Meet Virginia

Our last visit to Virginia was almost two decades ago, but the beauty of this state made a lasting impression on me. I’m happy to report that it’s just as beautiful as I remember! Virginia has so much to offer and we soaked up as much as we could during our stay. Our first stop was Crozet, VA, which put us close to both Shenandoah National Park and Monticello.

Visiting Shenandoah National Park directly after visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park was a bit of a shock to be honest. Shenandoah is way smaller, with one main drive that runs North to South. To be fair, we were staying at the southern end and so we entered at the southernmost park entrance, which is not the main entrance. But even so, the gate was unmanned and the visitor station we visited in the park was still closed despite a sign that said it would be opening in April. It felt a little deserted, but we still found a couple of good hikes and really enjoyed the beautiful views along Skyline Drive.

For our next outing, we drove over to nearby Charlottesville to visit Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. We were all interested in taking a peek at the home of the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence, negotiated the Louisiana Purchase, and launched the Lewis and Clark expedition.

I thought I dressed us appropriately for the beautiful weather that day, but it turns out that the weather can be colder and windier up on the mountain. And it was, which is why the girls are using their face coverings as arm coverings! #momfail

The highlight for all of us was having the opportunity to meet Thomas Jefferson and hear him speak about life and politics during his time. What struck me about Jefferson (and George Washington), is how much time they spent away from their beloved homes in service of their country. If you are ever in the area, we definitely recommend a stop at Monticello. We learned a lot about architecture and how houses of that time functioned. The museum and cafe were great too!

We ended the day by taking a picnic to a nearby winery, King Family Vineyards. It was so beautiful and I wished we could have enjoyed a full evening there but unfortunately the cold wind had made it down into the valley and it was freezing! I don’t think we lasted 15 minutes!

After leaving Crozet, we headed East and made a weekend stop in Richmond so we could spend a day in Colonial Williamsburg. It’s such a unique area, rich in early American history, and I was hoping my kids would form fond memories similar to my own.

Costumed interpreters are located throughout the town and they are more than happy to answer questions and talk about their role in the community. There are special exhibitors as well, who give repeating talks about their craft. Our personal favorite was the weaver – she was informative and funny and engaging.

In addition to the weaver, we met the blacksmith, the tin smith, the shoemaker, the carpenter and the brick mason. We toured the Governor’s Palace, the George Wythe house, and the second capital of Virginia. Not to mention many beautiful gardens and even a hedge maze!

Later in the afternoon, we were greeted by a man on horseback. He was friendly and allowed us to pet his horse. We talked for a few minutes before one of us thought to ask him his name. To think, we had been standing around talking about horses with General George Washington!

The kids enjoyed seeing the other animals around town, sheep and lambs. But we also encountered a fellow visitor walking her pet pig! She was kind enough to let us pet her little princess.

The day we visited Colonial Williamsburg also happened to be our 17th wedding anniversary! We made reservations at the King’s Arms Tavern in town to celebrate the occasion. The tavern is true to the time period, with no electricity, costumed servers, and special historic menu items. The girls were especially thrilled to eat by candlelight – so fancy!

It was such a special way to wrap up our day at Colonial Williamsburg and celebrate our anniversary at the same time. There is so much to see and do at C.W. that I can definitely see us coming again for another visit. I think it would be awesome to visit once coronavirus restrictions are truly over and all of the activities are available. The brick mason was telling us about how the kids can normally help make bricks which sounded like a really unique experience and we were unable to get a classic picture of the kids in the stocks. Plus, I was really looking forward to the fife and drum circle, which was not being offered either. Next time!