Yesterday, I left my Roanoke Airbnb and drove to Natural Bridge State Park in Virginia to hike the two mile Cedar Creek Trail. I arrived a few minutes before they opened at 8:00 a.m. The $9 entry fee was worth … Continue reading
Yesterday morning I drove seven hours from Northern Kentucky to Roanoke, Virginia. I’m on a solo 21 day road trip exploring the Eastern Seaboard from Virginia up through Massachusetts. In Roanoke I visited the Taubman Museum of Art. It was … Continue reading
George Washington’s former plantation, Mount Vernon, offers a variety of interesting and historical sites for all ages! After touring the Mansion and gardens, my husband and I stopped at one of the outbuildings on the grounds where a woman portrays Martha Washington and stays in character, answering questions from the crowd. She was very entertaining and knowledgeable!
At one point in time, there were 316 slaves living at Mount Vernon. They were freed after George Washington’s death, which he directed in his Last Will and Testament.
Bike and Roll has a fun and educational bicycling adventure that begins in Alexandria, Virginia, where you pick up a bike and cycle 9 miles along a scenic path beside the Potomac River, to the historic and beautiful Mount Vernon, George Washington’s former plantation.
Before touring the Mansion and grounds, we had lunch at the Mount Vernon Inn.
I recommend the Shrimp and Grits and the Root Beer is pretty darn good!
After one airplane, one bus, one train, one metro, and a 15 minute walk, my husband and I climbed four flights of stairs to our Airbnb in Washington, D.C., and were glad we only had one piece of luggage and one carry-on combined to lug before our week of fun and educational activities in our Country’s Capitol and surrounding areas. Located within 15 minutes walk to the Metro, 5 minutes to a Capital Bikeshare station, and less than 3 miles to the White House, we had all of Washington D.C.’s “must see” destinations at our fingertips! First on the agenda was stocking up at the local Harris Teeter grocery store. Walking 15 minutes to the grocery store, we purchased enough food to see us through 4 dinners, 2 lunches, and 7 breakfasts. Unless you’re independently wealthy, saving money by dining at your home away from home is one of the best ways to enable frequent travel. Living like a local while you’re on vacation is definitely a great way to feel the pulse of a City, but like most things in life, has it’s downside.
By 3:00pm we were headed by Metro across the Potomac River to our Nation’s most sacred final resting ground…Arlington National Cemetery. Surrounded by over 400,000 grave sites of deceased military and other prominent people, I felt a sense of sorrow for their families.
Hiking on the Appalachian Trail was another bucket list experience! I discovered that you can hike Lodge to Lodge, so you don’t have to carry a tent and food (other than snacks and lunch), along a 17 mile portion of the trail through Virginia in the Shenandoah National Park. If you’d like to plan your own trip, the details are here.
These are some of the images I encountered while hiking…
Sherry Lachelle Travels 