rex

I will likely be spending the weekend of January 21-22 in, or around southeastern Virginia with my wife (I will be working in Va Beach W-Th-F, then M-T-W and I think I prefer to take the weekend off somewhere in the vicinity, rather than go back "home", which is Kentuckiana, for me).

I will have a rental car, and do not feel strongly about whether we stay near or not. In fact, my wife will be flying in, so we could have her come in/go out of a different airport than ORF.

We have explored some of the better known "touristy" landmarks in the past: Williamsburg and Monticello, for example. We have traveled a half dozen times to Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis. We spent a single night in Ocean City, Maryland once (crossing the Ches BB/Tunnel from North Carolina), driving from NC to NJ, and had one of the greatest seafood buffet feasts in my life - - other than that, I don't know what else is on the DelMarVa peninsula - - anything in southern Delaware? (Winterthur would appeal to us, and we've never been there, but it seems too far to drive, and January wouldn't be the best time to go there, would it?)

On a similar weather-related question, what about Cape Hatteras and/or any other Outer Banks destinations? Bad idea in January? What else is in Northeastern NC?

I hope that my question doesn't seem too naive, open-ended or "unresearched" (confession: it actually IS quite unresearched!)

Thanks in advance for any replies, and...

Best wishes,

Rex

obxgirl

January in this part of the world can be temperate and/or nasty. You might find yourselves with sunny 50 or higher degree days or overcast skies with temps in 30s/40s. Snow and, worse, ice are always a possibility.

Do I understand correctly that you have Friday (sometime) to Sunday night to travel?

My first choice would be the Sanderling Inn Resort and Spa, just north of Duck in the Outer Banks. While the OBX is a year round community, Hatteras is one of the remotest points and your chances of finding weekend lodging are slimmer than at some of the more "northern" beaches. The Sanderling is a lovely place and would be a good weekend respite in both good and bad weather. They often have good package deals in the winter. Distance is probably 1.5 hours from VB.

Do you ski? Massanutten is a very nice resort near Harrionsonburg (not too far from Charlottesville). If you're a first class skier you won't be wowed but it's got some decent slopes. Plenty of other indoor/outdoor resort activities. The Geo. Washington National Forest is immediately nearby. It'll be a bit stark in the winter but you'll still get some gorgeous vistas of the Blue Ridge Mtns and the Shenandoah Valley.

I wouldn't discount DC. A half dozen visits doesn't scratch the surface. Hotels typically have great discounts in January.

Regarding Winterthur: The shortest trip to from VB to Winterthur will be up US13 via the DelMarVa peninsula. Winterthur is open all year. Obviously the gardens won't be worth much to see but the museum and library will be open as usual. It's about 250 miles but takes longer than you'd think to get there...maybe 4.5 hours.

Finally, if this doesn't float your boat, it would be helpful if you could post what you're interested in rather than asking at large what is interesting. Your question isn't naive but it is, as you've noted, a bit open ended.

rex

Thanks for this first reply. And no - - probably not Friday night. Depart Saturday morning (my wife's flight might come in Friday night, but we would not leave the Norfolk area that night). She would likely want to fly home Sunday night - - so it's really just a 36 hour "overnighter". And we COULD stay in the ORF/Hampton Roads/VB area.

Because I realize the limitations that weather could impose, I thought ANYthing that is indoors and interesting is of interest to us...

That said, obviously, some things are likely to appeal to us more than others. No to skiing. We have access to "baby-skiing" 40 miles from our home (okay for an impulsive Saturday "day trip" for example), and a good deal for Aspen lodging when we feel like the real thing.

In general, we like history, "culture" (yes, I know hard to define what that is), shopping - - with a specific interest in art or home decor items with a strong sense of good design or artisitic creativity (that's a broad catch-all that could encompass art glass, Shaker furniture, sculpture, oainting and more), places with "character" (your sanderlinginn.com does look nice though we are not necessarily looking for any place to stay as "splurgy" as this - - I failed to mention that we will just have been in Hawaii, 30 years' anniversary trip Dec 31-Jan 7).

Still, I think we will look into the Outer Banks a bit more.


