Who Knew We Were Virginians..A Photo Trip report

[jenseib]

I really need to get back to Colonial Williamsburg. The last time I went was in 1992, and I loved it! Thanks for the update, it was nice to see it again.

 

 

It is a neat place. We had a good time trying out something new....but I still want to get back to Disney!!!

[jenseib]

We then made our way through town, trying to take in sites we hadn’t yet seen.

 

 

These guys were actually cutting wood for a building that was being constructed on a foundation that had been dug up. They are still expanding the town using original foundations when they can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These people were digging out a site.

 

 

We talked to someone there and she told us they were extremely behind. Basically they had been working on this for quite some time and it needed to be finished within days for some special event and she didn’t see how it would be possible.

 

 

We kept wandering around.

 

 

I believe we separated again, but I don’t remember the reason why. It might’ve been just that we wanted to see different things. I think Mom and Amanda were shopping and I am not sure what Dad was doing. Claire and I found the bakery, but sadly they didn’t offer much more than the cookies we had bought on our first day here and they were not that good.

 

 

I was really hoping to find a homemade ice-cream shop, but there wasn’t one to be found.

 

 

 

 

This house was not open, but I read that it is open on certain occasions. I would’ve loved to have gone in there and checked it out.

 

 

 

Hidden Mickey!!!!! See I can find a bit of Disney anywhere.

 

 

 

I wasn’t sure if we were really supposed to be walking around the grounds here, but I’m a rebel, so I did.

 

 

 

A view of the Capital from here.

 

 

 

And we kept moving on then.

Edited December 9, 2013 by jenseib

[jenseib]

Claire and I kept walking around and once again used the bathrooms. I am pretty sure we used about everyone on the property by the end of the trip.

 

A view of where we would eat tonight.

 

 

We then met up with the rest of the family and I think we grabbed the bus to take us to the other end to do some shopping.

 

 

Claire and I went in search of ice cream while the rest went through stores in the opposite direction.

 

Claire and I found a Baskin Robbins and went inside and each got ourselves a cone. Claire ended up not caring for her choice about halfway through, so I ended up eating about half of hers as well.

 

After that refreshing treat we moved on. I sat on a step and texted the family to ask where they were and I called Skip and we just relaxed a bit as it was hot today and we were getting tired. Claire posed for me.

 

 

Finally they replied and told us where to meet them.

 

We found them and decided we wanted to go see William and Mary College before calling it a day.

 

Claire found a friend on the way.

 

 

When we got to the college, Amanda and Claire said they were sitting while we looked around.

 

 

Isn’t that tree so neat.

 

 

It even has a support for one of its branches.

 

 

The rest of us took off to look around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is such a beautiful campus.

 

 

The big sprawling yard with lots of students just sitting there talking or doing homework. I think there was an event coming up soon that they were setting that tent up for.

 

 

 

 

I can’t even imagine the cost to send a child here, but I bet it is a pretty penny.

 

 

 

 

Squirrel!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time to head back towards the bus stop.

 

 

 

I believe this is the day we decided to go in the William and Mary bookstore to look around. We found these Williamsburg t-shirts that were only like $9 each so Amanda and I each got one. Mom bought Claire a sweatshirt and I think Amanda bought one too.

It was a good purchase, as I wear the shirt quite a bit and I almost wish I had bought another one in a different color.

 

We then took the bus back to the visitor center and once again we took a quick look around the gift shop. We usually did this each day. I don’t think I actually bought anything there though. I know Mom had picked up a few things, but I don’t remember what.

 

Back at the resort I took Claire for a quick swim.

 

 

This girl just loves to swim and it’s a highlight for her.

 

 

We then took a quick rest and freshened up a bit before it was time to head for dinner. We were eating at Christiana Campbell’s Tavern tonight. We decided we would drive directly there today and not take the bus from the visitor center. I will admit, at times it is a little easy to turn down the wrong road, but we made it in one piece and still had time to spare.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We made our way around the front and checked in.

 

 

I took a few pictures while we waited.

 

 

 

 

I think someone had to use the bathroom, so we just walked across the street to use the ones near the capital.

 

 

[jenseib]

We found a bench across the street and sat down since we still had a bit of time till our reservation time.

 

Claire and Poppa were goofing off.

 

 

 

 

 

As time got closer, we moved back across the street so we wouldn’t miss hearing our name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finally got called in and we were led into a little back room. It was only big enough for a table and chairs and us! I guess they knew we were the rowdy ones and put us in our own tiny area. And boy was it dark. No lights in use here, all candlelight.

 

 

We had these HUGE napkins at the table. They were like small table clothes, so of course I had to be goofy and put one on around my neck.

 

 

Our server then came in and told me I wasn’t wearing it quite right. Though the way he explained to wear it didn’t seem much different. He told us in the old days they didn’t bath or change clothes often, so when they came to eat, they would take the table cloth and tie it around their necks to keep clean. The table clothes were stacked in several layers, so after each guest, the tavern would take it off so a clean one would be ready for the next guest.

 

We then took a look at the menu and made our orders. I didn’t take much in the way of pictures again.

 

I did take a picture of the Tavern slaw, which was good.

 

 

And the basket of Tavern Rolls, and Sweet Potato Muffins, which were also pretty good.

 

 

I then put my camera away for the night.

 

We also were served Spoon Bread. This was like a corn bread, but VERY sweet and soft. It was very good, but I could only take a few bites because it was almost too sweet.

