Where to go in Virginia?

[ms355]

I will spend the second half of July near Leesburg. I have been there before, so I know a bit of the area, in particular I have an idea of what to see (again) in DC. Since wife and kid will join me, this time the focus should be more on beaches, hiking, and visiting the smaller cities.

We will have a rental car, of course, so the radius would be up to 500 miles, which I believe would be good for Virginia and North Carolina.

Now my question is: are there any must-see places in that range? Monticello is on the list, and also Virginia Beach, but where would you recommend to stay?

Plus: are there any Lotus - or at least - car-related events in the area?

Any advice is welcome. Thank you.

[Uncle Sam]

I'd go to the Dulles annex of the Air and Space Museum. They have a Space Shuttle and an SR-71 Blackbird, etc.
I'd visit the National Zoo to see the Pandas.
Both of the above are cool for kids.
Mount Vernon has very new interactive exhibits on George Washington.
If you like US history, the Antietam and Gettysburg Civil War battlefields are interesting and Harper's Ferry is very near Leesburg. Baltimore has Fort McHenry, an aquarium, and a kid's discovery Science Center that is fun.
Of course there are the museums at the Mall in DC. The National Gallery of Art and the Freer are great. The gemstone exhibit at the Natural History Museum is spectacular.
DC in July is hot and humid, get ready. Have fun

[RoadDad]

Originally Posted by ms355

I will spend the second half of July near Leesburg. I have been there before, so I know a bit of the area, in particular I have an idea of what to see (again) in DC. Since wife and kid will join me, this time the focus should be more on beaches, hiking, and visiting the smaller cities.

We will have a rental car, of course, so the radius would be up to 500 miles, which I believe would be good for Virginia and North Carolina.

Now my question is: are there any must-see places in that range? Monticello is on the list, and also Virginia Beach, but where would you recommend to stay?

Plus: are there any Lotus - or at least - car-related events in the area?

Any advice is welcome. Thank you.

I have not checked distances for these so they may be out of your driving range.

Near Monticello - Boar's Head Inn in Charlottesville is a nice place to stay. Charlottesville Hotels: Boar’s Head Charlottesville Virginia We used to house the attendees to the medical conferences there. Never heard a complaint.

Also about 5 mins from Monticello is Carter's Mountain orchard. It would be peach season and you can pick your own for extremely cheap and they are extremely delicious fresh off of the tree. http://www.cartermountainorchard.com/. We used to make an entire day of the orchard, having lunch, picking peaches in the summer, apples in the fall. Beautiful views.

VA Beach - I just asked the same question Where to stay at VA Beach?.

VIR (Virginia International Raceway) near Danville Welcome to VIRginia International Raceway would have car-related events. Check their schedule. As well, Richmond International Raceway may be worth looking into Home - Richmond International Raceway

Shenandoah National Park NPS - Page Not Found will have hiking and outdoor activities as well as the Skyline drive Shenandoah National Park - Driving Skyline Drive (U.S. National Park Service).

The Biltmore Estate near Asheville, NC may be interesting. BILTMORE in Asheville, North Carolina, Americas Largest Home and More!

The NC Zoo in Asheboro is very good even compared to the National Zoo in D.C. NC Zoo Society

In Southwestern VA there is a very nice Inn/Restaurant Welcome | Martha Washington Inn.

Near VA Beach -- Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg Official Site or The official site of Colonial Williamsburg - Deism and Busch Gardens Busch Gardens Williamsburg Homepage come to mind.

Saluda, NC (Near Asheville/Biltmore) has a few very cozy B&Bs but The Orchard Inn is my wife's favorite. The Orchard Inn : A unique Bed and Breakfast near Asheville, NC. There is quite a bit of hiking available there.

King's Dominion near Richmond, VA is another amusement park Kings Dominion | Virginia's Premier Themed Amusement Park (Richmond)


EDIT: It looks like the National Park Service website for Shenandoah National Park isn't working . Here's another Lodging, Cabins, Activities & Dining: Shenandoah National Park, Luray, Virginia

[RoadDad]

Kitty Hawk, NC Welcome to the Town of Kitty Hawk -- The Town of Kitty Hawk in the NC outer banks The Outer Banks of North Carolina® Official Site - Visitors Bureau.

[RoadDad]

Natural Bridge in Natural Bridge, VA (near Lexington) is interesting and has some nice hiking. Natural Bridge Virginia or The Natural Bridge and Safari Park Virginia Safari Park: Not Your Ordinary Day Trip! (drive through/ride through zoo where you can feed the animals).

Luray Caverns Luray Caverns



Here's a good website with a listing of the national parks/hiking areas in VA Virginia

Same for NC North Carolina

[RoadDad]

Nags Head (near Kitty Hawk in the NC outer banks) has some neat lighthouses Lighthouse Tour and Directions

Chimney Rock Chimney Rock Park | North Carolina hiking trails with incredible mountain views is also near Asheville, NC

Lake Lure has a quaint Inn Discover Lake Lure, North Carolina - The 1927 Lake Lure Inn and Spa near Chimney Rock.

Sorry this isn't very organized. I'm writing the places as they pop back into my brain from my ancient memories.

