Virginia in October

Old Jul 21st, 2015, 05:04 AM
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Virginia in October

Touring Virginia for two weeks in October. Interests are scenic fall drives, coastal areas, historic civil war venues, antebellum homes, hidden gems.
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Old Jul 21st, 2015, 06:51 AM
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Ok.

Have you done a stitch of research? If so, you should have a motherlode that you need help with paring down. Pick a road (not interstate) west of Richmond and you'll have a scenic drive in October (Rt 20, Rt 33, skyline drive). Last check, the British surrendered in the Revolution in Virginia too.
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Old Jul 21st, 2015, 08:13 AM
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I don't see a question, lol, just a statement! My response is, great, enjoy!
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Old Jul 21st, 2015, 08:23 AM
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Don't mind us. Sometimes we get cranky when the poster only means to be breezy!

What we need to know is where you are entering the Commonwealth, where you want to depart from, and how many days you have for the trip.

Also any other quirks/requests/druthers. Budget?

For example, I don't like Inns/B&Bs, do like craft beer but am losing my taste for wine, enjoy driving on twisty back roads, etc. How about you?
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Old Jul 21st, 2015, 09:18 AM
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Who/how many in your party?

Are there any kids - which can limit your lodging options - many &Bs don't take young kids.

Where are you coming form - flying or driving?

How many days do you have?

To get the most useful suggestions you need to provide a little info.
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Old Jul 21st, 2015, 10:36 AM
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There are lots of options in VA. Here's a few to get you started.

Monticello - Charlottesville, VA
Charlottesville, VA - lots to see and do
Mount Vernon - Alexandria, VA
Appomattox Courthouse - Appomattox, VA
New Market Battlefield - New Market, VA
Natural Bridge - near Lexington, VA
Lexington, VA - see the town, VMI, Washington and Lee, Lee Chapel, etc.
Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive - many options for overlooks, hikes, scenic views, etc.
Luray Caverns - Luray, VA
Belle Grove Historic Plantation - Middletown, VA
Route 11 - will parallel I-81 and take you through many small towns along the way
Many breweries and wineries (also cideries) along Route 29 (link to some wineries -- http://www.virginiawine.org/regions/central-virginia)
Carter Mountain Orchard - near Charlottesville, VA
Humpback Rocks and Outdoor Farm Museum - BRP near Waynesboro, VA

And if you search for festivals, you are bound to find plenty of them in the fall all over VA. I haven't even touched all the wonderful places VA has to offer, this list is simply the ones the are fairly close to where I live (Shenandoah Valley between Roanoke and Winchester) that I could think of off the top of my head.
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Old Jul 21st, 2015, 03:37 PM
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Thanks for everyone's responses. We're flying into Charlottesville and renting a car for a 14 day tour of VA. We don't normally use B&B's either. Any hotel information in Richmond area and Virginia Beach area? Just two of us. We do like wineries and civil war locations. Thanks Virginia1990 for list to get us started. We do plan to visit Roanoke area and drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains, hoping to see some fall color. Always interested in any information you can give us.
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Old Jul 21st, 2015, 04:34 PM
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Well, based on that I can give you some itinerary tips for the western part of VA. I don't know much about Richmond because I don't go there often, and I'm not familiar with much of VA Beach. But I would spend a week in the western part of VA and then another week between Richmond and the beach.

For the western part, here's what I would recommend:

Day 1 - arrival and spend it in downtown Charlottesville.
Day 2 - Check out Monticello in the morning, then drive Route 29 and stop along the way at different wineries, breweries, cideries. Maybe check out Carter Mountain Orchard. I'd get to Appomattox this day and overnight there.
Day 3 - Appomattox Courthouse in the morning, then head to Lexington across Route 60. It's a windy road, but I love it and think it's beautiful. It will bring you out in the town of Buena Vista. Head south on I-81 for a bit til you get to Natural Bridge. I'd go see Natural Bridge and do the short hike. Then you can head back to Lexington and overnight there.
Day 4 - Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, and maybe stop and hike Humpback Rocks along the way. If you wanted to overnight in Staunton, it has a nice downtown area and for a nice hotel I would recommend the Stonewall Jackson. If not, I would recommend continuing north on the Skyline Drive and maybe trying to stay in the national park at Big Meadows Lodge (if they have openings in October). I think this would be the best option.
Day 5 - Keep heading north on Skyline Drive, then west on 211 to Luray and do Luray Caverns, then continue west on 211 over the mountain to New Market and check out the battlefield. From there, I would continue north on either Route 11 or I-81 to Middletown. You can actually stay at the Belle Grove Plantation, or you can stay at a nearby hotel if Belle Grove is out of your budget.
Day 6 - See Belle Grove Plantation, then head over to Mount Vernon and see it in the afternoon, with an overnight nearby. From here, you can get on I-95 the next day to head south to Richmond to continue the rest of your vacation.