We had a visit from Christiana’s “daughter” while we waited. She asked us where we were from and of course we replied Ohio. She told us “Oh you mean you’re from Virginia! You silly fools don’t even know where you are from!” We had a good laugh about that. She was quite bold and feisty, as I assume a tavern owner and her daughter would probably be back in those days.

 

While waiting for the main course, we heard a flutist playing in the room next to us. He was playing songs and talking a bit about history, but we could barely hear him. We kind of complained to each other that being in this small room we didn’t get to be included in the extra fun.

The next thing we know, he walks into our little room and tells us we get our own private concert. How fun!!!!

He had several types of flutes and I do not know the names of most of them, though he did tell us at the time.

He asked us if we had any 1700’s song requests. We all looked blanked face. I tried to rack my brain and the only thing I could think of was Yankee Doodle, but I wasn’t even sure.

 

He started out by playing twinkle twinkle little star. Who knew that song was so old? He did play a few others and we recognized them all, though I no longer remember them. And then he went on to play Yankee Doodle! I knew it!

He told us that it was basically a rhyme the British had made up about the Americans. “Stuck a feather in his hat and called it Macaroni” was derogatory. Macaroni was a style back then. Basically a big fluffy wig and it was almost painful to wear. All the “important and stylish” people were wearing them. They were trying to say the Americans were so backwards that they put a feather in their hat to pretend they were in fashion wearing a wig too. A doodle, was basically a fool. So the Americans then put it to a tune and used the song to mock themselves. It was also very interesting and we had a good time.

 

Our main course came and we really enjoyed it. I got the feature of the day. I don’t remember exactly what it was, but it was some kind of white fish with a white sauce stew of vegetables over it. I think it had potatoes too. It was so good. I practically licked my plate clean.

 

I think Mom and Amanda had the Gloucester Chicken Dinner

The Captain’s Sherried Seafood Stew followed by southern-style fried Hen put forth with a rasher of salty Surry County Ham and Corn Pudding

Your choice of our Williamsburg ice Cream

They got 2 huge pieces of fried chicken with this and it was so much more than they could eat. They could’ve have shared this meal easily.

 

I think Dad got the Hickory-Grilled Beef Tenderloin

Choice cut Tenderloin served with Bacon-Molasses Butter and pan-seared Polenta.

 

I don’t remember any complaints from him at all either.

 

I think Claire got the kids steak.

 

Mom and Amanda’s meals came with ice-cream and Claire wanted some too, so I ordered her some as well. We should’ve just let her share as they each got a HUGE slab of ice-cream. She could only eat half, so I tried finished it off, but I was bursting at the seams ….. and about fainted when I saw the bill. It was $5.25 for that slab of ice-cream. I told her in the future she can’t order any unless someone is sharing with her.

This meal was fantastic, but again not cheap at all. I think for just Claire and me it was around $75.00. It was a fabulous meal and we had such a wonderful time there.

 

After we paid the bill we headed off to use the bathroom in the basement before setting off. There were a set of stairs going up near the bathroom, but we weren’t sure where they led, except that it appeared to be outside. We went back up the regular way and went outside to wait for dad, who had gotten lost. There he was. He used the steps and they brought him right up to the front porch.

The flutist and a guitar player, who had also been roaming the other side of the tavern, were outside now playing on the porch and talking too. It was just such a neat thing to see and a wonderful experience.

 

We rolled ourselves out to the car and headed back to the hotel once again for the night. I think this night I turned on the station about Williamsburg and tried to watch as much as I could before I fell asleep.

Tomorrow we were planning on the Jamestown Settlement and then from there, we would play it by ear. We weren’t sure how full of a day this would be there or how much they had to see. The Jamestown Settlement was created as part of the 350th anniversary celebration in 1957 as Jamestown Festival Park. From what I read, it was supposed to be temporary, but it was so popular it stayed open for people to visit.

This is different than historic Jamestown, which is where the actual historic and archaeological site where the first settlers landed and lived is, but I believe they are close by. I was told by a few people that that site would not be as interesting for Claire.

 

Another fabulous day was had and we all drifted off to dreamland.

[cfc]

^The Settlemenet and the actual Jamestown site are practically "next door" to each other.

[jenseib]

^The Settlemenet and the actual Jamestown site are practically "next door" to each other.

 

Yes, I had heard they were fairly close but i didn't look it up since we weren't going there. I would like to some day though.

[jenseib]

April 18, Day 6

 

 

We had a bit of a slower morning. Well each morning is slow with my family, but I allowed it today.

We got up and ready and ate a bite of breakfast and we all decided we wanted to eat at another tavern before we left for home. Tomorrow was Mom and Dad’s anniversary, so we gave them choices from menu options online and the decided King’s Arms Tavern was where we would go. We made the reservation and were all set for the next night.

 

Today was Jamestown! We loaded into the car, programed Siri and headed off.

I think we arrived around 10:30 AM.

 

 

 

 

Along the front they had each state on a plaque and the year is became a state with a little info. Later before we left I did look at it a bit more. Right now, the family was on a mission to get inside.

 

 

 

We got in line and Claire and I got our tickets. We debated if we just wanted to do Jamestown or the combo with the Yorktown Victory Center, which was nearby, but we didn’t know how long it would take to go through the Settlement, so we didn’t. I kind of wish we did now. We got a AAA discount and Mom was taking a bit longer to get her tickets. I guess they were giving her issues about Amanda getting her ticket under Moms AAA discount. Amanda has AAA as well, but she didn’t have her card with her. They did end up letting her have the discount though.

