Our Virginia Road Trip (Finally!)

This past autumn, we finally got to take the Virginia road trip we had originally planned for 2020.

The Fan District

We began our trip at our AirBnB in Richmond’s beautiful, historic Fan District.

With such a convenient location, we were able to walk to various historic sites and great dining. I may just make this BnB my new getaway anytime I have a free weekend.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

That first day, we decided to visit the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where I had seen the Faberge collection and spent the night on two separate field trips as a child.

Hollywood Cemetery

For scenic sunset views and a long walk through the perfect crisp, clear weather, we headed to the historic Hollywood Cemetery.

Meadow Run Mill & General Store

After leaving Richmond, we headed to Charlottesville in an attempt to visit Monticello and take a quick photo out front. Unfortunately, it turns out you can’t just walk up to Monticello these days, so we were unsuccessful in this venture. (We really should have known better!) And I missed an amazing photo op of the sun shining on the mountain across the street. I still wish we’d pulled over so I could have taken it!

On our journey, though, we came across the Michie Tavern (where we really should have stopped to eat–we didn’t plan that day very well) and the associated Meadow Run Mill and General Store.

Because we missed it, we’re already planning another trip where we’ll visit Monticello and stay in the Jefferson Hotel in nearby Richmond while we’re at it.

The Homeplace

I was really looking forward to eating at this old favorite restaurant and possibly buying some merch to support them, but when we got there, we learned that The Homeplace had closed permanently earlier in the year after more than 38 years. We still pulled in to have a look at the property because, as you can see, it was in a really beautiful place.

Craig Springs

I was so excited to visit the picturesque campgrounds at Craig Springs, site of many of my happiest childhood memories. It was the first time I’d ever seen it bedecked in autumn colors.

If you decide to visit, be sure to contact management ahead of time just to let them know you’ll be on the property. They were happy to let us stop by to view the area.

Dogtown Roadhouse

We didn’t linger anywhere that day quite as long as I would have liked, because we’d gotten a late start and had a dinner date with an old friend at Chateau Morrisette. (We did not end up making it to Chateau Morrisette, but I have since learned that their chambourcin, The Black Dog, and merlot are all wonderful!)

Since the Chateau closed before we could get there, we ended up going to the Dogtown Roadhouse instead for some delicious wood-fired pizza!

R. L. Stone House

Naturally, we found a beautiful historic home in which to spend the night before heading to our next destination. Since the AirBnB was located in the butler’s quarters, we kept making Downton Abbey jokes all night. (This was a really great stay, by the way. The hosts were so kind and made us breakfast and gave us the most scrumptious cookies on our way in and out!)

On the Road

For years, I’ve wondered whether people who grow up in breathtakingly beautiful places fully appreciate how good they’ve got it. Is the view breathtaking to them if they see it every day? Or does it never get old?

On this trip, I realized how lovely the area where I grew up really is. Driving through those mountains was simply stunning. I knew, of course, that I had been born and raised in this place, but I discovered that those memories now feel like they came out of a dream or a film that I watched. It no longer feels like this place was ever a part of my story. Instead, it felt like we were driving through imaginary locations from a storybook I’d read in years past. It just seemed impossible that such beauty could be real, and absurd to think that it ever could have belonged to me. This leads me to believe that I never did appreciate it to the fullest. But more than two decades surrounded by unchanging flatlands and palm trees in Florida has really driven home how much beauty exists elsewhere in the world. Driving through those mountains and seeing what I’ve been missing out on for so many years seemed to split my heart in half like lightning through a tree.

Special shoutout to this brief but precious roadside companion who really wanted to come with us.

The College of William & Mary

The next evening, we planned to drive halfway to Williamsburg, but the second we got on the road, we found ourselves in the middle of a tornado warning! Being out in the country as we were, there were no streetlights and nowhere to pull over, and as the wind and leaves swirled all around our car, we couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead of us. It was terrifying! We ended up in a hotel not half an hour away, and drove the rest of the way in the morning when the sun was back.

On my previous trip to Colonial Williamsburg, I hadn’t visited The College of William & Mary, so we made a point of doing so this time.

Edgar Allan Poe Museum

On our last day, we headed back to Richmond to visit the Edgar Allan Poe Museum, another place I had not visited for many years. This is a truly fascinating visit, by the way. Poe’s entire life was exactly like a Poe story. It’s…bizarre.

Back to the Fan

We headed back to the same AirBnB from the start of our trip, where our host was kind enough to let us in several hours early, as we had arrived back in the city much sooner than expected. And then we went once again to walk the Fan District and enjoy some more good dining.

This was a wonderful, relaxing vacation with so many gorgeous views!