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My family and dear California friend, Grammy Pam loved visiting the Frontier Culture Museum and Virginia Wildlife Center in Staunton, VA.   It was one of those glorious Virginia Fall days.

The Frontier Culture Museum showcases English, Irish and German Old World farms and then farmsteads in the US from 1820 and 1850 with guides in period dress who are cooking, farming and answering questions. They also rent golf carts and red wagons that can make it easier to get around.  My monkeys had a great time and especially enjoyed the animals. My husband, the closet farmer, really enjoyed it.  I am going to end up on a farm.

The Wildlife Center of Virginia in Waynesboro was having one of three open houses all year and it was yesterday while we were over in the Shenandoah Valley anyway. The Wildlife Center is a non-profit group that treats wildlife that needs help. They get tons of baby squirrels, baby rabbits, birds of prey and the occasional bear, bobcat and deer. What a great place and great group of people that are really helping. We took a 90 minute tour and saw numerous birds of prey that they use for elementary school programs. No bear or bobcats were in residence.

I was almost talked into driving 2 hours out of our way to return an opossum to the wild near Lexington, VA.   I think over the next month, I’ll be taking them my 72G former saltwater fish tank for their use as it is a great dust collector in my basement.  I am going to check in with them when I am in the area to see if they need help with future releases, the kids were dying to release the possum.

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We had one of those amazing, cool summer days here in Virginia.  It was Saturday and I needed to get the kids out of the house, so my husband could work.  I looked for outings that were 60 miles and even 90 miles away, but finally realized that it would be easier to stay in Charlottesville.  So, the kids and I decided to be hometown tourists for the day.

On Route 53, only a few miles off of Interstate 64, you can visit half a dozen great places. We choose three, with Historic Michie Tavern being first on our list.  Michie Tavern opened in 1784 to accommodated travelers with food and lodging.  We began our tour with the General Store.  The store has a working water wheel on its exterior that the kids love and inside you are welcomed by old fashion candy, a barrel of soft drinks, games, and gifts galore for the adults. We bought candy sticks and cold soft drinks. We then walked up and around to The Clothier Shop.  Another family with younger children was taking pictures of their little ones dressed up in period clothes borrowed from The Clothier.  My two weren’t up for that, but we did have a nice time looking at the assortment of old fashion dresses, hats and swords for sale.

Our next stop was just around the bend, Carter Mountain Orchard. The views from the orchard, which sits atop the ridge of a mountain, are truly amazing.  From their viewing decks, you can see the flat landscape extending endlessly to the east and the mountains rising from the Piedmont to the west. It’s peach season now and you can pick peaches from their trees or purchase freshly picked peaches from their country store. We skipped the healthy fruit and indulged in more sweets, peach ice cream, homemade peach donuts and peach slushies.  We took our treats out on to the deck and looked out over the mountains while we ate.

We made one last stop at Jefferson Vineyards. Even though I live only a few miles away, I had never driven in and looked at the beautiful vineyard, the welcoming gardens or the tasting room.  I didn’t want to drink wine with the kids in tow, but I thought since we were being “tourists” for the day, we should stop by and experience the vineyard.  I’m so glad we did.

All in all, being a tourist in my hometown was great.  It can be easy to forget the treasures that are right around me, especially those that are the closest.

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Restaurants in Charlottesville, VA!

I was looking through a magazine, which I admit was Martha Stewart Living, because I think she is great.  I saw an article on Plimoth (Plymouth) Plantation in Massachusetts.  The article reminded me that I had once been at the gate of this destination, but had not gone in.  I really wanted to, but the group I was traveling with felt it was too expensive and we drove on.  Looking at the photos on the magazine’s pages and then learning more online, I wish I would have spoken up.

I had a similar experience in Europe when I was 19 and backpacking from Scotland down to Greece.  In Scotland, we were at an amazing castle.  I remember it looming above us and that we didn’t go in because it seemed too expensive.  We didn’t have a lot of money, so there I stood at the gate and once again I turned around and left.

Now I realize that I might not make it back to Scotland and that I should have pushed my traveling companions to go inside.  We could have skipped our trip to a pub that night or anything that could have made paying the fee to go inside possible.