 

 

It was close to 11 now and we thought we would stop in the café and get a drink. Well we decided since it wasn’t busy yet to get some lunch and have that out of the way before we set forth. I don’t remember what we got, except I am sure Claire got either a hotdog or corn dog. I am thinking I got a hotdog or hamburger and chips or fries. It had very basic food court type food, but it was decent and filled us up.

 

We then set off.

 

 

 

We found where the intro movie was and got in line for the next seating. I was told before going that most places start out with a movie and it was true, but it did give some good info too.

 

We were let in and sat down. Amanda was having anxiety again about being trapped inside and not being able to leave so she left and waited for us outside the doors.

 

The movie told about Jamestown and also featured Pocahontas. Claire liked that. I think many people do not know her true story …..and the Disney one is not right…… But she did marry a white man and went to England and basically died after being exposed to the white man diseases. She is buried in England and they believe she died around the age of 22.

 

After the movie and another bathroom break we headed towards the gallery area, which had lots of interesting things…if you are an adult. If you are an 8 year old…you find it extremely boring and let your mother know so.

 

I ended up taking Claire outside since she was not making it very fun for me to be in there. In her defense, there was a lot of reading to do to understand what you were seeing and she is not a strong reader to begin with, and it probably didn’t sound like fun either.

 

 

This was some sort of monument, which a read about at the time, but now I can’t find info about it online.

 

 

We texted Mom and Amanda and they were still looking around the galleries, so we made the decision to move on by ourselves. Up next was the Powhatan village.

 

 

 

I think these guys are a little on the pale side for Indians.

 

 

We toured the homes. I am not sure of the official name of these…are they wigwams?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course we put Claire to work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

They had all sorts of demonstrations going on. I did have to laugh. I wonder how many pale redheaded Indians there were back then.

 

 

We did talk to her a bit. She was very nice. I asked something about what they did in the winter, since basically the homes were used for mostly sleeping and they did everything else outside. She told me it never got very cold, but I don’t really believe that. I would think it had to get uncomfortable at times. Heck in the week we were there, there were a few rather chilly times.

 

Hey a Cardinal!!!!

 

 

 

And some random chickens just walking around.

 

 

 

I loved the tools they had.

 

 

Another Cardinal.

 

 

 

Claire played with some of the hands on things.

 

 

 

 

We found a girl talking and listened in. I think she was gardening. Claire was positive she was supposed to be Pocahontas. Someone asked if they could take her picture, so I quickly took a few too.

 

 

 

 

 

Still no sign of the rest of the family, so we decided to head on our way without them.

 

 

We decided to make our way towards the fort.

 

 

The path to get there kind of circled around.

 

 

 

Of course Claire wanted to know what was taking me so long.

 

 

 

There was a garden out front.

 

 

 

And more roaming chickens.

 

 

We could see the boats from here too and Claire asked to go there, but I told her we would visit the fort first.

 

[jenseib]

You know you have entered a Fort when you see one of these.

 

 

 

Well it did indeed look like a fort inside.

 

 

I always like to play with focal points.

 

 

 

 

Claire and I wandered around and in and out of the buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

They had some games off to the side and Claire met a little boy and they played together for a bit.

 

 

We moved on then and this building is basically where everyone lived. They told us that they basically stacked everyone on top of each other with bunks and something like 80 guys would sleep in here.

 

 

We looked around some more and headed back outside.

 

 

 

They also had some armor to try on so Claire did.

 

 

This stuff was EXTREMELY heavy.

 

Claire said it hurt her head.

 

 

We had a heck of a time getting the vest off. It was just so heavy and awkward.

 

 

 

 

I think this was a place for someone who was higher ranking, like a Captain.

 

 

 

 

 

---- - - ---- ---

 

 

Our next stop was the church.

 

 

 

 

Claire gave a sermon.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can tell, this building was to hold the ammunitions.

 

 

I had been hearing gunshots off and on while there and so we headed over to watch this lady give a demonstration on the type of guns they used.

 

 

 

 

We waited and waited and she never shot the gun, so we moved on. I didn’t hear it go off for about another 5 minutes or so and of course we missed it.

 

 

Claire was antsy to get to the ships and Amanda had texted us that they were over there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found someone spying on us!

 

 

Once he knew we had seen him, he moved to another position.

 

 

We also saw another boat off to the side hidden away. I think this one sails around with people every so often.

 

 

We then headed to the ships to tour.

 

 

We found the family sitting on a bench in the shade. They said they already looked at what they wanted to see and were just going to wait on us.

One thing I noticed is there were carpenter bees all over the place. Really …it was awful. I had noticed them starting to fly around the gazebo at our hotel as well. I guess it was the season for them. The thing is, they don’t really do anything to humans …unless you are made of wood. That’s what they want. But they get annoyed you are in their territory and fly around you like they are mad. And they are not easy to kill with bug spray either. (I even bought some and took it to the resort and tried it and they could’ve cared less if they were being zapped with spray.)

 

Claire and I went ahead and boarded the ship.

 

 

It’s amazing how small these are and they sailed across the ocean. I am sure my head would’ve been flung over the side the whole time.

 

 

 

 

 

There were several school groups here today and Claire and I tried to go to the ship that they were not on ….because as wonderful as our children are, in a school field trip, kids become obnoxious and wild.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Claire loved being able to go below deck.

 

 

The family was sitting over there, but not in view.

