Trip to Virginia in April

[cbreedon]

My wife and I are taking a trip to Virginia, DC and Maryland in April.

Our loose itinerary is:
Manassas probably the 1st day after landing at Dulles. It is only a few miles.

Then down to Williamsburg/Jamestown area.

Then over the Chesapeake bridge/tunnel up to Rehoboth Beach and visit Dogfish Head Brewery.

Then through Annapolis to DC for a day or so.

My question is: We want to hit another battlefield on the way to Williamsburg. I know there are several along the way but I am not sure which would a good one to visit? We went to *****sburg and Antietem a couple of years ago and enjoyed them.

Also are there any other good things to hit in the areas mentioned. Breweries, restaurants, historical attractions, etc?

Any help would be appreciated.

[SBL]

Assuming you're going to be taking I-95 down to Williamsburg, the most obvious place to stop off would probably be Fredericksburg.
Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville battlefields are located fairly close to one another, as well as being significant engagements and reasonably close to the highway, so you won't have to wander too far off the beaten track to see 'em.
The Wilderness and Cedar Mountain battlefields are relatively close as well, but they're a little farther afield, and it'll likely take more time getting to and from than you're willing to spend.
You may want to consider Caroline street for lunch or dinner, I dunno. It's been a while since I've been there, but I recall there being some good local places to check out. CJ would probably know.

If you're specifically interested in the Confederacy, then you'll obviously want to make a stop in Richmond, which is also on the way.

I don't think you'll have any trouble finding places that interest you in Williamsburg.

I'm pretty familiar with Annapolis. The harbor is a nice place to spend an afternoon, but I wouldn't necessarily recommend eating there as the bars and restaurants are usually crowded with tourists and families visiting the Academy.
In my ever-humble opinion, the best place to spend a few hours if you've got 'em is at Davis' Pub: good beer on tap, but more than that, it's just a really (sometimes very) cozy, local joint. Dockside. Everyone is very friendly.
Conversely, if you're just interested in getting some excellent grub to go with your craft beer, check out Punk's Backyard Grill at the Mall. I know it looks like a chain, but it's not. Really friendly staff, and as I said, great food and beer. You'll like it, trust me. Make sure you get a seat at the bar.


Also, in my opinion, you may want to consider condensing your trip. Seems like a lot of driving to me.

[California Joe]

SBL is right on all accounts, Fredericksburg is right in the middle of several other significant battlefields. Marye's Heights is still there, as is a part of the Sunken Road the Irish Brigade repeatedly charged to no avail....It's worth seeing if you are in the area....

[commanding]

My wife and I are taking a trip to Virginia, DC and Maryland in April.

Our loose itinerary is:
Manassas probably the 1st day after landing at Dulles. It is only a few miles.

Then down to Williamsburg/Jamestown area.

Then over the Chesapeake bridge/tunnel up to Rehoboth Beach and visit Dogfish Head Brewery.

Then through Annapolis to DC for a day or so.

My question is: We want to hit another battlefield on the way to Williamsburg. I know there are several along the way but I am not sure which would a good one to visit? We went to *****sburg and Antietem a couple of years ago and enjoyed them.

Also are there any other good things to hit in the areas mentioned. Breweries, restaurants, historical attractions, etc?

Any help would be appreciated.

Manassas is great battlefield (we went in July when it was hot as hades) April is good month to go there.
Jamestown great!
Yorktown battlefield is a must see, where the US got the surrender of the Brits. Cornwallis.... Redoubt #9 is historical.
Skip the wilderness battlefield.
Several great spots in Richmond, the whitehouse of the CSA, the church where Patrick Henry gave his "give me liberty or death" speech
Mount Vernon home of Washington
Arlington National cemetery, JFK grave, at least see the Custis Lee mansion while at Arlington cem.
tons of stuff in DC of course, the VN memorial etc.
Annapolis is okay, but didn't knock my socks off.
Williamsburg is okay if you are into that kind of thing.
see the Pentagon as best you can.
see Fort Meyer as best you can.

[cbreedon]

Thanks for the replies..some good info.

I have heard that Manassas is not that great of a battlefield. That it is basically surrounded by homes and strip malls Is it worth a see?

Fredricksburg and Chancellorsville were a couple that we were looking at. Maybe we'll hit one of those two. Anything in particular put one in front of the other?

I thought of stopping off at The Museum of the Confederacy on the way through Richmond.

We are looking at old Inn and pubs. Stuff you can't see on the West Coast... My wife has a fixation for crab cakes every time we head to the East Coast so I'm sure we'll have to search for that too. I searched the two pubs you mentioned. They both look like they have some good stuff.

The driving aspect is a little of a concern. We may play it by ear after we get to Williamsburg. I really like Dogfish Head so I kind of want to get over there since we're in the area. It's about 150 miles from Williamsburg so not too far and it's bringing us back up to DC.

DC doesn't interest me too much on this trip but I would like to at least spend a day so I can say I've been there.

When we were in *****sburg, we really liked just driving around and seeing the history and taking a drive down lane and see what we found.

[SBL]

I've only driven through Manassas battlefield on my way to somewhere else, so honestly I can't say. But the battlefields in Fredericksburg are the most interesting I've actually visited, due to the fact that a lot of structures and landmarks are still in place, which lend a sense of time and help jog the imagination a little better.

And unless I was really, really intent on seeing where dogfish head was made, I'd cut out Delmarva altogether. It's just a really long, flat, boring drive in my opinion.

Annapolis is the place if you're looking for crab- no joke.

[Chulo]

Richmond has quite abit of stuff, while Williamsburg has a good colonial "town" and also an outlet mall :P Otherwise, not much to do here in the Hampton roads area. There is the Battleship Wisconsin at the Nauticus which is cool, and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is cool (17 miles of bridge and tunnel), Virginia beach boardwalk is nice (in summer).

[Wilco]

Winchester. That is all.

Changed hands multiple times in the war, has Stonewall Jackson's headquarters, George Washington's, a historic downtown, etc.

It's where I'm from, go ahead and check it out on wikipedia. Cedar Creek battlefield is down the road a few minutes, another plus.

Also, down town comes alive on the weekends and a lot of awesome bars and small time resteraunts for a good eat. Picadilly Brew Pub is good stuff, a good stay is the George Washington Hotel, just got back today from five days in Winchester.

[Toddy1]

FWIW http://www.civilwar.org/150th-annive...ents/?state=VA