Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook know that my vacation, which I referred to as “hanging out with Dale” here on the blog, actually meant hanging out with Dale while we toured many of the Civil War battlefields of Virginia. Yay. Please note the lack of exclamation point. Heh.
Honestly, though, it was fun and it wasn’t all battlefields all the time. Here’s a recap of our itinerary for the first 4 days:
Saturday:
- Left at 6:30 am and arrived in Philadelphia at 12Noon.
- Visited the Liberty Bell and took an open air bus tour of the city.
- Split a delicious cheese steak (with wiz and onions) and drank Yuengling.
- Spent the night at the Valley Forge Casino Resort.
Sunday
- Toured the Valley Forge National Park.
- Drove south to Richmond.
- Sat in a lot of traffic.
- Stocked up on bourbon at a very scary liquor store in a neighborhood we probably should not have visited.
- Had burgers from Five Guys.
- Soaked in the whirlpool tub in our room.
Monday
- Toured the Petersburg Battlefield. I was bored.
- Found Frank Harlow’s grave at the Poplar Grove National Cemetery. This was sort of the point of the whole trip and it was totally worth it to see Dale bawl when he found it. There’s a long story to this but it’s Dale’s to tell – perhaps I can convince him to write a blog post about the whole thing.
- Drove to the Mariner’s Museum to see a replica of the Monitor only to find it closed.
- Sat in lot of traffic driving to Virginia Beach.
- Walked on the beach and stuck my feet in the ocean.
- Drank Yuengling and ate shrimp at a bar on the boardwalk.
- Soaked in the whirlpool tub in our room.
Tuesday
- Spent the day at Colonial Williamsburg.
- Toured the Governor’s Palace, the kitchens, the gunshop, the gardens, and more.
- Had a delicious lunch at Shield’s Tavern.
- Enjoyed the street performer’s in Revolutionary City.
- Drank bourbon at an outdoor cafe.
- Soaked in the whirlpool tub in our room.
I’ll share the more details of our trip on Wednesday. In the meantime I’ll be returning to work, processing a gazillion photos, and trying to think of a Ten on Tuesday topic.
welcome back! battlefields can be trying. glad you enjoyed Yuengling, bourbon and whirlpool tubs!
I meant to give you a tip on your drive to Richmond – like how
to time your drive to avoid that unbelievable traffic but that week before your trip I had a house full of family and on top of that,
I had that dreaded stomach bug you had earlier. My guess is
Williamsburg and maybe Philly was about your favorite part of
the trip. Curious about the Yarn Lounge.
Sounds like you had some knitting time, drinking time and Dale time. Tipping your toe in the ocean and having a beer denotes a good time! No? Missed you.
I hope you can encourage Dale to share his perspective. I’m glad you had some down time while on the road. I love, love, love Williamsburg and Jamestown. Welcome home!
Welcome back! Looks like a wonderful journey with your honey. Beer, bourbon, battlefields, bath and beach. Sounds like a A list to me!
I visited Gettysburg once. ‘Nuff said! The trip looks like a lot of fun — certainly a lot of variety (well. . . except for the battlefield part). I love Williamsburg. Hope your transition back into “real life” goes smoothly.
Ah, my home Commonwealth! Still have a place on Chincoteague.
Sounds like a great vacation (well, except for all those battlefields …) and I do hope you can get Dale to be a guest-blogger to give us his perspective. Did you have enough cheesesteak to weigh in on the age-old conundrum of where the best is?
There was time for knitting? I loved Colonial Williamsburg and would love to visit again. I believe we stopped at Chancellorsville a few years ago because of a family connection to that battle… um, OK! Check Civil War battlefield off my list. I hope you found SOMETHING entertaining on those stops.
; )
oh all those battlefields would have bored me to tears and the mr. speaks of making a very similar trip frequently. which means there will be a lot of knitting on my end 😉
glad to see you back in your space!
We missed you. Antietam is the only Civil War battlefield I’ve visited–it was actually quite beautiful. Sad to think of the carnage and our endless human stupidity…. What is Dale’s focus when you visit those places–battle strategy, leadership, weaponry…? Just curious. The rest of your activities sound like fun, especially the whirlpool.
Wish I’d known how close to us (Devon, PA) you were. We would have been happy to feed you and ply you with local beer,bourbon, etc.After 7 years here I have yet to have a cheese steak!
Why was the Petersburg Battlefield boring? I have been wanting to visit it because that is where Inman was wounded (Cold Mountain–but I know you know that!) in the neck and all that interesting “stuff” came oozing out. My husband and I have been too Gettysburg twice and Antietam once. Loved them both.
Welcome back. DO this mom a huge favor and tell me the neighborhood my daughter should NOT visit next week in that area…..
thanks
How about ten things to do when you are bored on a vacation?
I’ll give you the low hanging fruit: knit, drink bourbon….
My husband and I lived in Virginia for a number of years – first in Williamsburg while we were in graduate school, then in Richmond where he had his first teaching job. We LOVE Virginia, but haven’t been back to visit since younger son graduated from UVA. It is just beautiful in the spring with all the dogwood in bloom. Glad you enjoyed it!
So glad you had such a nice and educational trip! Of course, the Philly Cheesesteak is what first caught my eye, and it’s lunchtime here, so Yummm.
If you need a topic for 10 on Tuesday, how about …
If you were going to attend Maryland Sheep and Wool, what 10 things would you buy?
Loved the whirlpool ending every day. How about 10 things to do when making someone else’s passion the focal point of a shared vacation (you know, how to creatively compromise)
ps I think we were both in Washington DC on Saturday? It would have been fun to bump into you & Dale.
You, my dear, are a good woman.
Very funny travelogue. But am wondering about the Harlow thing.
Sounds like a good trip! As we drove through western Virginia a month ago, my hubby was salivating at the battlefields listed on the exits. I’m thinking a trip might be in order just to Virginia!
Good for you for getting your cheesesteak with whiz! I really think it’s the only genuine way to get it and everyone looks at me like I have two heads. Trust the girl from Philadelphia!
I’m not sure I could look at that many battlefields. I have the vaguest memories of cross country trips growing up that involved stopping at various signs and monuments. Just not as interesting to <8 year-old me.