 

 

 

We put Claire to work again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I believe they said 4 men would sleep across this. Basically the ship was packed full and you didn’t get to move much unless you were crew, so you got a teeny tiny bed spot and were stuck there for most of the voyage.

 

 

[jray21]

The ship looks really cool. It reminds me of the Columbia at Disneyland, but with more stuff showing what it would have been like.

[jenseib]

The ship looks really cool. It reminds me of the Columbia at Disneyland, but with more stuff showing what it would have been like.

 

OOOH. I would love to get to Disneyland some day. On my bucket list

[jenseib]

We also learned they emptied the chamber pot off the front of the ship. It may sound odd, but the ship is being moved by wind and sails…and the wind is coming from the back of the ship, so if you threw it off the back, it would blow back at you.

 

 

 

 

While we were down there, there were kids running around and goofing off. Parents were not watching the kids either. And sure enough one kid fell down the steps. And the parents came running and then proceeded to yell at each other for not watching the kid. So in otherwords….no one had been watching the kid. The staff was helpful and the kid wasn’t hurt too badly, just more scared.

 

 

 

 

After having our fun on the ships, we moved on.

 

 

The rest of the family wanted to go to the fort, so they headed that way. Why they didn’t go while Claire and I were on the ships, I have no clue.

 

 

Claire and I walked back up towards the main building.

 

 

 

 

 

Claire and I sat down outside and waited. I think I did some texting and catching up on emails. We got through the place faster than I thought we would. We should’ve bought the ticket for Yorktown too.

 

Once the family caught up with us, Dad wanted to look through the gallery some more, but none of the rest of us did, so he went off and we went to get some drinks, did a little shopping in the gift shop and then sat out front enjoying the day. It turned out to be kind of hot. Claire bought a bow and arrow and just had a ball with that.

 

 

 

I went off and looked at each of the state plaques upfront. They were in the order of how the states were admitted into the Union. I do not remember the order now, but I was surprised that Virginia wasn’t the first one. I believe it was 10th and Delaware was the first state. That just seemed odd to me. And it was a good 10 years after the Revolution before it became a state. I think Ohio was something like 17th and Michigan was somewhere in the mid 20’s. Each plaque had a bit of info and it was interesting to read.

 

After a bit of reading, I went back to the table and Dad still had not come back and everyone was getting antsy. Dad does not text and is famous for turning off his phone for some odd reason. I did try calling him and it went straight to voicemail. That made Mom mad, because she figured he had his phone off again. But in fairness all over Williamsburg cell service was very spotty. I was sent in to find him and I was lucky to walk right in and spot him. I figured I would have to look all over to find him. He said his phone was on and never rang. We walked out and headed back to the resort then. Everyone was tired and we talked about taking naps before dinner when we got back.

Claire wanted to go swimming. Somehow we elected Dad to take her. He wasn’t too thrilled about it. I told him to just let her swim for a set amount of time and then give her a 5 minute warning and then about 10 minutes later you tell her to get out. He was sure this wouldn’t work, but I told him I had faith in him.

When we got back I sat in the gazebo a few minutes while Claire ran up to get her suit on. I had my friends the carpenter bees swarming around and I tried to get some pictures. Those buggers move fast.

 

 

 

I then went in and took a nap and Claire and Dad went off to the pool.

 

I think I slept about an hour and it was nice. I don’t nap a lot of vacations, so this was a nice treat.

Dad told me Claire made some pool friends and when he told her it was time to leave she didn’t get out immediately….she ignored him. LOL. Well she did get out eventually and I told him you just have to be firm and tell her she has to leave now or no swimming for the rest of the trip.

 

Dad laid down then and all of us girls decided to go to the outlet mall down the road. We did a bit of shopping and Claire got some things at the kid gap. I got her a really cute shirt and Mom bought her a dress and a short outfit.

We then called dad and asked if he wanted us to pick him up to get dinner or if he wanted carryout and he went with carryout.

We headed down the road looking for a spot to eat when Claire declares she has lost her sunglasses. UGH! We figured it had to be at the Gap because she had tried some clothes on there. We turned around and Mom and Amanda went in to look and I decided to search the car a bit better. Sure enough I found them in a hidden compartment and I called them and let them know we found them.

 

Back on the road we decided on Cracker Barrel. It was a nice decent meal, but if I remember right we had a very slow waitress. This seems to be a theme for us a lot lately.

 

We left nice and full and headed back to the resort and just lounged around for the evening. Dad and Claire played with her new bow and arrow and they were having such a fun time with that. I think the Sisterhood of the Traveling pants was on once again and Claire watched it into the wee hours of the morning while I drifted off to sleep.

[jenseib]

April 19, Day 7

 

Today was the day we planned to visit Plantations in the area. I had done a little research online and found several in the area, but a couple peaked my interest more than others. I also found out later, that many didn’t even show up online in a general search and in the future I will look more into it so I can see some others.

 

The night before we discussed it and Amanda decided she didn’t want to go now. She was worried we wouldn’t be back in time for our dinner reservation. I think she thought we would just hang at the resort, but this was one of the highlights I had really wanted to do this trip, so I said I would still be going. Mom wanted to go but I think she just decided to stay back with Amanda, as Amanda wanted to spend time with her and then we decided to let Claire stay back and catch up on some sleep.

So it was just going to be Dad and I heading out bright and early to see the plantations.

