Getting away from it all Virginia
Deserted beaches, time-warped towns and delicious seafood, the East Coast US state offers retro road tripping at its best
WHY go?
The locals may say Virginia is ‘for lovers’, but this state will steal the heart of anyone seeking sunshine, seafood and surprises. on a circular, 430-mile route south-east from washington DC, you’ll zip along coastal highways, pass quaint colonial towns and stop at scenic vineyards.
FIRST STOP… virginia beach
MEET THE LOCALS catch an early flight from London and by 5pm that day you could be on an oyster farm tour in the Lynnhaven River. captain chris Ludford’s family have worked here since 1725, so he’s a great introduction to the area. He’d harvested some briny-yet-sweet oysters for us, which we ate on the spot where they’d grown (pleasurehouseoysters.com). HIT THE BEACH Virginia Beach is a trio of sandy stretches on the atlantic. The main Resort Beach has the big hotels – watched over by a statue of neptune. But venture to chesapeake Beach for deserted shores. Sea kayaking is a must and we saw a baby dolphin and its mum (chesapean.com). Don’t MISS a flight demonstration at the military aviation museum near Sandbridge Beach (militaryaviationmuseum.org). WHERE To EAT Join the locals at margie & Ray’s, Sandbridge Beach. order half a dozen whole blue crabs and work for your lunch – expect to get messy! crabs from $5, margieandrays.com. For dinner, one Fish Two Fish serves elegant seared tuna and crab cakes. a croque madame at commune for breakfast will prepare you for the drive ahead; communevb.com. REST YOUR HEAD Hilton ocean Front has rooms from £162 per night (hilton.com). more Info visitvirginiabeach.com.
THEN DRIVE WEST TO… NORFOLK
what To SEE Thanks to the chrysler museum of art, norfolk’s arts scene is thriving. Wander around the main museum, then pop over the road to the chrysler glass Studio for a glass-blowing demonstration (chrysler.org). WHERE To EAT With local oysters and melt-in-the-mouth sea scallops, it’s easy to see why Todd Jurich’s Bistro attracts celebs such as Harrison Ford (toddjurichsbistro.com). Stop by Doumar’s for butter pecan ice cream in a cone – delicious. REST YOUR HEAD The main, norfolk, offers rooms from £162 per night (themainnorfolk.com). more Info visitnorfolktoday.com.
HEAD NORTH TO… Williamsburg
THRILLS and QUILLS! explore colonial Williamsburg open-air museum, where the town is restored to its 18th-century glory. get a ‘Bounce’ ticket for entry to Busch gardens, too – rides include wooden roller coaster invad (colonialwilliamsburg.com). MAGICAL HISTORY TOURS The Historic Jamestowne museum sheds light on the first settlers and goes behind the story of Pocahontas (historicjamestowne.org). Food and DRINK Believing it gives their wines something special, Williamsburg Winery play classical music to their grapes 24 hours a day. The 2015 Barrel aged claret is a highlight of a tasting in the beautiful grounds (williamsburgwinery.com). Finish your day with cajun catfish at Second Street Bistro (secondst.com). REST YOUR HEAD Doubletree by Hilton Williamsburg has family rooms (sleeps four) from £102 per night. more Info visitwilliamsburg.com.
LAST STOP… richmond
what To SEE While the american civil War museum at Historic Tredegar is a must for history buffs, it’s the Virginia museum of Fine arts that’s the scenestealer. along with paintings by greats, such as Rousseau, the temporary exhibitions are first rate – the most recent from yves Saint Laurent (vmfa. museum). Just outside town is Lewis ginter Botanical garden, with its 50 acres of landscaped grounds. kids will love the treehouse (lewisginter.org). SHOP on The carytown district is packed with unique finds. Delve through vintage records at Plan 9 and tomes old and new at chop Suey books. Lunch at The Daily kitchen & Bar for fried Virginia oysters – what else? WHERE To EAT Richmond has a burgeoning craft beer scene and ardent in Scott’s addition has the best pre-dinner tipples in town. Be warned, its Honey ginger beer slips down easily. next morning, breakfast at Jewish restaurant Perly’s – we loved the Benny goodman potato cakes topped with salmon. REST YOUR HEAD The omni hotel has spacious rooms from £130 per night (omnihotels.com). more Info visitrichmond va.com.