Sunday, March 23, 2014

Spring Break Road Trip (Part 1)

Last year we had to wait until the last minute to book our spring break--my husband was waiting on some scheduling news, and we didn't want to commit to flights or hotels--so we figured that once we knew our plans, we would make a driving trip with whatever time we had. The only thing we had to do was end up on Easter Sunday in Talbot County, Maryland, as that was where my husband's first show Alternate Route was being filmed. So with that in mind, and 8 free days before that, we created an itinerary that is a pretty awesome road trip, if I do say so myself. While I will give each stop a post a day, here's the rough idea (in case you find yourself in a similar situation this spring break)-NYC to the Homestead Resort in Virginia, to Richmond, to Colonial Williamsburg, to Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, to Talbot County in Maryland, and then DC, to home.


























Somewhere deep in Pennsylvania (near Carlisle) we spotted this military museum, the US Army Heritage and Education Center, and took the exit. It was a great place to run around--it has a huge outdoor museum, reinforce some history lessons, and as you can see, it's right on the highway.



























We rolled in to the Homestead at around 7:30pm. What a lovely drive it was though--the Shenandoah Mountains are so pretty--and once we got to the hotel, we forgot about the long drive pretty much immediately.






















































We had dinner at Sam Snead's Tavern, which is not exactly on property, but in the little village of Hot Springs, just a 5 minute walk from the Homestead. They had a great charcuterie plate--we went crazy for their local pickles. The tavern has great character--lots of old school golf paraphenalia everywhere, a roaring fire, and hearty classics.





































The next day we got to see the property in the light--such a great historical hotel--and they have done such a nice job, similar to the Bedford Springs--in renovating it. We did not expect snow, but it did give us more reason to stick around and really explore the hotel. Were we staying more than one day at the hotel, we would have skied for sure. I certainly wouldn't expect most to do the drive-by that we did--you could easily stay here a week. (And now they have a Canyon Ranch spa.)





























We also made it to the family hours of the Jefferson Pools, which are reason enough to make the drive to the Homestead. How rare is it in this country that we can actually experience something that is from 1761 and completely unchanged (well, they did add in the noodles)... They are these mineral pools that Jefferson is documented to have come to...and they are amazing.


(These are the pickles we are obsessed with!)



























The formal dinner is sweet--yes you have to come prepared to dress up--but this is why you come to a place like this--for amazing moments like a first father-daughter dance (above).

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