And I will search "Sanderling" here on this forum and on tripadvisor - - have you, perhaps sampled the $90 seven-course menu? Would it compare favorably to other similarly priced high-end dining in Washington or New York (costing a good deal more, most likely)...

Thanks again...

rex

Well, a search of Sandeling certainly took me to a "dead-on" thread - - http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34664858

I'll top that, and ask for any new input, in conjunction with this thread.

obxgirl

The Outer Banks in January will be a dial-it-back chill out experience. It's way off season. Lots of shops and restaurants close or have very limited hours. I wouldn't recommend it in January for "culture" and shopping.

There are a number of OBX restaurants I'd rank on par with first rate DC eateries but I'm not sure what their kitchens will be serving in January. Anticipate limited days and hours. My personal choices are Carolina Blue, 1587 Restaurant (in Manteo), Ocean Boulevard, and the Blue Point Grille.

If I were you I'd head for the DC area. I like Old Town Alexandria (my former home). Plenty of culture, shopping, multitude of good restaurants, and super easy access to DC. Your wife could fly out of Reagan. Or stay downtown DC. As I said before, weekend hotel rates in January can be bargains. I can't believe you've exhauted all that DC has to offer. Especially if you're interesting in shopping, art and home decor.

Whatever you choose, happy travelling!

Sooosally

Let me give yet one more thumbs up to DC. I lived in Richmond a year, long long ago. I never tired of weekend trips to DC. Also, you didn't mentioned ever visiting Annapolis. That is a neat little town. Of course, it will probably be cold in January. I'd give it a try anyway.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

I'm going to suggest Richmond and also the Petersburg area for Civil War history in particular and a number of other venues, including arts and museums. Fredericksburg a bit further north. Newport News is oft overlooked and well worth a second look if you've not been there for awhile.

If the wife is flying SW and you wish to do DC, she can fly to BWI where getting to DC is not hard at all and inexpensive, and deals can be found between ORF and BWI as well.

rex

No one has a plug for staying here in Hampton Roads, huh? Interesting... There must be something to like, isn't there? (though I do have trouble likng the area, coming through the airport with those two big portaits of you-know-who, and you-know-who)...

I'm sure that that exhausting the DC area is a lifelong endeavor - - we may have been there more like 15 times - - whatever the math, I was hoping for something different.

More to like in Richmond than Hampton Roads?

If it were a different time of year, I think that Chesapeake Bay sailing (not bare boat) might be appealing, but...

rb_travelerxATyahoo

Norfolk/VaBeach area is good too. Often things happening down in the area around Waterside & Nauticus. Visit Nauticus (national Maritime museum) and the battleship next door (BB is free, $ for Nauticus) Scope, the local arena has hockey & varous concerts. There's a Marine Instutute/Aquarium type thing in VaBeach, lighthouses. Crysler museum in Norfolk, and a beautiful old theater, often with live shows (Wells Theater??). Temps can vary SO much it's hard to make weather-related plans - but I've gone to VaBeach in the middle of winter, turned off the heat in the room & left the balcony door open at beach-front hotels just to enjoy the sound of the surf ... so theuraputic. There's an air & space museum over in Hampton with Imax theater, with "lateshows" on weekends.

obxgirl

>>>No one has a plug for staying here in Hampton Roads, huh?<<<<

There's plenty to see in the HR area. You've been to Wmbg but how about Jamestown or Yorktown? The latter has a newly opened riverfront area with shops and restaurants in addition to the galleries and antique shops in Yorktown proper. Have you seen any of James River plantation homes?

Richmond is also a very good suggestion. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is a little gem. It's an easy walk from there to Cary Street which has some fun shopping and restaurants. I'd also recommend Agecroft Hall and Maymont. As noted, there's plenty to see if you're interested in American history. Your wife could fly out of RIC.

rex

Thanks to everyone... with all these very good answers... we're also going to look into whether this (my work schedule) might be shifted for this to occur in March or beyond...

rex

Hmmm... not to demean or think less of the replies - - but I just now noticed that "everyone" is three people (who provided six replies so far).

