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By Wendy Migdal
Most of us wish we could travel more. The lure of exotic locations is so appealing. But then there’s the planning, the hassle, and the expense involved, not to mention the time you’d have to take off to make such a trip worthwhile. Fortunately, there are world-class and unique experiences within a three-hour drive of the Prince William area. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Virginia Wine Trails
Rappahannock Cellars Winery
Nearly 20 years ago, a sleeper movie came out called Sideways. Besides delivering a lasting blow to merlot sales, it increased people’s appetites for a Napa Valley road trip. But if you live in Virginia, there’s no need for Napa. Virginia boasts over 300 wineries, and they have been helpfully plotted out on trails for tourists. The Monticello Wine Trail, for example, actually includes five trails with several wineries on each. The Nelson 151 Trail includes seven wineries, three cideries, two distilleries, and five breweries all located along Route 151, a scenic byway near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Don’t forget the eastern side of the state—the Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail and the Virginia Peninsula Wine Trail will introduce you to the wines of the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Virginia.org is a clearinghouse of information with links to each trail’s individual website. There you’ll find maps in PDF format and information on tours and accommodations. Virginia.org also has information on package vacations. A few wineries even offer overnight accommodations.
In most areas of the state, companies unaffiliated with the wineries offer wine tours — small buses or minivans that take passengers around a circuit of three or four wineries in a day. Some have a set itinerary of wineries; others allow you to choose from a list. Tours often pick up from hotels, allowing participants to enjoy the day without worrying about locating the winery or having a designated driver.
Or, go all-out Hollywood style and rent a convertible. What better way for a full immersion experience? Either way, spending a weekend driving along meandering roads, enjoying wine in beautiful buildings with spectacular views, is a luxury retreat that’s only an hour or two away.
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry is a popular destination for hiking and biking
Harpers Ferry is a small town at a crossroads, in more than one way. It’s located at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers and at the junction of three states: West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland. It’s also a place where, as a tourist, you can find intersecting interests: history, the outdoors, and the small-town vibe.
Harper’s Ferry is most well-remembered for being the site of John Brown’s famous 1859 raid on the federal arsenal. Brown, an ardent abolitionist, attacked the federal arsenal with 20 followers, including his own sons and several formerly enslaved men. Though his raid failed to launch the hoped-for slave uprising, it is considered to be one of the events that led to the Civil War. Today, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park keeps that memory and many others from the 19th century alive. The NPS manages sites related to Brown, including the building where he and his followers barricaded themselves during the failed raid; several period shops in Lower Town; museums related to the early industrial period; Civil War battles sites, and more.
For the outdoor adventurers, there are no end of trails in this area for hiking and biking. Take an easy hike to Jefferson Rock, an outlook over the confluence of the rivers. Jefferson Rock is part of the Appalachian Trail, so more avid hikers will want to pay a visit to the AT Visitor’s Center. Hikes of all lengths and difficulties can be found in this area. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which transported goods from what was then the frontier in Cumberland, Maryland, to the eastern port of Washington, D.C., runs through Harpers Ferry. Today, bikers and hikers alike enjoy traversing the towpaths that mules and horses once trod. Those who are even more adventurous may opt for whitewater rafting, tubing, or ziplining. Some outfitters offer all three adventures.
Even if you’re not an armchair historian or an outdoor aficionado, you may enjoy a visit to the quaint town, which offers shopping, restaurants, and a few interesting museums. One of the latter is the Harpers Ferry Toy Train Museum, which features trains and toys made prior to 1938. A few other attractions of interest include St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, the John Brown Wax Museum, and a Harpers Ferry ghost tour.