 

Dad and I got ready early and headed out. Our plan was to get to the furthest one out at opening. Then we would work our way back. Mom had said as we got closer back she would like us to call and pick he up to visit the last plantation on our list. Our plan also was to eat lunch while on the road. Well…plans always sound good in theory!

 

We headed out and I think it was about a 40 minute or so drive to Shirley Plantation. I was amazed at how many plantation signs we saw along the way. Some were just landmarks, some now bed and breakfasts and some were ones you could tour and I had not seen them listed online. We also noticed that it was pretty much country out here and nowhere to find lunch at this point that we could see.

I believe Shirley opened at 9:30 and we arrived around 9:15. This guy came right out to great us.

 

 

I am a germ-a-phobe with cats and I did pet him, but then quickly used hand sanitizer to clean my hands. He kept coming back to me and I went to pet him again and he was freaked. I guess he did NOT like the smell of my sanitizer. He then became Dad’s good buddy and followed him all around.

While we waited for the place to open I took a few quick pictures.

 

This was the drive we came up.

 

 

And this is the house.

 

 

 

Dad sat in the car while we waited for official opening time and I wandered around a bit.

 

 

 

 

I am not sure why the bricks were in this tree.

 

 

 

 

 

The gift shop was located in here and this is where they sold the tickets to tour the house.

 

 

It opened a few minutes early and I went in and bought our tickets …using AAA to get a small discount.

 

 

I went back and let Dad know I had bought the tickets and we could wander around till our tour at 10. He wanted to know how much he owed me and I said he could buy the tickets at the next stop.

 

 

 

Dads new found friend followed him around.

 

 

This was an outline of the history of the property. Basically someone bought it sight unseen and owned it for a while then sold it off to the family that still currently owns it.

 

 

I believe Shirley is considered America’s first plantation (1613). It’s the oldest Family business and has been in the same family since 1638 and the current house has been there since 1738.

 

 

 

I basically scanned the timeline, but Dad did a more thorough reading and so I went on my way exploring the grounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Grounds were beautiful and I really loved taking pictures of the house from different angles.

 

 

The buildings were really neat and they were original.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And of course they had beautiful gardens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A look at the river behind the house.

 

 

A peek back at the gardens.

 

 

 

[jenseib]

I wandered around the side of the house to make my way to the backside to see what it looked like back there.

 

 

As you can see the front and back mirror each other.

 

 

Something we learned on the tour and something I had not known was that many plantations were built on rivers and the front doors often faced the river. Back then it was hard to get to them by land and most people traveled up and down the river to visit other plantations. Shirley was built with 2 front doors. I guess it was rude to have a visitor come in the back door and since they had a driveway to the front and also received many visitors by water they made it so that coming from either entrance was acceptable.

 

 

 

 

This was a very old tree and it was roped off so you couldn’t get too close. I guess the roots are fragile and they don’t want people disturbing it.

 

 

 

Looking back at the house from near the tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back around to the front.

 

 

 

 

This was the kitchen building.

 

 

 

And it was now time to meet on the front steps for our tour. There were just 3 of us for this first tour. The other guy actually lived in Richmond, but said he had never been to visit the plantation and decided to check it out today.

 

We entered the house with our guide and sadly we were not allowed to take pictures inside, though I had known this prior to coming.

I believe we only toured the first floor of this house and the 2nd and 3rd floors are still lived in by the current owner …who is a descendent of the Hill family, the ones who built the house. He was a single man, but our guide told us he was planning to be married in a few weeks (and he was as it was posted on their facebook page) and he was an older gentleman and they were all so happy to have him get married.

The tour was very interesting and informative. They were very rich at times and actually pretty poor at times as well. They didn’t know about rotating crops so much back then and tobacco was the main crop and it took so much out of the soil that at times hardly anything would grow. Loans were taken, parts of the house were sold off to make money, etc., once being the roof that was made out of a metal that was needed for a particular war and it got the plantation out of debt. (I can’t remember what the roof was made of but it was an expensive metal and though it is sad it had to be sold, it did keep the plantation from going completely under and we now can see this beautiful place today). Also some members married into other influential families as well. The house had additions added over the years too. At one point there wasn’t a family heir to hand the house over to so I think it went to a nephew to keep it in the family.

 

All this was so interesting and we learned about different family members in each room we went into. The guy in our tour asked a LOT of questions. And while they were good questions, he kind of asked them in an interrupting way, or in a know it all way and it was slightly annoying at times. I could tell the guide was a little frustrated with him asking so many things and often told him she would get to that later in the tour. I had to laugh after we were done and Dad mentioned that he thought the guy was kind of rude. For my Dad to notice it meant that he was. LOL

The tour was about an hour long and we excited back out the front steps where we had entered. We thanked the guide and decided to look around a little more before heading to our next destination.

 

This area over there with a sign….at one point in time both sides of the main house had flanking houses …another thing I learned was very common for plantations and I never knew….and these buildings held bedrooms and guest quarters. I believe this side had burned down many years ago and the one on the other side was actually removed by a family member many years ago and rebuilt a few miles down the road to be the residence of a son. I never found out if it was still actually standing or not, but we obviously were not invited to go see it if it still is standing.

 

 

 

I guess I was going for odd angle pictures.

 

 

 

I had to make a bathroom stop so I went in the direction I had seen signs.

 

 

There were many more cars in the lot now. It was a good thing we came so early.

 

 

That bus had a whole group of Senior Citizens in it.

 

 

 

The bathroom was very basic, but decent enough. I went back out and looked a little more.