At first, this seemed like a more quantity/quality of replies (than I got on "another message board") - - but it was two people there...

As with all posts, the quality and quantity of replies depends partly on providing follow-up answers and clarification(s).

No less appreciative here...

obxgirl

rex, WTH are you talking about?

rex

I used th "catch phrase" ... thanks to "everyone" - - because I did not pay attention - - I thought that I had received replies from a half dozen different people.

The multiple replies I received (and I got three from you) are wonderfully valuable. I just didn't realize that they didn't come from three different people. Each of your posts was as valuable as if they had come from a "new" perspective (or respondent) - - partly because I added more information, or clarified what kind of information I was seeking.

It doesn't matter. Take it as if I was simply muttering to myself.

obxgirl

Um, OK. "another message board" is, I'm guessing, a veiled reference to the Late Great Unpleasantness.

Back to travel.

If your trip IS rescheduled for March, the gardens in some of the suggestions above will have come to life. Weather is almost certain to be more temperate and could even be warm. It's still off season in the Outer Banks but a weekend in March won't feel quite as desolate as January can.

I'll step aside now in hopes that the other people who frequently comment about HR/Richmond will step in.

Katie2

I would recommend driving to Richmond which is an hour's drive from Hampton, Va. If you can put off your trip until April, you will see the city at its loveliest. There's plenty to do in Richmond. Our son graduated from UR and the area in which it is located is one of the prettiest. Check out the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Here's another web site for Richmond.
http://www.richmond.com/

girlonthego

Hi Rex, a new responder to your post here.
If you could postpone your trip till April, like the above poster mentioned, Virginia is much more beautiful. The area of Richmond has a home and garden show every April. You get to tour historic homes in and around Richmond. Richmond also has Louis Ginter Botanical Gardens and Maymount Park which will be blossoming in Spring.
If you decide to stay in VA Beach, there is a brand new Hilton which was built last April 05. It is the nicest hotel on the strip. There is a marine science museum near the hotel area. Shopping is mostly t-shirt shops that most likely close in the winter. Norfolk has a waterfront area that has the ships like one of the above poster mentioned. If your wife likes shopping, there is McArthur Mall with some upscale shopping available(I believe Neiman Marcus is in there.)
Spring brings AAA baseball to Richmond -the Braves and Norfolk- the Tides team. They can be fun to watch if you like baseball. There are theaters in VA. Richmond has the Landmark theater which at one time was a Mosque and is now showing broadway shows. I live west of Richmond in the Suburbs and there are a lot of neat places to go around here. Many places that I have yet to see. I do think you will be happier visiting VA in the spring. January's weather tends to be cold, icy and drab. Also, if it does get icy or snowy, nobody goes anywhere till it melts. They close school for an inch of snow.
Anyway, I hope you can find what you are looking for.
Oh, there is a very nice place to stay in the northern neck area of VA called the Tides Inn. You may want to look into relaxing there.

rex

<<a very nice place to stay in the northern neck area of VA called the Tides Inn.>>

Have a city or zip code? Seems like a common name.

Thanks...

Katie2

The Tides Inn is in Irvington, Va.
Here's the link:
http://www.tidesinn.com/index2.html

Birdie

Another poster jumping in. I love traveling in the winter because it is so much less crowded. There is a lot to do in Norfolk/VA Beach and across the tunnel in Newport News.
The aquarium in VA Beach is one of the best I've seen. The IMAX films of the ocean shown there are so peaceful. Nauticus in Norfolk would interest you if you like technology, science, and weather. Or you could go to the Air & Space Museum in Newport News.
Newport News also has the beautiful Mariner's Museum, a must if you like boats. They have a great collection of old wooden boats. The Virginia Living Museum has a new building filled with the flora and fauna of Virginia. If you have heard of the Sonoran Desert museum in Tucson, it is on par with that.
I have not been to the Chrysler Museum but I have heard very good things about it and I believe it has a nice collection of glass.
Check, also, the performance schedule in the area. There should be performances at Chrysler Hall and the opera house in Norfolk and the new Ferguson Center in Newport News.
MacArthur has Nordstroms not NM.