Now, if you don't want to move around much, all the places I've mentioned except Belle Grove and Mount Vernon are within an hour and a half of Charlottesville. So, you could make Charlottesville your base for a few days and just do day trips to these places. Personally, I would rather move around because an hour and a half day trip really means 3 hours in the car, and I'd rather just pack up and take my stuff with me, but again it's just personal preference. As for fall color, last year the peak time was around mid to late October if I remember correctly.

Once you get past Richmond, some other historic options are Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. Some people love these places, others just find them very touristy and would rather skip them. If you've never been I think they might be interesting and fun. But they are options to look into.
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Old Jul 21st, 2015, 05:27 PM
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Day 6 - See Belle Grove Plantation, then head over to Mount Vernon and see it in the afternoon, with an overnight nearby.

This is an absurd suggestion.
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Old Jul 21st, 2015, 07:22 PM
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Mount Vernon? The one nowhere near Richmond or Charlottesville? I think the poster must be confusing one historic home for another.
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Old Jul 21st, 2015, 07:51 PM
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I've never been to Mount Vernon, but have plenty of friends that have. I do, however, know that it is in Alexandria. Which is not near Charlottesville or Richmond, and why I mentioned that it was not do-able for a day trip from Charlottesville. Also why I said to overnight there and then get on 95 to go to Richmond the following day. I also said Belle Grove Plantation is not recommended for a day trip from Charlottesville because it is up near Winchester. If the OP wants to research these places and then decide to cut out this northern part of VA, then so be it. I simply made a suggestion based on my own opinions. I was trying to include the parts of VA that most people like to visit when they come here.

I go by Mapquest for driving distances because I have found that to be the most reliable anytime I have taken a trip. Mapquest has the time between Belle Grove and Mt. Vernon right at 1.5 hours. Where I come from that's not a huge chunk of time to drive somewhere; we work in Lexington which is a 45 minute drive one way from where I live near Goshen.

Now, the things I do not know about because I am not from the area and don't like to visit the area is how traffic will be near Mt. Vernon and on 95 between Alexandria and Richmond. I also don't know how long it takes to visit Mt. Vernon, but I don't see Belle Grove Plantation taking an entire day. I suggested an itinerary based on what I would recommend and do myself, not knowing the OP's exact wishes on how much to travel in one day, how early they like to get started, etc. I'm sorry if other posters don't agree with what I have to say. If you think it is absurd please feel free to recommend a better option because I'm sure the OP would like some advice if I have written something that is wrong.
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Old Jul 22nd, 2015, 06:16 AM
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Virginia1990 has a lot of good suggestions, mostly focused in one part of the state.

If you have two weeks on the ground, starting in Charlottesville, I would suggest that you make a loop around the state. It could end back in Charlottesville or at Washington National or Washington Dulles.

I too would suggest that you begin in Charlottesville, enjoying the town and university, perhaps the university museum if there is something interesting on.

Monticello and Ash Lawn, the homes of Jefferson and Monroe, are nearly adjacent and very different. Both men were Francophiles, and Monroe's daughter went to school with the daughter of Josephine de Beauharnais, later Napoleon's first empress. The girls/women were friends for life, and this tiny house on the edge of the wilderness is full of French clocks and has DuFour wallpaper in the dining room.

I would then follow Virginia1990's itinerary as far as Staunton and Lexington, home of both Washington and Lee University and Virginia Military Institute. Lee is buried at the former, all sorts of Great Men went to the latter, and seeing it is important to understanding the Battle of New Market.

