We were supposed to be in Virginia this week, seeing autumn. We were going to take a lovely road trip where I showed my boyfriend all the beautiful places I could remember from my childhood, set against a colorful, fall-flavored backdrop. But then the pandemic happened and threw off everyone’s entire year.
There were so many different places I wanted to stop that I created a personalized roadmap to cover all of them and help figure out what order to visit them all. This took some trial and error and several different sites until I found the right one. I tried:
- Google Maps: Not user-friendly. I gave up after a minute or so.
- Roadtrippers: Very user-friendly and seemed like a great service! But wanted me to pay to include all of my stops.
- Rand McNally: Might have been a good service, but I wouldn’t know, because it would never load any of my stops.
- Travelmap: Also not user-friendly at all. No idea what I was doing there.
- My Scenic Drives: This one finally did the trick! Here’s the map I created:
And here’s what we would have seen:
Richmond
Richmond was the most obvious place to fly into, given that there’s a good airport and I have friends with a nice guest area for us to stay in. Growing up, I always adored Richmond’s beautiful historic appearance, and had planned to live there as an adult, though that still hasn’t happened. And my friends were going to share their favorite restaurant and accompany us on our tour of the historic downtown.
Monticello
From Richmond, I had planned to drive up north to Charlottesville to see Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson. I believe I visited this once on a school field trip long ago, though memories are hazy.
Luray Caverns
Next on the list, even farther up the map, was Luray Caverns, if we had time for it. Very impressive views here! I still remember the one rock formation that resembled bacon and eggs. Also, if you’re confused, here’s a fun hint that I’ve always remembered from some book I read as a kid: Stalactites have a ‘c’ and grow out of the ceiling; stalagmites have a ‘g’ and grow out of the ground.
The Homeplace Restaurant
My sister reminded me that we used to stop at this restaurant as a big group on the way to camp every year. It was so charming, the view was amazing, and the food was very tasty. They announced two weeks ago that they were shutting down for the rest of the year due to COVID, and the locals really stepped up and gave them so much business over the next few days that they had to put caps on the number of people they could serve for the day! People also requested GoFundMe information to help them out, which doesn’t exist yet, or I’d share it. I’d definitely be interested in buying a t-shirt or some other merch if they had it online somewhere!
And that brings me to…
Craig Springs Campgrounds
I’d also planned to pay a visit to Old Man Craig, the legendary ghost of Craig Springs, where I’d spent so many summers at camp, because I seem to remember the destination being very lovely. And, honestly, just to reminisce in a wide-open outdoor space.
Mabry Mill
No trip through the Blue Ridge Parkway is complete without a stop at Mabry Mill!
Lover’s Leap
We were going to go to the Lover’s Leap scenic overlook for some absolutely breathtaking views, provided we got there on a clear day.
Ferrum College
My dad used to take me to festivals on this beautiful campus nestled in a little valley. I didn’t actually attend the school or anything (though ironically, one of my friends here in Florida did). I just remember how lovely the view was. Like Craig Springs, I sure hope it actually lives up to the image in my memory!
Lastly, after spending some time in my hometown between here and there, we would head over to…
Colonial Williamsburg
As you know if you saw my previous post, I took a fairly recent trip to Williamsburg four years ago, but I could absolutely do another stop there anytime!
And then we’d finish back where we started in Richmond.
So there you go. There’s my Virginia trip that didn’t happen, and all my favorite spots if you’re planning your own road trip in the state for lovers. Hopefully ours will happen next year, and then I can come back and update with more photos!
Do you have a favorite place to see in Virginia? Let me know in the comments.
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