Westmoreland State Park
Kayaks beached on Fossil Island at Westmoreland State Park
State parks are often perceived by the general public as the purview of the camping and RV crowd. While it is true that state parks are favorite destination of these folks, they are an oft-overlooked treasure by the rest of the population. Westmoreland State Park is one of these. It borders about a mile and half along the Potomac River in the Northern Neck and is about an hour and half’s drive from the Prince William area. Westmoreland SP was one of the six original state parks begun in 1936 and built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. These CCC workers were young men, in this case mostly from the Northeast, who found employment during the Great Depression by building the cabins and trails in the park. Due to the CCC history, the park is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The park is a destination for its impressive Horsehead Cliffs, which provide a magnificent view of the Potomac River. Below, visitors love to collect shark’s teeth on Fossil Beach. Remains of other sea creatures from millions of years ago, such as whales and porpoises, can also be found there. Even if you’re not a bird enthusiast, you’re likely to be impressed by the American bald eagles, ospreys, great blue herons, kingfishers, and the many songbirds that frequent the area. Renting a kayak is a great way to see the cliffs and observe wildlife. The water is brackish here, so close to the Chesapeake Bay, and Maryland is visible on the horizon. There are also six miles of walking trails and a biking trail to explore and a beach where you can swim at your own risk. The park often has special weekend programs and events, such as music on the cliffs.
Cabins with kitchens and bathrooms are available to rent as well at very reasonable price points. However, lodging and campsites at state parks are in high demand and there are minimum stay requirements. The entrance fee is $10 per vehicle. As a frequent visitor said, “Westmoreland State Park is well-kept, clean, and has something for everyone from hiking to fishing to camping and swimming. It has it all and then some.”
Colonial Williamsburg
Horse drawn carriage tours through the British colony in Williamsburg
The Williamsburg area is a sort of Disneyland for history nerds. If you’ve never visited this unique Virginia treasure, there’s no better time than the present. The historic area includes more than 500 buildings from the 18th century that were restored by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., in the late 1920s and early 1930s. You can visit Raleigh Tavern where the seeds of revolution were sown, listen to costumed historical figures, and watch tradesmen at work. You can also spend many hours just walking around the 300 acres, viewing the exteriors of the buildings, popping into shops, and soaking up the atmosphere for free. A one-day pass to see most of the sites, gardens, tradespeople, and museums is about $50, and a three-day pass is about $60.
If you’ve been to Williamsburg a few times, consider seeing it differently. Turn your trip into a food tour of the many fine and casual restaurants. Or make it a cultural trip by visiting the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museums in the day and catching a couple of the evening programs such as a concert at the Governor’s Palace or a 17th century play.
You might also venture further afield with a Historic Triangle Tour. The 23-mile, tree-shaded Colonial Parkway connects Williamsburg to Jamestown, where the colonial period began, and to Yorktown, where it ended in the Revolutionary War. Colonial Williamsburg offers a ticket that includes sites at all three locations.
MGM Studios/National Harbor
Just as you don’t have to go to California to experience wine country, you don’t have to go to Nevada for a Vegas experience. You need only traverse the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to National Harbor, Maryland, a short 45-minute drive from Prince William. The MGM National Harbor Casino and Hotel features all the machines and tables that a Vegas casino offers. For those of you who aren’t gamblers, consider it a cultural experience. Decide how much you might want to spend at MGM’s 3,100 slot machines or 48 blackjack tables and try it one time. Just like Vegas, there are also headliner acts in the 3,000-seat theater –Santana in July, Donny Osmond in August, to name two, plus other, non-musical acts.
At National Harbor itself, there are outdoor and indoor art installations, shops, and restaurants — plenty to entertain you as you walk around. Try the 180-foot Ferris wheel, the Capital Wheel, for amazing views of the harbor. The Gaylord Hotel, a non-gaming hotel, feature an 80s themed rooftop bar and a nightly fountain show.
If you’re feeling a bit gluttonous after a day at MGM, consider adding a short drive to something at the opposite end of the entertainment spectrum, such as Oxon Cove Park, which interprets the farming history of Maryland, or Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.
With all that is within a tank’s worth of gas, there’s no reason not to find a couple days and one overnight to visit something new. So get packing! You won’t even have to bring very much.
Wendy Migdal is a freelance writer who has lived in the Northern/Central Virginia area since 2000. She enjoys history, reading, and all things dog.
