Very much in need of getting away for a few days, Nicole and I drove to Virginia and had a wonderful vacation visiting several historic sights, one water park, and one amusement park.
I have to admit that I hardly feel qualified to attempt to reproduce this histories of the locations and people we learned about during our trip, so I'm not going to try. Understand, though, that we took a week to explore the region and easily could have spent much more time soaking everything in. Though I certainly became no expert in Revolutionary history in this short amount of time, I do feel that I gained a terrific perspective on the era that I'm sure I never had previously. Though it will likely prove to be just a passing phase, I currently feel inspired and compelled to read about and watch anything related to the subject (the day after we returned home, for example, we watched Ken Burns' three-hour PBS movie about Thomas Jefferson).
Our first stop was in Alexandria, Virginia, where we visited Mount Vernon, George Washington's home (PHOTOS HERE). The line for the tour of the home grew very quickly, and we were happy we'd decided to get there in time for the grounds to open. Our time waiting in line for the tour inside was mercifully short; by the time we were done, the line had grown to two or three times the size of the one we were in.
Unfortunately, nobody is allowed to take photos inside the building.
The most amazing sight of the entire trip, to me, was the view from the rear of the house (essentially Washington's back yard). The Potomac stretches out forever, and the view is spectacular (though this photo does it absolutely no justice). The grounds are gorgeous, and we had a warm, sunny day to explore them. Washington found sanctuary here, and it's easy to see why. That he would leave the life he had here to become our first President, which he didn't really want to do in the first place, is a testament to his character. Given the choice, I can't say I wouldn't have just stayed at Mount Vernon and enjoyed life such as it was at the time.
The next day, we drove to Charlottesville and visited Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home (PHOTOS HERE). Our tour guide was an author named Rick Britton, who's written a book about Jefferson ("Jefferson: A Monticello Sampler") and clearly knew the history of Jefferson and Monticello in incredible depth and with remarkable clarity. He was fantastic, and his knowledge definitely helped put many of the items inside the home into better perspective. As with Mount Vernon, no photos were allowed inside the residence.
One of the most memorable rooms in the house is Jefferson's study. Though most of the books on display are "of the era" and not Jefferson's personal items, some of the books are in fact originals. Jefferson was a voracious reader, and he collected volumes in their original languages, so as not to lose meaning in translation. His collection became the foundation upon which the Library of Congress has been built.
We had some time left over after touring Monticello, so drove a couple of miles to Ashlawn, home of James Monroe, fifth President of the United States (PHOTOS HERE). It's not as impressive (or historically important, or crowded with tourists) as Mount Vernon or Monticello, but still ... in two days, we'd managed to see the homes of three of the first five US Presidents (and, morbidly, their death beds).
Out next step was Jamestown, Virginia, site of the first permanent English settlement in what would become the United States (PHOTOS HERE). I kept calling it Jonestown and had to keep correcting myself, though the original colonists only had marginally better luck surviving than those in Jim Jones' cult. The site we visited was a reconstruction of the original settlement; nothing in the site itself is original. The best feature on the grounds though is the one that didn't allow photography: there's a wonderful museum located in the visitor's center that displays many original artifacts of the era and puts the settlement into a better historical perspective. We spent more time inside the museum than we did outside looking at the ships and other reproductions.
The bulk of our time was spent in Historic Williamsburg, Virginia (PHOTOS HERE). If you're ever looking for a great vacation destination, I can't recommend it enough. We had an absolutely wonderful time, and it's safe to say I learned more about the events leading up to the Revolution in just a few days in person than I ever did in history classes throughout my scholastic years. I vaguely remembered something about the House of Burgesses from high school history classes, for instance, but now that I've actually been into the same room in the Capitol Building in which
Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry (among others) debated the course of
the colonies' fate, a trip to the library is in order.
It's impossible to take a trip like this and not find some sort of inspiration to learn more about the figures that freed the colonies from England. Everyone knows about Thomas Jefferson, but who really remembers Peyton Randolph (described by Jefferson as "large and inert")? After this trip, I can't wait to learn more.
(We ate like kings, too. The seafood fricasse I ate at Christiana Campbell's, which reportedly was one of George Washington's favorite restaurants when he visited Williamsburg, was one of the greatest meals I've ever eaten. Just sayin'. If you ever visit Williamsburg, make sure to make reservations here, because it's well worth it.)
I also got my rollercoaster fix in at Busch Gardens (PHOTOS HERE), taking about 15 rides total. I don't know if was the economy or the timing of our visit (a Thursday in late May), but the most we ever had to wait for a ride was two minutes because the park wasn't very full at all. The Griffon, with it's 90-degree plunge at 71 mph was fantastic, but my favorite was Apollo's Chariot (better known as the ride upon which Fabio and a goose had an unfortunate encounter). I went on each four times.
