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Touring in Olde Virginia
Day 1 - Arrival at Richmond International Airport (everyone) We will meet your flight and our private motor coach will take us to Williamsburg, about an hour's ride. Arrival at the hotel for check-in and a chance for a little rest. At 5:30 we will meet in the courtyard for a Welcome Cocktail Party where we will hand out name tags, passes, schedules, etc. for your holiday. We invite you to join us for dinner in the 415 Grill , where we can continue getting acquainted. Day 2 - Smithfield and the South Side (non-golfers) Departure from the hotel at 9:00. After dropping off the golfers at Kingsmill, we will continue on to visit historic Lee Hall Mansion, nicely restored antebellum mansion that served as Confederate headquarters during part of the 1862 Peninsula Campaign of the Civil War.
In the afternoon we will visit St. Luke's
Shrine, circa 1632, the oldest surviving Anglican church and the only remaining
brick church of Gothic design in America.
From there, if time permits, we will go on to visit
Bacon's Castle, 1665, Evening free. Day 3 - All tour to Busch Gardens, the Old Country (everyone) Depart at 9:00. We will first stop at the Williamsburg
Visitors Center to pick up your passport for several of the places we will visit
this week, including Busch Gardens, the Old Country. This is one of the most wonderful
amusement parks in the world -- a thrill even if you don't go on a single
ride. Old Europe is reproduced here in a fascinating and colorful panorama
with much more than just the rides -- shops, restaurants, outdoor entertainment,
theaters. Evening free. Day 4 - Shopping day (non-golfers) Departure at 10:00. We will take in the famous Williamsburg Pottery Factory, the Candle Factory, the Brass Shop, and the Doll Factory. Evening free. Day 5 --Touring in Colonial Williamsburg (everyone)
Evening free. Optional: an evening at one of our unusual dinner theaters: "The Haunted Dinner Theater" at Captain George's Seafood Restaurant, or the rollicking Elizabethan "Rosie Rumpe's Regal Dumpe" for those who have made advance reservations at the Welcome Cocktail Party. Day 6 - Jamestown and the Williamsburg Winery (non-golfers) Departure 10:00. We will enjoy a tour of the well-known Williamsburg Winery in the morning, with a taste of several of their delicious wines. We will then enjoy lunch at the Gabriel Archer Tavern on the winery grounds. In the afternoon, we will visit the site of the Jamestown Colony, the first permanent English settlement in America, 1607. The excavation of the original James Fort can be seen, as well as the church tower, the reconstructed church, and the footprint of the settlement. We will experience fascinating indoor exhibits in the Jamestown Settlement, replicas of the original three ships in which the settlers arrived in the New World, as well as vivid living history portrayed by costumed interpreters. We will pick up the golfers at Ford's Colony on our way back to the hotel. Even free. Optional: You may wish to sign up for the candlelit Ghosts of Williamsburg tour in the restored area in the evening. Day 7 - Yorktown (everyone) Departure 9:00 for a wonderful day in Yorktown, the site of the final battle and ultimate surrender which ended the revolutionary war in 1781. Yorktown itself is a quaint fishing village with its own restored colonial buildings and the fascinating Watermen's Museum depicting the history of life on the York river. We will also tour the actual Yorktown Battlefield with our guide. We will cross the river for lunch at the River's Inn in Gloucester Point, famous for delicious and very fresh seafood. We will spend the afternoon at the Yorktown Victory Center tracing the progress of the revolutionary war culminating in the battle of Yorktown. The indoor exhibits and the informative film will intrigue you, and the interpretive program outdoors in the model military encampment will strike your imagination. Evening free. Day 8 - Historic Richmond (non-golfers) Departure 8:30, dropping off the golfers at New Kent on the way. Today we will spend the morning getting to know the gracious city of Richmond, a living souvenir of the old south. The sights we see this morning will take us though many periods of history, as Richmond has been significant in Virginia's history from early colonial times to the Revolutionary War, to the Civil War, to its present status as the capital of the Commonwealth. In keeping with our step back in time, we will lunch at the famous old Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond. We will then stop at Shirley Plantation (the oldest in Virginia) on the James River for a look at the lovely old house and to catch a glimpse of how family life in old Virginia must have been. After picking up the golfers at New Kent, we will return to the hotel. Evening free. Day 9 - Hampton Roads (everyone) Departure 8:30. In the
morning, we will explore Old Hampton, located on the great waterway, Hampton
Roads, the confluence of the James River, the York River, and the Chesapeake
Bay. At the Hampton History Museum and Visitors' Center, we will find many
wonderful interactive exhibits which tell the story of this fascinating
area. Evening: We invite you to a Farewell Dinner at Barrett's Seafood Restaurant just off Merchants' Square in the restored area. We will share pictures of our holiday, exchange addresses with our new friends, and take one last look at the town as we stroll back past the beautiful College of William and Mary to our hotel. Day 10 - departure Transfer to the Richmond International Airport at times to be determined. We hope you had a wonderful time, and that you will join us again in some other interesting part of the world for another Stowe Away Tour. |
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We cross the James River to the South Side and Isle of Wight
County where we find the quaint river-port town of of Smithfield, rich in
history and known especially for Smithfield Ham. The Courthouse is of
historical significance, and there is an interesting small museum filled with
the area's history, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, and Main Street lined
with lovely restored homes. We will have lunch, as did George Washington himself,
at the charming Smithfield Inn, specializing in true Old Virginia Fare, such as
ham biscuits and peanut soup.
The Jacobean interior and the
17th century silver altar fittings are impressive , and this church houses the
nation's oldest intact pipe organ.
of Jacobean style with an unusual cruciform shape, three
chimneys and curving Flemish gables. It is the oldest surviving brick
dwelling in English North America and it is the site of Bacon's Rebellion, the
first insurrection against the harsh rule of the British governor, a full
100 years prior to the American Revolution. We will return via the ferry
boat to Jamestown and pick up the golfers on the way home. 
You may even ride the overhead monorail to visit the
Anheuser-Busch brewery. The park is connected by this sky ride and by an
old-fashioned steam train which circles a large portion of the park. For
just your entry passport you may visit France, England, Italy, Ireland, Germany
French Canada, Scotland, and more. What could be better? The bus
will pick us up at 5:00, or if you are having a great time, you may elect to
stay for dinner and the bus will return at 9:00 when the park closes. 
Departure on foot from the hotel at
9:00. We will have a walking tour of Colonial Williamsburg in the
morning with commentary by a professional guide. We will have lunch
together at Chowning's Tavern -- in the garden if weather permits. The
afternoon is free to explore on your own and take advantage of some of today's
special events . You may wish to take a closer look at some of the restored
buildings and the fascinating little shops along Duke of Gloucester Street as
you return to the hotel at your own pace. 
The Virginia Air and Space Center is of great interest, too, as this
is the birthplace of America's space program at NASA-Langley, and there is a
wonderful IMax movie as well. We will have lunch together before boarding
the Miss Hampton II for an afternoon narrated cruise through the harbor to see
the sights, stop off to see Ft. Wool, and pass through the Norfolk harbor for an
up-close look at the Atlantic Fleet at anchor.