January 2006

'Round the Corner Romance

It only takes one tank of gas to find exciting and enjoyable honeymoons.

by Loukia Borrell

You don’t need a week’s worth of vacation time or a big pocketbook to have an entertaining and relaxing honeymoon. Even if you only have a few days, there are plenty of places to visit close to home in Virginia and North Carolina. Here are a few affordable suggestions that won’t have you driving or flying for long at all—giving you more time to maximize the romance!

Yorktown/Jamestown/Williamsburg

Rich in history and activities, this historic triangle of cities is less than an hour from south Hampton Roads. In Yorktown, visit the historic Grace Episcopal Church on Church Street. The church dates to 1697 and has survived centuries of change to remain a main attraction in Yorktown. Other historic attractions include the Nelson House on Main Street, home of Thomas Nelson Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence. History buffs will also enjoy seeing the Yorktown Battlefield, Yorktown Victory Monument and Yorktown Victory Center. You can also tour Yorktown to see colonial-style homes and other historic residences. To relax, visit the newly opened Riverwalk Landing to shop and dine, or go to the beach in Yorktown, a local favorite near the George P. Coleman Bridge.

At Jamestown Settlement, recreated settings include a Powhatan Indian village, replica ships and a colonial fort. While in Williamsburg, you can relive life in Colonial Virginia. Williamsburg is good to tour shops, taverns, gardens and historic buildings like Bruton Parish Church, the Governor’s Palace and the Capitol any time of year. Fall is especially picturesque in this area. Whatever the season, make sure your trip includes a drive along the Colonial Parkway, a scenic escape from hectic, modern-day life. You’ll find helpful websites at www.colonialwilliamsburg.com, www.williamsburg.com and www.vacationcreations.com.

If you like theme parks, try a weekend at Water Country USA (www.watercountryusa.com) and Busch Gardens (www.buschgardens.com). A new indoor water park, Great Wolf Lodge, (www.greatwolflodge.com) is another option if you prefer to stay out of the sun. TIP: Look into purchasing packages for these places that you can fine tune to your specific interests and budget.

If architecture is an interest, spend a weekend touring plantations along the James River. A good one to start out with is Brandon Plantation, off Route 10 in Prince George County. This plantation doesn’t get as much attention as some of the others along the James River, but it is well worth a look. There is a small fee to tour the grounds and gardens. Visit the historic Harrison cemetery, and walk down to the river. Brandon is part of an original land grant to John Martin, one of the founders of Jamestown, in the early 1600s. The main house at Brandon, as it now stands, was designed by Thomas Jefferson. There also is an operating farm at Brandon Plantation, believed to be among the oldest continuous agricultural operations in the country. For information, call 757-866-8416.

Bacon’s Castle, built in 1665, is an example of Jacobean architecture and was the site of (Nathaniel) Bacon’s Rebellion. The structure is just off Route 10 in Surry County. Also in Surry County is Smith’s Fort Plantation, built in the mid-1700s. Captain John Smith began the fort in 1609, two years after Jamestown was established. Chippokes Plantation State Park is more than 1,600 acres overlooking the James River. Make a day of it—hiking and biking are favorite pastimes here. TIP: Take time to have lunch at the Surrey House Restaurant, and go aboard the Jamestown Ferry—it’s a free ride.

Moving west, there are a number of plantations along the James River—between Williamsburg and Richmond on picturesque Virginia Route 5—that offer a relaxing tour of life as it used to be in Virginia. Sherwood Forest Plantation served as home to President John Tyler, who purchased the property in 1842. Built in the early 1700s, the house includes a 68-foot ballroom for dancing the Virginia Reel. Call 804-829-5377 for information.

Berkeley Plantation, birthplace to President William Henry Harrison, claims to be the site of America’s first official Thanksgiving and is said to be the oldest three-story brick house in the country. For more on Berkeley, call 804-829-6018.

William Byrd, founder of Richmond, built Westover Plantation in the early 1700s. For a small fee, you can tour the grounds, which include an icehouse and a small building housing a drywell with passage to the river. Take special note of the Georgian architecture. For information, call 804-829-2882.