And that's what I did on my summer vacation.
I have to admit that I hardly feel qualified to attempt to reproduce this histories of the locations and people we learned about during our trip, so I'm not going to try. Understand, though, that we took a week to explore the region and easily could have spent much more time soaking everything in. Though I certainly became no expert in Revolutionary history in this short amount of time, I do feel that I gained a terrific perspective on the era that I'm sure I never had previously. Though it will likely prove to be just a passing phase, I currently feel inspired and compelled to read about and watch anything related to the subject (the day after we returned home, for example, we watched Ken Burns' three-hour PBS movie about Thomas Jefferson).
Our first stop was in Alexandria, Virginia, where we visited Mount Vernon, George Washington's home (PHOTOS HERE). The line for the tour of the home grew very quickly, and we were happy we'd decided to get there in time for the grounds to open. Our time waiting in line for the tour inside was mercifully short; by the time we were done, the line had grown to two or three times the size of the one we were in.
Unfortunately, nobody is allowed to take photos inside the building.
The most amazing sight of the entire trip, to me, was the view from the rear of the house (essentially Washington's back yard). The Potomac stretches out forever, and the view is spectacular (though this photo does it absolutely no justice). The grounds are gorgeous, and we had a warm, sunny day to explore them. Washington found sanctuary here, and it's easy to see why. That he would leave the life he had here to become our first President, which he didn't really want to do in the first place, is a testament to his character. Given the choice, I can't say I wouldn't have just stayed at Mount Vernon and enjoyed life such as it was at the time.
The next day, we drove to Charlottesville and visited Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home (PHOTOS HERE). Our tour guide was an author named Rick Britton, who's written a book about Jefferson ("Jefferson: A Monticello Sampler") and clearly knew the history of Jefferson and Monticello in incredible depth and with remarkable clarity. He was fantastic, and his knowledge definitely helped put many of the items inside the home into better perspective. As with Mount Vernon, no photos were allowed inside the residence.
One of the most memorable rooms in the house is Jefferson's study. Though most of the books on display are "of the era" and not Jefferson's personal items, some of the books are in fact originals. Jefferson was a voracious reader, and he collected volumes in their original languages, so as not to lose meaning in translation. His collection became the foundation upon which the Library of Congress has been built.
We had some time left over after touring Monticello, so drove a couple of miles to Ashlawn, home of James Monroe, fifth President of the United States (PHOTOS HERE). It's not as impressive (or historically important, or crowded with tourists) as Mount Vernon or Monticello, but still ... in two days, we'd managed to see the homes of three of the first five US Presidents (and, morbidly, their death beds).
Out next step was Jamestown, Virginia, site of the first permanent English settlement in what would become the United States (PHOTOS HERE). I kept calling it Jonestown and had to keep correcting myself, though the original colonists only had marginally better luck surviving than those in Jim Jones' cult. The site we visited was a reconstruction of the original settlement; nothing in the site itself is original. The best feature on the grounds though is the one that didn't allow photography: there's a wonderful museum located in the visitor's center that displays many original artifacts of the era and puts the settlement into a better historical perspective. We spent more time inside the museum than we did outside looking at the ships and other reproductions.
The bulk of our time was spent in Historic Williamsburg, Virginia (PHOTOS HERE). If you're ever looking for a great vacation destination, I can't recommend it enough. We had an absolutely wonderful time, and it's safe to say I learned more about the events leading up to the Revolution in just a few days in person than I ever did in history classes throughout my scholastic years. I vaguely remembered something about the House of Burgesses from high school history classes, for instance, but now that I've actually been into the same room in the Capitol Building in which
Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry (among others) debated the course of
the colonies' fate, a trip to the library is in order.
It's impossible to take a trip like this and not find some sort of inspiration to learn more about the figures that freed the colonies from England. Everyone knows about Thomas Jefferson, but who really remembers Peyton Randolph (described by Jefferson as "large and inert")? After this trip, I can't wait to learn more.
(We ate like kings, too. The seafood fricasse I ate at Christiana Campbell's, which reportedly was one of George Washington's favorite restaurants when he visited Williamsburg, was one of the greatest meals I've ever eaten. Just sayin'. If you ever visit Williamsburg, make sure to make reservations here, because it's well worth it.)
I also got my rollercoaster fix in at Busch Gardens (PHOTOS HERE), taking about 15 rides total. I don't know if was the economy or the timing of our visit (a Thursday in late May), but the most we ever had to wait for a ride was two minutes because the park wasn't very full at all. The Griffon, with it's 90-degree plunge at 71 mph was fantastic, but my favorite was Apollo's Chariot (better known as the ride upon which Fabio and a goose had an unfortunate encounter). I went on each four times.
And that's what I did on my summer vacation.
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