I know that I can’t always afford to do and see all the things I would like to, but the next time I find myself far from home, in a place that I won’t likely be coming back to, I will definitely go inside.

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On my way home from Washington DC to Charlottesville, VA, I pulled off the road to stop at the historic Chancellorsville Battelfield. I had passed the battlefield signs numerous times, but this time I decided I had to stop to see what it was all about.  I am so glad that I did.

The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War. Chancellorsville was not a town, but an intersection where the Chancellor family lived near Fredericksburg, Virginia. The battle, which was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, involved more men, and resulted in more casualties, than any other engagement ever fought on Virginia soil. All in all, more than 17,500 people died in the battle.

Driving around, I see historical marks everywhere. Now that I took the time to pause in the middle of my day, to learn a bit about the history that has shaped Virginia, I am going to stop at historical markers more often.

It’s great that the 4th of July is on a Saturday this year.  We can all stay up late celebrating with friends and watching fireworks.  Last year, we spent the day in the historic small town of Scottsville, VA.   We watched the home town parade and waved as my daughter and her grandfather rode a very special tandem bike down Main Street.

July 4th is the celebration of that day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress.  The declaration recounted the grievances of the 13 colonies against the British crown and declared the colonies to be free and independent states. The Declaration of Independence, which can be viewed at the National Archives, laid down the foundation for the U.S. Constitution.   Look at all the events I found celebrating the 4th of July.

Baltimore’s Fourth of July Celebration, Baltimore, MD

July 4th Celebration Concert/Fireworks, Westminster, MD

4th of July Celebration,  Benson, NC

Village of Pinehurst 4th of July Celebration, Pinehurst, NC

Skippack Village 4th of July Celebration at Skippack Village, Skippack, PA

July Jubilee at Wintergreen Resort, Wintergreen, VA

Fourth of July Weekend Activities at Smith Mountain Lake, Huddleston, VA

4th of July Celebration at Lakeside Park, Chesapeake, VA

Old Time 4th of July Celebration, Sterling, VA

In America, we celebrate Memorial Day on the final Monday in  May.  This year it falls on May 25th.  Originally called Decoration Day, it is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.  Here are a few ways we have found to honor these brave men and women.

Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA

Memorial Day Celebration, Washington D.C.

Memorial Day Weekend at Peaks of Otter Winery, Bedford, VA

3rd Annual Memorial Day Cookout, Corolla, NC

Page County Memorial Day Ceremony, Luray, VA

Last week while driving to the Florida Keys to take a needed vacation (thank you for covering for me Elizabeth!), we took several detours off I95.  We ended up spending half a day in St. Mary’s, a morning in St. Augustine, and an afternoon on Jekyll Island.

On the way down we stopped in St. Mary’s, Georgia.  It was just as charming and peaceful as I had imagined when we had gone speeding by on past trips.  The town is full of shops and restaurants, the nicest waterfront park and even a Submarine Museum.  I actually got my husband to relax and sit on a porch swing with me at their park.   It was a great break for the kids to play on the playground, eat a real lunch and have an entertaining conversation with a semi-intoxicated, but very funny man on a fishing boat.  We also enjoyed Lang’s Seafood’s great waterfront setting, with Georgia pinks (shrimp) literally right off the boat.  I would also like to go back and spend time at the Cumberland Island National Seashore, it looked beautiful.

On the way home we ended up getting off I95 and driving the A1A from Flagler Beach to St. Augustine, Florida.  The drive was beautiful, even my headset wearing and iPod loving children were staring out the windows and convinced us to stop at the beach near Marineland.  As a side note, unless you arrange in advance to do one of the dolphin encounter programs at Marineland, there’s not much to see other than other people swimming with the dolphins.  We ended up stopping in St. Augustine, the oldest city in America.  This was our second trip there and I love it.  The Spanish influence is so strong at times you feel like you’re in a little town in Spain.  We toured the fort and ate at a great Italian restaurant downtown that because I am getting old, I can’t remember the name of and can’t recognize online.  If you have never seen alligators up close, the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is also a must.  It was amazing to see all of the wild birds roosting there, knowing their chicks are safe from raccoons, etc. with the gators below.  Heaven forbid if a chick fell out of their nest!