Be sure to visit Evelynton Plantation, which saw great action during the Civil War and used to be part of Westover. Keep your trip to Virginia’s past going strong by lodging and eating at Southern inns along the way. Some suggested bed and breakfast spots include Piney Grove at Southall’s Plantation, 804-829-2480; North Bend Plantation, circa 1819, 804-829-5176 or www.northbendplantation.com; and Edgewood Plantation, where the third floor was used as a lookout post by Confederate generals who were camped at Berkeley, 800-296-3343 or www.edgewoodplantation.com. Catch regional dining at Indian Fields Tavern, 804-829-5004. TIP: For more information, go to www.jamesriverplantations.com or www.jamesriverplantations.org. For more on historic inns, visit www.bnbfinder.com.

Richmond/Charlottesville

In Richmond, about a two-hour drive from south Hampton Roads, visit Tuckahoe Plantation, the boyhood home of Thomas Jefferson (www.historictuckahoe.com), and Wilton House Museum, once the centerpiece for a 2,000-acre tobacco plantation and now a cultural arena (www.wiltonhousemuseum.org or 804-282-5936). The city also has a lively arts community, fun shopping areas and stylish restaurants. Other area attractions to consider in Richmond are the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Byrd Theater, Shockoe Slip, the Fan District, Museum and White House of the Confederacy, Maymont, the Virginia State Capitol and the Richmond National Battlefield Park.

If you don’t mind a three-hour drive, head to Charlottesville. It is worth it, especially in the summer, when it feels cooler than south Hampton Roads, and in the fall, when the scenery is inspiring. Charlottesville is also known for its fine dining, shopping, hiking, camping and biking. A popular way to spend the day is to tour Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s mountaintop home (www.monticello.org). Make sure you head there early to beat the lines. Other key sites in the Charlottesville area include the 18th-century Michie Tavern (www.michietavern.com), where you can eat Southern fare in a colonial setting, Ash Lawn-Highland, the home of President James Monroe (www.ashlawnhighland.org), and Montpelier, home of President James Madison (www.montpelier.org). If you’re looking for day trips outside of Charlottesville, try Luray Caverns, the Natural Bridge, Crabtree Falls, Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway. TIP: Charlottesville is rich with secluded, historic inns. Visit www.bedandbreakfast.com, and follow the prompts to inns in the Charlottesville area.

Eastern Shore/Outerbanks

Still pristine and relatively quiet, the Eastern Shore is a popular destination for biking, canoeing, kayaking and bird watching. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island is recommended for bird watching, while canoeing and kayaking are ideal along creeks on the Eastern Shore. Heading north from Hampton Roads, about three miles after you cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel on Route 13, turn west to Route 704 to find Kiptopeke State Park about half a mile down the road. Among the park’s features are a beach, hiking trails, overnight camping, a camp store for supplies, hiking and bicycling trails and picnic shelters. For more information, call 757-331-2267.

Cape Charles has an art gallery, shops and restaurants, while Onancock offers similar attractions. For something different, take a passenger ferry from Onancock to Tangier Island. You can buy tickets for the Captain Eulice at the Onancock Wharf. The ferry leaves in the morning and returns in mid-afternoon. In Onancock, visit the Kerr Place, a Federal-style mansion and museum that serves as headquarters to the Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society (www.kerrplace.org). Visit www.baydreaming.com for a list of inns in Onancock and Cape Charles.

The beaches along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, though popular tourist destinations, still have the seaside charm of yesterday. Your activities can include sitting on the beach, looking for shells and trying out new restaurants or can be more active like sailing, surfing or fishing. Although Nags Head is generally seen as the commercial center of the Outer Banks, there are other destinations to consider if you prefer a change of pace. Northern beaches include Duck and Corolla, or you can take a longer drive and head toward Cape Hatteras or Ocracoke Island. While in the Outer Banks, tour the different lighthouses, climb Jockey’s Ridge in Nags Head and visit the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. Roanoke Island Festival Park, the Elizabethan Gardens and the outdoor drama The Lost Colony are also part of the Outer Banks’ experience. Visit www.outerbanks.com for more of what the area has to offer.