South then along the mountains to Roanoke, with a good railroad museum, and then northeast to Appomattox Court House, where Lee surrendered. If you want to see Jefferson's holiday getaway, Poplar Forest is being restored on the outskirts of Lynchburg, more or less on your way.

From driving to Richmond from Appomattox, you can visit Hampden-Sydney College near Farmville. It is the one of the oldest colleges in the United States and the last surviving college for men only. The campus is beautiful, really from another age, and worth a stop.

In Richmond, you should visit the (laudably free) Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and its near-neighbor Virginia Historical Society Museum, also free. The Valentine Museum, hidden away behind the Medical College of Virginia, is a museum of Richmond history in a pair of 1810 houses. One of them was built by a wealthier contemporary of Jefferson and shows how rich people, as opposed to a chronically broke farmer, lived at the time. Nearby is the home of John Marshall, the greatest Supreme Court justice, but at the Valentine is a branch of Sally Bell's Kitchen, a Richmond institution, serving box lunches (sandwich, deviled egg, potato salad, cupcake) which you can enjoy in the garden.

Richmond is an incredible food town, but that is another post or two. Friends have happily stayed at the new Residence Inn in Shockoe Slip. It is within walking distance of a lot of places to eat but not the best ones.

Another must see in Richmond is Hollywood Cemetery, where everyone from Jefferson Davis to a loyal Labrador retriever, is buried. It is Richmond's Pere Lachaise or Highgate, but it us very confusing. Take a tour or hire a guide. Finally, other than exploring the occasionally bohemian streets of Cary Town the Fan, and the area around Virginia Commonwealth University (avant-garde galleries) , I would recommend the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Next to Longwood, in Wilmington, DE, it was voted the best garden in the United States in 2014.

From Richmond, visit the James River plantations on your way to Williamsburg. I would spend a couple of days there to see the reconstruction and Jamestown, where the museum is better than either of the two reconstructions/excavations. Likewise, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller folk art museum is my favorite part of Williamsburg, though it is all good except for some misguided role playing at the architecturally important Peyton Randolph house.

There is all kinds of good stuff in Yorktown and Norfolk, but I haven't been there except to pass through. Fun fact: the connector from Williamsburg joins I-64 at a restricted junction. On the other side of I-64 are the Naval Weapons Center and Camp Peary, military facilities that enclose "The Farm", the CIA training center. Don't try to sneak in!

Between Norfolk-Hampton Roads and the sprawl known as NOVA (Northern Virgina) are the Necks, long, rural peninsulas between rivers that eventually join Chesapeake Bay. This gorgeous, unassuming country with lots of antiques, great seafood, quiet estuaries, historic churches. Irvington, Urbanna, and Reedville are all places we have enjoyed, but there are many others. This is serious oyster country, and you may have time for a trip to Tangier or one of the other Chesapeake islands.

Beyond NOVA, a visit to Harpers Ferry (just over the line in West Virginia) is interesting, and you can enjoy Virginia's horse country -- Leesburg, Middleburg, really all the way to Charlottesville -- before it becomes even more suburbanized. There are Interesting towns where extremely posh shops sit cheek-by-jowl with classic small-town staples.

West of the Blue Ridge, of course, is the Shenandoah Valley or Valley of Virginia, where territory constantly changed hands as Lee attempted to outflank Washington. Stop to see the site of the Battle of New Market, where teenage cadets from Virginia Military Institute, using outdated Napoleonic tactics, broke the Northern advance through sheer moral power. The short version is that they marched into the face of the Northern guns until decent men could no longer bear to shoot.

So that's my loop!
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Old Jul 22nd, 2015, 07:55 AM
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Now, the things I do not know about because I am not from the area and don't like to visit the area is how traffic will be near Mt. Vernon and on 95 between Alexandria and Richmond.

Your lack of understanding here is abundant and if you had any real experience traversing the DC metro area and Interstate 95, you would not have recommended this itinerary.

People who ask for advice on internet forums certainly understand that they are getting opinions which can widely vary. And while there is no rule here requiring people to have actually visited the places they are recommending (and not recommending), it might be more useful if you mention upfront the places you have no working knowledge about and/or don't like.