 

 

This still is a working farm.

 

 

If you visit their facebook page you will often see pictures of their animals.

 

 

 

 

 

This is where the doves were kept and I guess they were a big treat to eat and something they grew for special occasions.

 

 

 

It was now getting time to head back to the car and off to the next plantation.

 

 

Shirley was my favorite plantation we visited this day. It was informative and beautiful and I was happy I chose to visit here.

[gisco]

It never occurred to me to check out plantations in Virginia. Interesting that they were able to keep it in the family all these years.

[jenseib]

It never occurred to me to check out plantations in Virginia. Interesting that they were able to keep it in the family all these years.

 

I was so excited to see the plantations. I started looking for them several years ago when we had talked about going and then once again when we planned this trip. I had never been to one before so it was such a treat for me to see a real one.

[jenseib]

We made our way a few miles back down the road and towards Berkley Plantation. As we went down the road towards Berkley it gave us an option to turn one way for Berkley or another way to Westover. Now I hadn’t read about Westover …..hmmmm. We kept on to Berkley, but I mentioned to Dad about possibly trying Westover out on our way back out.

 

We approached Berkley and parked. The house looked nice.

 

 

But as we walked up to the house to get our tickets we saw the flanking buildings …which were ugly…. With a nice puke color to them.

 

 

That particular puke colored building is where we were to buy our tickets. Dad was paying this time around. You can see him digging in his wallet for his money in that last picture.

 

 

 

 

We went in and made our ticket purchase and Dad was excited because these 2 tickets were 50 cents cheaper than Shirley, so he made a big deal about him getting the better end of the deal. LOL. They gave us a time to meet and told us we had a bit of time yet (I think about 20 minutes) and that we should walk down towards the river as it was a beautiful path. Dad didn’t want to, but I did and he ended up coming with me.

We also saw a picture of a beautiful plantation hanging on the wall and I asked what it was. The guy told us it was Westover. OK, so THAT’S Westover. He said they only do tours a few times a year, but you can go over and tour the grounds for a small fee. I might just do that…..

 

We made our way back outside and looked for the path.

 

 

 

 

 

The River was at the back of the house and quite a walk.

 

 

But it was beautiful and the whole back yard was beautiful.

 

 

They also noted that this was the site of the first Thanksgiving. I am not sure what they actually meant on that. I think it had something to do with the landing in Virginia, but I am not sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The water looked a little choppy today.

 

 

 

 

 

A look back at the house. As you can see, the back yard is really huge and the house is quite a ways back.

 

 

 

 

We then started to head back towards the house so we wouldn’t be late for the tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We moved over on a path the led up to the backside of the house.

 

 

 

 

 

Again, I had that “Can you imagine being a kid and growing up with this yard” thought.

 

 

 

I believe Dad is already over at the meeting spot and I am still behind taking pictures.

 

 

 

 

A look back towards the river.

 

 

Here is a cannon ball still lodged in the side of one of the flanking buildings.

 

 

The cellar.

 

 

Side entrance.

 

 

Another puke colored flanking building.

 

 

These just looked disgusting to me. I am not sure if that is mold on the side of the house, but it sure looked like it to me. I guess they were keeping the place looking original?

 

 

I have to say I tried to look in the windows from the where I was without being too obvious. I couldn’t figure out what this is used for now. It really looked like a junky apartment. They had broken blinds in the windows, fans in the windows and AC units. And I could see an old looking TV set through one window. It really looked like some low life lived there. I could be totally wrong and maybe it was used for storage, but I was not impressed with what I saw and I really think in either case they should have the blinds closed ….and perhaps replace the blinds.

[jray21]

Those plantations look beautiful. I would love to have that much land!

[cfc]

Yes, there aren't a lot of lunch opportunities on along Rt. 5 in Charles City County. There's a restaurant in Charles City itself. and the old Coach House Restaurant at Berkeley Plantation used to be good (not sure if it's there anymore). And I've never been by the Charles City Tavern when it's been open.

Edited January 1, 2014 by cfc

[jenseib]

Those plantations look beautiful. I would love to have that much land!

 

I really love the amount of land they had too. now I grew up in the country and we had a farm and huge yard, but no where like they had there, nor as pretty.

[jenseib]

Yes, there aren't a lot of lunch opportunities on along Rt. 5 in Charles City County. There's a restaurant in Charles City itself. and the old Coach House Restaurant at Berkeley Plantation used to be good (not sure if it's there anymore). And I've never been by the Charles City Tavern when it's been open.

 

I did not see a restaurant there nor did I see one listed on it's site, so my guess it was gone, but that would've been a perfect spot for a lunch that day. And of course since we weren't familiar with the area at all we weren't too keen to go exploring on side roads to see if we could find anything either.

[jenseib]

It was now getting closer to the time for our tour, so I clicked a few more pictures as I made my way to the meeting place.

 

 

 

I was back around the front of the house now.

 

 

 

A look out to the front driveway.

 

 

 

 

I had a seat and saw this lizard on the side of the house so I tried to get his picture.

 

 

And one more picture from where I was sitting before I put the camera away.

 

 

Our tour guide came and met us. She told us she was new and this was her first tour on her own. She was very nice and very good for her first time alone. I am sure we missed out on some info, but she still did a good job.

 

We got a little history outside and were told about the cannon ball in the side of the building and then led to the basement where we watched a movie. Honestly, I no longer remember what the movie was about, but I am sure it gave history of the area and house.

