I'll have the opportunity to drive from DC into VA for 2-3 days in early April and would love some suggestions as to where to go and what to see; beautiful drives, antique stores, local restaurants, etc. Thanks so much.
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What to see in VA in only 2-3 days??
- Thread starter Sterling
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I'll have the opportunity to drive from DC into VA for 2-3 days in early April and would love some suggestions as to where to go and what to see; beautiful drives, antique stores, local restaurants, etc. Thanks so much.
J
JoeMid
Mt Vernon if you didn't see it when in DC.
Monticello, Thomas Jefferson was amazing.
Monticello, Thomas Jefferson was amazing.
A trip the other way could be fun too. Both Baltimore's Inner Harbor and Annapolis are good trips within an hour.
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Shenandoah National Park with its "Skyline Drive". The Blue Ridge Parkway.
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williamsburg is within reach, as well. Also civil war battlefields
It really depends on your interests--some wuld stay in Fredericksburg area for 1 day and manassas the other and tour battlefields, other would drive Skyline pkwy (lovely), other would go to CHarlottesville to Monticello. Some would stay in DC metro area and do day tours to Mt. Vernon, etc.
For history--I recommend williamsburg or monticello---both about 2-3 hours away. For nature, Skyline (also don't forget the famous Lurray Carverns--if you are into that sort of thing). For shorter trips, Mt. Vernon and walking aournd Old town Alexandria.
Personally, I think the best mix would be this alernative---day trip to MT. Vernon and then old town alex in later afternoon to walk around and eat dinner there. Next day, drive out Rt 50 to Annapolis (historic buildings, cute town, NAval School) for the day (make sure it is a nice day-not fun in the rain), do a self-guided walking tour and have a great seafood dinner---Annapolis is a lovely, quaint town only 1 hr from DC and those would be 2 GREAT days without a ton of driving.
It really depends on your interests--some wuld stay in Fredericksburg area for 1 day and manassas the other and tour battlefields, other would drive Skyline pkwy (lovely), other would go to CHarlottesville to Monticello. Some would stay in DC metro area and do day tours to Mt. Vernon, etc.
For history--I recommend williamsburg or monticello---both about 2-3 hours away. For nature, Skyline (also don't forget the famous Lurray Carverns--if you are into that sort of thing). For shorter trips, Mt. Vernon and walking aournd Old town Alexandria.
Personally, I think the best mix would be this alernative---day trip to MT. Vernon and then old town alex in later afternoon to walk around and eat dinner there. Next day, drive out Rt 50 to Annapolis (historic buildings, cute town, NAval School) for the day (make sure it is a nice day-not fun in the rain), do a self-guided walking tour and have a great seafood dinner---Annapolis is a lovely, quaint town only 1 hr from DC and those would be 2 GREAT days without a ton of driving.
I guess I'm kind of partial to Annapolis and Charlottesville since my children have attended schools in these cities. Annapolis is a wonderful, small city, with a lot of early American history, a great city-dock area, small shops and some good places to eat, and then there's the Naval Academy, which really is a great place to visit, especially if you visit when there's a parade march of the Brigade of Midshipmen. (If you saw the movie Annapolis, you wouldn't see the beautiful Naval Academy campus or Yard since the film wasn't filmed at the Academy.) The Naval Academy Chapel is truly a majestic and unusual place of worship and the new Uriah Levy Chapel, I'm told, is amazing. In fact, Commodore Levy, connected to Annapolis and Charlottesville, was an amazing historical figure too! C'ville has Mr. Jefferson's school, the University of Virginia, another great campus or "grounds," some very good places to eat nearby, and nearby Monticello. If you drive from the DC area to Charlottesville, there are various ways to get there; when traffic is light on I-95 South, generally between 10am-2pm, you can drive down to F'burg to its quaint old town, have lunch at Sammy T's or Merryman's, then head on Route 3 West (stopping briefly at the Chancellorville's Batttlefield site to observe the grounds where some truly incredible military tactics were carried out by Generals Lee and Jackson), and take Route 20 South thru some nice Virginia countryside to C'ville and Monticello. BTW, you can take the Skyline Drive out of C'ville.
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Virginia is not a small place so with just a few days you have to miss something. From DC, Williamsburg is a long 3 hours and I would just avoid US 95 just because you can. Take the back roads and enjoy the country side. This is the time of year to do it. Charlottesville is a great spot with many things to see and just a pretty area. The heart if VA wine country as well as the edge of the Blue Ridge.
Annapolis is in Maryland but its still a fun place too. Drive downtown and park the car for the day and just walk. From there take Hwy 301 and come across the Potomac then along the Rappahanock on Hwy 17 to Yorktown. from there you have Jamestown and Wiliamsburg. It's a pretty drive. Then 2 1/2 hours on US 64 to Charlottesville with maybe a side trip to Richmond.
Early / Mid April affords some great Spring color and I do think VA has the lock on good spring color. In southern VA we have leaves on the trees by mid April and the weather is about as comfortable as it gets. The swimming is poor but it is low humidity.
I can't say I'm a huge battlefield person, but this is the time of year to do them. Outdoor activities would be the things to look for.
Annapolis is in Maryland but its still a fun place too. Drive downtown and park the car for the day and just walk. From there take Hwy 301 and come across the Potomac then along the Rappahanock on Hwy 17 to Yorktown. from there you have Jamestown and Wiliamsburg. It's a pretty drive. Then 2 1/2 hours on US 64 to Charlottesville with maybe a side trip to Richmond.
Early / Mid April affords some great Spring color and I do think VA has the lock on good spring color. In southern VA we have leaves on the trees by mid April and the weather is about as comfortable as it gets. The swimming is poor but it is low humidity.
I can't say I'm a huge battlefield person, but this is the time of year to do them. Outdoor activities would be the things to look for.