We then drove a few hours north and stopped for an early and unfortunately very quick dinner on Jekyll Island. It was beautiful.  After dinner we walked out on a huge sandbar to look for sand dollars.  The sign in the visitor’s center says “that once your feet have touch the sand, you will always want to come back”.  I certainly can’t wait to go back and spend more time there.

Even my “gotta get there now” husband agreed that stopping along the way, eating real meals and seeing the sites was a much better way to go.  He even let me drive some.

On our way from Virginia to Pennsylvania for a long weekend, we stopped in the middle of our drive at Winterthur, a historic country estate and museum. Winterthur is just outside of Wilmington, Delaware and is only about 6 miles off of Interstate 95.

Now, I was traveling with my two children and my mom, so our main interest for the day was the Enchanted Woods, an amazing fairytale garden on the grounds of the estate.  To make it easy on everyone, we road the trolley half way around the estate and learned about the history of the grounds.  We asked the driver and he happily dropped us off at the Enchanted Woods. Of course, walking there would have been great, but this was only a short stop and we couldn’t spend the day touring the whole garden or museum.

The Enchanted Woods is a fantastic children’s garden. It is a three-acre wonderland with an adult size fairy house, a stone maze and the biggest bird’s nest I have ever seen. The children ran around and played, my mom sat and enjoyed the beauty of the grounds, and I did a bit of both.

After getting to know each facet of the Enchanted Woods, we walked downhill through a formal garden, towards the estate house and through part of the museum on our way back to our car. Taking the trolley in the beginning of our visit made a big difference. Everyone had exercise, but no one was tired and grumpy.

If you find yourself on Interstate 95 traveling through Delaware, take a detour and enjoy Winterthur. You’ll be glad you did.

We went as a family this weekend to an amazing annual event at The Jamestown Settlement, “Military Through the Ages”.  I would have never known about if my fabulous sister had not found it in her local paper.  Unfortunately, so many of these great programs at historic sites are not well publicized.  Our mission at A Day’s Outing is to give you one place to find great events and destinations, just like this one.  I will make sure we have this event for next year.  And, while I hate to read about great events after the fact, I have to tell you about this one.

Re-enactors from the Viking period, the Third Crusade, Hundred Years War, French and Indian War, American Revolution, War of 1812 and American Civil War.  Re-enactors representing World Wars I and II, and Korean and Vietnam wars also took visitors through the 20th century.  Until yesterday, the only re-enactment groups I knew of were from the Civil War time period.  These groups depicted soldiers throughout history and joined forces with modern-day veterans to demonstrate camp life, tactics, medical treatment and weaponry.  My kids loved it!  The re-enactors were great with kids, allowing them to try on armor pieces, gas masks, Kevlar jackets…you name it.  They were allowed to sit in vehicles, lie down on a prisoner’s bed, practice sword fighting, march with soldiers, etc.

I think another lesson I learned from this day was that no matter how many times you have visited some of these fabulous destinations, their special events are worth going back to attend over and over again.  My kids learned so much yesterday…and so did their parents.

The next event at the Jamestown Settlement is Jamestown Day on May 16th.  There will be maritime demonstrations, military drills, archaeology and programs on English and Powhatan contact and exploration.  There is also a great ongoing exhibit right now, “Jamestown and Bermuda“.  Historic Jamestowne next door should also not be missed, you may even see archeologists excavating at the actual fort.

On a road trip to Asheville, NC we stopped by the town of Abingdon. While I knew it was home base for the Virginia Creeper Trail, an amazing biking trail, I had no idea what a great weekend destination Abingdon itself would make.

There are cute inns to stay in and brick lined sidewalks through a neighborhood full of beautiful old 18th and 19th century homes. There were many places for us to pick from to eat lunch and we found Pop Ellis’ Soda Shop. You know it has to be good, much to everyone’s surprise, Obama stopped in while on the campaign trail and had a vanilla milkshake. It’s full of many historic photos of Abingdon and townies having a bite.

Not to be missed is the Barter Theatre, Virginia’s official state theatre, and of course, a bike ride along the Virginia Creeper Trail.