 

After that we were led back outside and in the house. Our group was much bigger than what we had at Shirley. I am sure this had to do with the time of day. Again, no pictures during the tour were allowed and again we only toured the first floor as the upper floors were being lived in. These people were not the original family. They had bought the house, restored it and opened it for tours. This house was not kept up over the years like Shirley had been either. At one time is was close to ruins and I think it had even been used as a barn for a while.

 

Berkley is the birthplace of Benjamin Harrison, signer of the Declaration of Independence. Also this is the birthplace of William Henry Harrison, the 9th president. The house was occupied by Union troops during the Civil War and the song “taps” was composed here.

 

It was another very interesting tour and we were told things that had been added on and when and things that were found during restorations, for example doorways and windows that had been covered at some point in time were discovered.

 

After the tour we were getting hungry. We knew there wasn’t much of anything in the area, so we decided to head back towards civilization. We headed back to the car.

 

 

And one quick look back at the house.

 

 

We headed off and I decided I wanted to take a quick look at Westover since it just veered off on the driveway. Dad said he would sit in the car, which was fine. It was actually kind of windy and chilly today, with some warm periods when the sun came out to shine, but near the river it did seem colder.

 

We made the turn to Westover and wow that was a long driveway back. As we got back there, there were actually several little houses all around the place. I am not sure if they had been there as part of the plantation years ago, or as things got sold off they just built these houses, but it was kind of strange. Some seemed to be awkwardly placed, so that makes me think that they might have been part of the estate at one point in time.

 

We parked in a little parking area and I got out, put some money in the drop box and started at the back of the house. They were right along the river as well.

 

 

This is the back side of the house. This house itself was the most beautiful. I enjoyed Shirley best for the all-round experience, but if I had a chance to tour inside of this house, I may have picked this one as winner as this is my kind of house in looks!!!

 

 

 

 

I kind of felt weird walking along the house. This was someone’s private residence. But they did allow people to tour the grounds, so they must be Ok with it.

 

 

A small map was also given at the drop box and I had taken one. It showed that they did have underground tunnels from this end of the property to the other side of the house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a building I could go into, so I did.

 

 

 

I only took a quick look as I was trying to get around fast since Dad was waiting in the car for me.

 

 

After getting home, I did look up Westover online and found that at one time there were several different buildings and in the late 1800’s a family descendent, Mrs. Clarise Sears Ramsey, bought the place back and then enclosed it all to make it one big house. Also during the Civil War, troops also occupied this place as well. And cannon fire had burnt down one wing. The place was left in ruins till Clairise bought the place and rebuilt the wing and enclosed everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I was a rich plantation owner, this would be the kind of house I would have.

Maybe that has something to do with the house I grew up in?

 

 

I always had a thing for brick houses and I was going into the 5th grade when we built that house. My mom said she was having a brick house with pillars, even if it was a shack. LOL

 

 

Back to my walking tour.

 

 

Coming around to the front now and a car pulled in. It was the owner. I talked to her a few minutes and told how beautiful the place was and she told me to go to the pump building to see the tunnel and told me where the light was to turn on. So I took a few more pictures and worked my way over there.

 

 

 

 

 

And this is where the tunnel came up. I am not sure if it is useable anymore or safe, or if the other end is open. It appeared on the map to be kind of in the side of the cliff over by the river and I never went to look and see if it was there.

 

 

Back out to go and check out the front of the house.

 

 

[cfc]

Yes, there aren't a lot of lunch opportunities on along Rt. 5 in Charles City County. There's a restaurant in Charles City itself. and the old Coach House Restaurant at Berkeley Plantation used to be good (not sure if it's there anymore). And I've never been by the Charles City Tavern when it's been open.

 

I did not see a restaurant there nor did I see one listed on it's site, so my guess it was gone, but that would've been a perfect spot for a lunch that day. And of course since we weren't familiar with the area at all we weren't too keen to go exploring on side roads to see if we could find anything either.

 

You would've driven by the Charles City Tavern on your way to the plantations (it's right on Rt. 5). It used to be the Indian Fields Tavern years ago, and the food was great back then (no idea about it now). It's in a big farmhouse.

[jenseib]

Yes, there aren't a lot of lunch opportunities on along Rt. 5 in Charles City County. There's a restaurant in Charles City itself. and the old Coach House Restaurant at Berkeley Plantation used to be good (not sure if it's there anymore). And I've never been by the Charles City Tavern when it's been open.

 

I did not see a restaurant there nor did I see one listed on it's site, so my guess it was gone, but that would've been a perfect spot for a lunch that day. And of course since we weren't familiar with the area at all we weren't too keen to go exploring on side roads to see if we could find anything either.

 

You would've driven by the Charles City Tavern on your way to the plantations (it's right on Rt. 5). It used to be the Indian Fields Tavern years ago, and the food was great back then (no idea about it now). It's in a big farmhouse.

 

Wa it kind of dumpy looking? We did see something kind of in the middle of no where that looked like a truck stop type place and the outside kind of looked scary so we didn't even consider it.

[jenseib]

I just love this house.

 

 

 

 

 

This fence was in front of the house.

 

 

 

 

 

I knew I was taking too much time and I figured Dad was getting impatient in the car, so I made my way to the garden, where I could walk through and then exit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even the wheel barrow looks old fashion.

 

 

This is William Byrd II's tombstone.

 

 

 

 

 

The garden was gorgeous!

 

I then headed back to the car and we took off once again.

