One night get-a-way side trip

My husband and I will be visiting Northern VA for our spring break (March 15th to March 22nd) We will be staying with my sister in Woodbridge and plan to spend a couple of days in Wash D.C.

I would also like to make a one night side trip to some other area of Virginia while we are there. We live in Northern California, and we enjoy golf, fly fishing, bird watching, wine tasting, and just soaking in outdoor scenery. ...and my husband is a history teacher, so historic sites are near the top of his list.

I have become overwhelmed looking around the web trying to decide which area of this beautiful state to choose.

I know it is a pretty broad question and everyone has different tastes, but if anyone could share a some favorite spots or ideas, I would appreciate it.

Kim

One night get-a-way side trip

Either Charlottesville or Williamsburg would be near perfect for you. Both are about two hours by car from Woodbridge, with lots of lodging options to suit every budget. Given your priorities of things to do, then, they stack up as follows:

Golf: Williamsburg wins, with literally dozens of courses with 20 minutes or so (too many to name). Charlottesville will let you get in a great round as well, but choices are more limited. You have the University of Virginia%26#39;s course, Birdwood, which is a top-10 University course, as well as an (expensive) semi-public course at Keswick Manor, and an up-and-coming course about 25 minutes outside of town called Old Trail. The rest aren%26#39;t really notable IMHO.

Fly fishing and birding: not my area at all, so I couldn%26#39;t tell you which is better. Both have plenty of rivers and streams nereby, and seem to have many birds. The forests around Williamsburg tend to be more pine, those around Charlottesville more deciduous.

Wine tasting: Charlottesville. At least a dozen or more interesting wineries within 20 minutes of downtown. They aren%26#39;t up to California standards, but they try and might surprise you.

Outdoor scenery: In my view, edge to Charlottesville. It is at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive 35 minutes away, so you%26#39;ve got better options for scenic vistas. I personally prefer the rolling hills in that area to the flatter, water and woods-focused scenery near Williamsburg.

History: Williamsburg. You have Colonial Williamsburg, the Jamestown settlement, the Yorktown revolutionry battlefield and College of William and Mary all clustered around town. Charlottesville has Monticello and the University of Virginia (which are joint UNESCO World Heritage Sites), as well as a quaint downtown, but Williamsburg wins with the bigger mix of sites to choose from.

If you%26#39;ve never been to either, I%26#39;m sure either would be great. There are lots of posts around the forums here with things to do in both places.

One night get-a-way side trip

Warthog,

Thank you for taking the time to post your informative response to my question. I am sorry that I am just now finding the time to get back to my research for this trip. Life has been a bit hectic!

For some reason after reading your post, I am more drawn to Charlottesville. I will take some time to research that area.

Again, thanks for your suggestions. I may have some more questions for you after I have done some more surfin%26#39; around.

Kim

Consider staying up at Wintergreen resort which is past Charlottesville up off the Blue Ridge parkway. There is great golf up there, Devil%26#39;s Knob course is at 4,000 feet-I believe the highest golf course east of the Mississippi.

There are good hikes in the area, fishing on the Tyro river, horseback riding.

You can hit touristy places in Charlottesville on your way in or out.

Couple other thoughts on the history side of things (although I agree that Charlottesville is a great option): Gettysburg is only a couple of hours drive, so that%26#39;s something you may want to look into as well. Harpers Ferry is also nice for a day trip. Also, Fairfax County has a number of local sites you may want to check out while you%26#39;re in the area, such as Sully Plantation.

If it were me - I would go along Blue Ridge, maybe stop at one of the caverns nearby, or Civil War Sites. New Market battlefield, Hall of Valor Museum is very interesting. Beautiful countryside, we stay a few times a year at Massanutten resort which is close by. Then swing by Barboursville winery (my favorite) and maybe head down to Charlottesville or one of the towns nearby overnight - then stop at Monticello.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. One question... Having grown up in western PA, I am aware that the weather in mid-March can be just about anything. Is it likely that the weather along the Blue Ridge Parkway that time of year would keep us from fully enjoying the area?

Kim

You%26#39;re right, March weather can be almost anything, but more likely than not you%26#39;ll have decent (or better) weather. Just be prepared and enjoy the beautiful Blue Ridge. There are also several web sites for more Parkway info and AAA has a good BRP map. The BRP visitors centers have a list of all the hiking trails by milepost if you are interested. Happy trails.

Williamsburg %26amp; the surrounding areas, such as Jamestown, Yorktown, %26amp; Newport News are great for both history, %26amp; outdoor activities like you mentioned above. I would suggest staying in Newport News, because it is centrally located between those areas %26amp; Virginia Beach, which is another great place for great outdoor activities such as those.

Newport News%26#39;s tourism website - www.newport-news.org

Also, Virginia%26#39;s tourism website allows you go %26#39;categorize%26#39; your searches by things like %26#39;history%26#39; %26amp; %26#39;outdoor%26#39; activities, etc, which could help narrow down your search, too.

Virginia%26#39;s tourism website - www.virginia.org

Hope that helps!