[RoadDad]

I don't know how old your child is, but if between the ages of say 4-10, Dinosaur Land Welcome to Dinosaur Land, located in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley! in White Post, VA (near Winchester) may be fun for a little bit.

I would say that Dino Land is only worth visiting if you happen to find yourself driving very close to it. It is not really worth making a special trip unless perhaps your child wants to be a paleontologist.

[RoadDad]

You can hike until you drop along the Appalachian Trail Appalachian National Scenic Trail (U.S. National Park Service)



I think I'm tapped out for now .

[ACE51]

the OBX are very nice and peaceful, take trip to cape hatteras lighthouse and then you can take the ferry to oakracoke and eat at howards pub

[ACE51]

I'm heading to Hatteras tomorrow for a week. We have several Lotus events in NC, most everyone on this site is Lotus: Carolina Car Clubs

[rcollum]

+1 on the Dulles Annex (Udvar Hazy Center) of the Smithsonian. You can spend a good portion of a day there, with all the planes, and Imax movies.
Also, right up the street, Ferrari of Washington always has a nice selection of cars to ogle. Both are pretty close to Leesburg.

Luray Caverns is north of Harrisonburg, VA.

Of course, all of the stuff in DC - several Smithsonians (all free admissions), etc., etc. A couple of new museums - The Spy Museum, and the Newseum, are paid admission, but well worth it. There are tour buses that you can get to take you around to the major tourist areas. As someone said, extremely high humidity mean walking downtown isn't much fun.

Both Old Town Alexandria (Virginia) and Annapolis (Maryland) are nice to walk around, and lots of shops and restaurants.

Let me know if you need anything else. I live in Northern Virginia, and work in DC.

[ms355]

Thank you all for the information. There are many places I didn't even have an idea of. I am lucky to bring a GPS with US maps - so there is still enough time to store the favorite points of interest.

RoadDad, I don't know what 'dork' means in German, but I believe it must be someone who is smart and well educated. Let's see if I can talk my family into visiting the VIR.

[TimMullen]

There's always Luray Caverns - near the Shenandoah Park west of the DC area. Nice cave tour - very tourist friendly.

Of course, all the other stuff above...

[pla_time]

Here's one more to add. I haven't been there in a very long time, but if
you visit Charlottesville, VA, they have a Public Night at the U.Va. Observatory
on the 1st and 3rd Friday evenings of each month.

Public Night Information - Astronomy at UVa

The 24.25" refractor telescope used to be the largest in the world (late in the 1800s), and observing through it is a neat experience.

[madden]

if your in the mood for karting allsport isnt that far from leesburg
index

[MikeinAlexandria]

If you like boats, check out Mariner Sailing School - Alexandria, VA.
For Lotus events, look in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Forums, there are several things coming up.

Definitely visit Old Town Alexandria, along the banks of the Potomac River (Where I live) Tons of great restaurants, walking tours, boat rides to Mt Vernon, National Harbor and Georgetown (Washington DC Boat Tours from Potomac River Boat, Charter a Boat or Take a Tour) Old Town is not Lotus friendly, but works well with a rental car (lots of parallel parking spot and SUVs/Mini Vans)

Withn 500 miles, I would consider going out to Western Maryland as well, and Deep Creek Lake. Great hiking out that way.

For little towns, Middleburg is cool, as are parts of Richmond. On the Eastern Shore side, in Maryland, Annapolis, Rockhall Harbor, St Michaels, Oxford and Cambridge are all nice day trips or overnights from Leesburg.

Have fun!

[kestrel74]

Wow.. noone mentioned:
Summit Point Motorsports Park

Also: Highly recommended Italian in Herndon ( near Dulles airport )
Luciano - Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria

[ms355]

Originally Posted by kestrel74

Wow.. noone mentioned:
Summit Point Motorsports Park

Also: Highly recommended Italian in Herndon ( near Dulles airport )
Luciano - Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria

Thank you, John. Summit point is even closer to Leesburg than VIR. However, VIR is on the way to North Carolina ...

I am always happy about a tip where to have good Italian food.

[ms355]

Originally Posted by pla_time

Here's one more to add. I haven't been there in a very long time, but if
you visit Charlottesville, VA, they have a Public Night at the U.Va. Observatory
on the 1st and 3rd Friday evenings of each month.

Public Night Information - Astronomy at UVa

The 24.25" refractor telescope used to be the largest in the world (late in the 1800s), and observing through it is a neat experience.

This is very interesting and so I checked out their website. However, the only day possible would be this coming Friday night. We will see who will still be suffering from time lag.

Thanks again everybody, you have been very helpful.

[Chris D.]

Hey, Michael. Stop by Hamburg Doner at 202 Harrison Street in Leesburg. Good German food and beer and a nice beer garden. A couple of my friends, Nicole and Timo, from Hamburg run the joint. Nils will be there if they aren't and he is also from Germany.

If you are interested in American history at all you might want to venture up to Gettysburg for a tour. Hershey Park is a little further north. They have a great amusement park there and a tour of a simulated chocolate factory. All the Hershey chocolate in the world is made in Hershey, PA. Closer to Leesburg is Splashdown Waterpark in Manassas.