I believe I called Mom then and told her that we were running later than we had planned and we didn’t think we would have time to pick her up and come back to look at Sherwood. She was fine with that, but Dad was not. He hates when we change a plan and he griped about it, but there was just no way to do it all in one day.

 

We made our way towards Sherwood next. We were both hungry and there was nothing around we could see. I had grabbed a granola bar in the morning and threw it in my bag for that just in case I am starving moment. Well it was here and I fished it out. I wasn’t sure I would even like it, but at this point I was going to eat it anyways. I asked Dad if he wanted half of it and he looked at it and scowled. I knew he didn’t like granola, but he surprised me by saying yes! Yep, we were both so hungry we would eat anything at this point. It didn’t fill us up, but it sure did help with the hunger pains.

 

Soon we arrived at Sherwood Forest and all I wanted to do was take a few quick pictures and be on our way. I believe there is a fee to tour the grounds and if you want to tour the house, you have to make an appointment. My plan was to just walk up and shoot a few pictures and be off, so I wasn’t going to pay any fees at all.

 

The driveway was kind of long and winding and they had us park out fairly far from the house. It also looked deserted for the most part.

 

We parked and got out and started our walk up the driveway.

 

 

This is the pet Cemetary where John Tylers family pets were buried, including his horse.

 

 

Sherwood Forest has the distinction of being the only private residence in the United States to have been owned by two unrelated United States Presidents. William Henry Harrison inherited the plantation, then named Walnut Grove, in 1790 and held it for three years. He sold the 3,000 acres property in 1793 having never lived in the house. Harrison's successor John Tyler purchased the plantation, which by then had been reduced to 1,600 acres, in 1842 and lived there after leaving the White House. John Tyler was the first vice president to ascend to the presidency upon the death of 9th President, William Henry Harrison.

 

Sherwood Forest Plantation has been the continuous residence of the Tyler family since the President purchased it in 1842. It is still maintained by the Tyler Family descendants. It is known to be the longest frame house in America, it is over 300 feet long.

 

 

This was about the best I could do to get the whole house in the picture.

 

 

The house is supposedly haunted as well, with a grey lady being heard rocking for over 200 years.

 

 

 

 

Though this house IS long, I really didn’t think it looked much longer than Westover. But I assume Westover is not a frame house (though I am not sure what gives that classification).

 

 

 

 

We had our look and headed back to the car then.

 

 

We set off on our way back to civilization. We were very hungry now. We knew where a few fast food places were not too far from our resort, so we figured we would head that way.

Luck would be that we got behind someone who had no clue how to drive. They were driving so slow and swerving back and forth a bit. And the road we were on had some turns, plus oncoming traffic, so there was no safe way to pass them. We were having a fit as we were wasting away now without having lunch and I think it was after 1 PM at this point. Soon Siri was telling us our turn was coming up and sure enough these people got in the turn lane. We made a quick decision not to follow them anymore ….we should have…….

I went straight thinking that that we would find food quicker and then easily get back to the resort. We came into a populated area, but no fast food was in site. There were even strip mall looking places, but not a single McDonalds or the like to drive through. I finally pulled over and set Siri to get us back to the resort again as I knew how to find food from there. She took us to the main drag we had driven so many times and we found a Burger King. Sadly the route was much longer than I thought it would be and I think following the slow people would’ve gotten us there faster.

 

We both had to use the restroom by this time, so we got out and used it and made our orders inside. I think it was now around 2 PM. Luck again, was not on our side and they were the slowest burger king ever! I got the wrong drink and I think Dad got something wrong as well. We snacked on fries as we made our way back to the resort where we then inhaled the rest of our food.

 

Claire and Mom were not there when we got back. Amanda said they had been swimming and taking walks and they even had her do some of her homework as well that morning.

I laid down for a quick nap then and got a nice little rest and then Claire came back and of course had to wake me up. You never allow a Mom to sleep too long, it’s in the kid rule book.

 

Soon it was time to get ready for dinner. Today was Mom and Dad’s anniversary!

 

Amanda had bought a ring a few days earlier that already broke, so we headed out early so she could return it. Dad and I sat in the car while the rest went to return it. Sadly they wouldn’t give her her money back and she had to either get something else or have them repair it. I think she chose something else. Since we still had time and a primo parking spot in the shopping area, some of us headed off to the book store to look around and make some last minute purchases.

 

We then drove over towards the Kings Arm Tavern and found a parking lot across the street. It was very easy to find actually and not a far walk at all from there.

 

 

 

 

 

We came in the back way and made our way around the front of the restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

[cfc]

Yes, there aren't a lot of lunch opportunities on along Rt. 5 in Charles City County. There's a restaurant in Charles City itself. and the old Coach House Restaurant at Berkeley Plantation used to be good (not sure if it's there anymore). And I've never been by the Charles City Tavern when it's been open.

 

I did not see a restaurant there nor did I see one listed on it's site, so my guess it was gone, but that would've been a perfect spot for a lunch that day. And of course since we weren't familiar with the area at all we weren't too keen to go exploring on side roads to see if we could find anything either.

 

You would've driven by the Charles City Tavern on your way to the plantations (it's right on Rt. 5). It used to be the Indian Fields Tavern years ago, and the food was great back then (no idea about it now). It's in a big farmhouse.

 

Wa it kind of dumpy looking? We did see something kind of in the middle of no where that looked like a truck stop type place and the outside kind of looked scary so we didn't even consider it.

 

Nope--it's this place.