GREAT DRIVES WITH capitalregionusa.org
TOURING
HIGHLIGHTS
Across the Capital Region you
will fi nd walking trails and driving
tours created to showcase the
Colonial Williamsburg
region’s most compelling stories.
where 50 thrilling rides and attractions will set your adrenaline racing.
Here are some highlights
It has been voted the world’s ‘Most Beautiful T_h eme Park’ for 19
consecutive years. for your touring pleasure.
DAY 11 VIRGINIA BEACH – GET BACK TO NATURE GRAPE EXPECTATIONS
Drive south-east to Virginia Beach, the world’s longest pleasure beach. Wine lovers visiting the Capital Region are in for a treat. Vineyards in
Stroll the 40 blocks of boardwalk and enjoy a cocktail while deciding Virginia and Maryland thrive in the benign Mediterranean-like climate.
where to eat. When the sun drops the beachfront comes alive – you’ll be A getaway on a wine trail or visit to a wine festival makes a relaxing
spoilt for choice. addition to any holiday.
Next morning, get back to nature with a hike through False Cape T_h e 140 wineries in Virginia (virginiawines.org) are split into nine
State Park or hire a kayak and go dolphin-spotting. diff erent wine regions – from the captivating Eastern Shore and historic
Hampton Roads to the stunning views of the Blue Ridge Highlands and
DAYS 12 & 13 CHESAPEAKE BAY AND MARYLAND’S rolling landscape of the Shenandoah Valley.
EASTERN SHORE Wine trails make touring and tasting easy. T_h ere are 24 wineries to
Turn north and cross the awesome Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel to choose from on the Monticello Wine Trail (monticellowinetrail.com) close
the ‘Delmarva’ peninsula, where boating, birdwatching, lighthouse tours to Charlottesville, and 23 on the Loudoun Wine Trail (loudounfarms.org)
and fi shing opportunities abound. Locals call this the ‘land of pleasant in the heart of ‘DC’s Wine Country’ (an hour or so from Washington).
living’. Don’t have a car? Public wine tours are off ered on weekends across
Moving north, you’ll soon be back in Maryland. See the world’s northern Virginia by Reston Limo (restonlimo.com).
largest collection of decorative bird carvings at the Ward Museum of T_h ere’s something for every palate in Maryland (marylandwine.com),
Wildfowl Art in Salisbury. At Cambridge, visit the Blackwater National
Wildlife Refuge, an important nesting and feeding area for bald eagles,
TRAVELLING INTO HISTORY
ospreys and waterfowl.
St Michaels is a romantic spot for boutiquing, strolling the historic
★ Take a ‘Journey Through Hallowed Ground’ and you’ll be
streets or feasting on crab cakes while overlooking the harbour. Easton
driving back in time in the most historic region of the USA.
is a top-10 honouree in the book 100 Best Small Towns in America. Tiny
Oxford, featured in James Michener’s novel Chesapeake, is reached by the A National Heritage Area (with 10,000 listings on the
longest cable-free ferry in the USA (in season). National Register of Historic
Explore Chesapeake Country Places), it includes nine
– Maryland’s fi rst national scenic Presidents’ homes, 20 historic
byway – or the Harriet Tubman Main Street communities
Underground Railroad byway, and 13 National Parks, as well
chronicling the escape of Southern as hundreds of African and
slaves to freedom in the north during Native American historical
the Civil War. locations.
Oatlands Plantation
near Leesburg
There are sites from the French
DAY 14 ANNAPOLIS,
and Indian War, the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812,
SAILING CAPITAL
as well as dozens of scenic roads, rivers and breathtaking
OF THE USA
landscapes.
Leave Maryland’s Eastern Shore
Black
water Na
tional
via the soaring Chesapeake Bay Wildlif
e Refuge
The ‘Journey’ begins just north of the Maryland border at
Bridge for Annapolis. Down on the
Gettysburg and runs south, meandering through Frederick
waterfront, enjoy lively cafes and bars
and Washington counties in Maryland before crossing nine
or go shopping in the Market House. Enjoy the local fare, seasoned with
counties in Virginia, beginning in Leesburg and concluding at
the fl avours of the Chesapeake Bay. Take a scenic harbour cruise and a
Thomas Jef_f erson’s home, Monticello, near Charlottesville.
guided tour of the US Naval Academy, home to 4,000 midshipmen.
The route takes in literally hundreds of historic places and,
while many are linked to the Civil War, there are also scores
DAY 15
of fascinating homes, parks, museums and landmarks
Take a last lingering look at the scenery of the Capital Region USA en
to visit, as well as wineries, inns, antique shops, fairs and
route to Washington or Baltimore to drop off your car and catch your
farmers’ markets (hallowedground.org).
fl ight home.
capitalregionusa.org 47
CRUSA 2010 pp44-49 Open road.indd 47 3/11/09 13:46:53
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