroute to the caverns... sounds very interesting.

Chuck... can you do a self guided tour of house and grounds - Monticello.

Anyone price or buy a 16 gig card for their camera recently? If so how much? I just priced one up here to have an extra card and they are around $60. What large electronic outlets are there down there? We have Future Shop up here and Costco. I tried costco but they only had 8 gig cards.

Thanks....


lloyd

 

[aczlan]

Anyone price or buy a 16 gig card for their camera recently? If so how much? I just priced one up here to have an extra card and they are around $60. What large electronic outlets are there down there? We have Future Shop up here and Costco. I tried costco but they only had 8 gig cards.

$35-50 from Tigerdirect

Aaron Z

 

[Egon]

Lloyd, if your wife likes shopping, the Williamsburg Glass and Pottery Factory

Uh oh, maybe start thinking truck!:laughing:

Have a good trip.:thumbsup:

 

[Chuck52]

Lloyd,

I think the only Monticello tours are with a guide. We had just missed the start of one tour and the next one was booked, too, so we gave up.

I just looked at the Monticello site and they sell tickets on line. Looks like you can buy a specific timed tour.

Chuck

 

[Lloyd_E]

Aaron thanks... is this i-net purchasing only or do they have physical outlets in US.

Egon... believe me - thought about the truck but we are(I mean she is ) on a limited budget so the car is choice for fuel economy etc. One thing I am interested in is an old musket - early 1800's - to hang over our mantle. I wonder if you need a FAC to cross boarder?

lloyd


PS: she is so excited to go she wants to leave on mother's day... not sure if her mom will be happy though!!!! Oh... I said we really should leave on Monday but she said No - Sunday!
I am still the favorite son-in-law! Oh wait... I am the only son-in-law! LOL!

 

[Egon]

I wonder if you need a FAC to cross boarder?

If it is in usable condition you may need the FAC. ????

 

[MossRoad]

Lloyd, if your wife likes shopping, the Williamsburg Glass and Pottery Factory might be just the ticket. They have some interesting stuff there and some good bargains too. ...

I'd have to agree. The place is huge! Like 6 walmart store sized warehouses, miles of isles, etc... you need a trailer and 3 days! :laughing:

Williamburg Pottery

 

[mjarrels]

Again... Welcome to the neighborhood.

mark

 

[jinman]

Colonial Williamsburg is our destination for 4 days. The old town site is not commercial is it jinman? This is a road trip without kids... first time in 9 years!!!

When you get to Colonial Williamsburg, you go in through a visitor's center. You have to stand in line and buy a pass. There are several levels of passes and what they include. Some presentations in the colonial part are only available to people with the highest level (most expensive) passes. I think our pass was about $45 per person and was a 1-day pass of all presentations plus a 2nd day included. We viewed a presentation and then were taken by bus from the visitor's center to the old town section. Since Colonial Williamsburg sits at/on the campus of William & Mary, we found that actually it is open and you can just walk right in from the streets surrounding it. What you don't have is the ability to view any of the presentations except for the ones in the open areas. Of course, in many of the shops, they sell products similar to those in colonial times as souvenirs. There are lots of folks strolling about in colonial garb and some in buggies. Shops to view include a print shop, cobbler shop, furniture shop, buggy shop, and blacksmith. I think the governor's palace tour was one of the top level presentations. Anyhow, there are lots of reenactments going on and you really do get your money's worth if you visit everything. Of course, I think you'll also want to visit Jamestown. It is still an archeological dig.

 

[polo1665]

Lloyd,
If you get a chance, visit the Jamestown Settlement then hop on the Colonial Parkway and go over to the Yorktown Victory Center. It is a very pleasant drive through the Virginia countryside.
Official Jamestown Settlement & Yorktown Victory Center Visitor's Site

I have to agree, if your wife is into shopping she will love the Pottery Factory. Not too far away from the Pottery is a large outlet mall as well. We always Christmas shop there when visiting my mom at Thanksgiving time.
Prime Outlets ? Williamsburg, Outlet Mall near Williamsburg, Richmond,Norfolk and Virginia Beach | 65% Savings on Designer Brands

The list of activities in this area of Virginia are nearly endless. I hope you and your wife have a wonderful time.


Mark