Ackislander's advice is excellent.
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Old Jul 22nd, 2015, 07:56 AM
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In Virginia Beach, the Hilton is a very nice hotel located in the prime area of the strip, 33rd St. There is a brand new Hilton Garden inn, (my husband stayed there and said it was very nice). Also, the two Courtyard Marriotts are nice, with the Northern one being a little nicer. There are two Hampton Inns and a Spring Hill suites that are pretty nice as well. Our favorite restaurant is Il Giardano located around 10th and Atlantic. In my opinion, it has great Italian food. Aldo's on Laskin is also good, but Il Giardanos is the favorite.
Mahi Mahs on the Oceanfront boardwalk is a good location with some good fish dishes.

In Richmond, if you are looking to stay downtown, the Jefferson is a landmark hotel 5stars. I have never stayed there, but have dined in their french restaurant, Le Mer which is very nice. There is also a nice Omni, a Marriott and a new Hilton Garden Inn. I think the HGI is only a couple of years old at the most. Lots of restaurants to choose from and if you have food ethnic preferences, ask! I hope Janetmkr chimes in. She knows all the Richmond restaurants really well, much better than me!
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Old Jul 22nd, 2015, 12:14 PM
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October is beautiful in Virginia, my late husband was from there, in the Shenandoah Valley. While you are in Charlottesville also visit the grounds of UVA (University of Virginia), founded by Jefferson, the Rotunda is particularly outstanding.
We always enjoyed driving up to Bath County, VA although it is better in the spring, with the newborn lambs, but it does not sound like it fits in with your interests.
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Old Jul 23rd, 2015, 05:26 AM
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In Richmond, if you are looking to stay downtown, the Jefferson is a landmark hotel 5stars. I have never stayed there, but have dined in their french restaurant, Le Mer which is very nice. There is also a nice Omni, a Marriott and a new Hilton Garden Inn. I think the HGI is only a couple of years old at the most. Lots of restaurants to choose from and if you have food ethnic preferences, ask! I hope Janetmkr chimes in. She knows all the Richmond restaurants really well, much better than me!
__
I am more than happy to help with Richmond restaurants.

If possible, I recommend staying at The Jefferson. If that isn't what you are looking at, at least stop by and see it and have bar snacks or afternoon tea.
http://www.jeffersonhotel.com/
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Old Jul 23rd, 2015, 01:28 PM
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Great suggestions! Even the brutal commentary on poor Virginia 1990 who is just trying to be helpful to tourists willing to spend hard earned money in Virginia. We do love horse country. We spent two weeks in Kentucky a few years ago and just loved every day out on country roads. We didn't know Virginia had horse country so may include that area. I have heard of an Air/Space Annex at Dulles. Wondered about the road from there to a possible day at Gettysburg? Leesburg looks close... Unfortunately, the 5-Star hotels are outside our budget. We do like to sometimes base in an area that is budget-wise and do day trips for a 2-3 days to the touristy areas for shopping. We liked the hint on Chesapeake oysters. We think of Maryland for that, but sounds like we could find quaint towns on the peninsula's around Williamsburg - very consistent with what we like to do when we stake out a state for our fall vacation. Will avoid "the Farm", but think it's cool Quantico and CIA is in Virginia.
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Old Jul 24th, 2015, 04:57 AM
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The Jefferson is a must-see building but would be too pricy for me, though not for my daughter and her husband.

However, my wife and I go to the bar almost every Sunday night in the winter for a delicious cocktail and some Sunday supper, either from the bar menu or from the Lemaire restaurant menu. They also have incredible champagne brunches on Sunday,

Good value in the loveliest of locations.

Another place I would recommend for out-of-town visitors is Edo's Squid, up a scary staircase near VCU but incredibly good seafood and vegetables with an Italian accent, served as it is finished as in a Chinese restaurant (or the old Legal Seafood in Boston). You will have to have reservation for dinner but not at lunch. Trust me on this. The entrance is unprepossessing but the food is fabulous.
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Old Jul 24th, 2015, 06:36 AM
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Great post Ackislander....I agree on all counts.
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Old Jul 25th, 2015, 06:30 PM
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Thanks for all the responses. We're very excited about our trip and will definitely consider all of these suggestions.
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