Virginia Vacations
and Day Trips
around Colonial Beach

Virginia vacations offer everything from beach getaways, to history lessons to nature and scenic views. Here are some fun day trip options near Colonial Beach.

TOWN OF MONTROSS

The late night talk show crew enjoyed Virginia vacations in Montross! Profiled in the "Biff Henderson's America" segment of CBS' The Dave Letterman Show (show #1747, air date Jan 31, 2002) the small town of Montross is just a short drive from Colonial Beach and the town offers some neat things to do.

Sample Day Trip 1: After breakfast at Lenny's, from Colonial Beach, take Rt. 205 towards Oak Grove. Turn left at the stoplight at Rt. 3 and Rt. 205 and follow the signs towards Montross. Take a tour of the Northern Neck Bottling plant at 15725 Kings Hwy. Sample the awesome Northern Neck Ginger Ale - a Virginia tradition since 1926. It's got a the sharp flavor of real ginger. Just around the corner, stop at the Westmoreland County Museum at 43 Court Square. They may have some additional Virginia vacations suggestions to offer. Next, enjoy a delicious lunch at Yesterday's Restaurant 15220 Kings Hwy.

On your way back to Colonial Beach from Montross, stop and see one of my favorite Virginia vacations sites, Stratford Hall (off Rt. 3 northeast of Montross on Rt. 214) 
Stratford Hall Plantation was home to several generations of famous Lees. It was the boyhood home of Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, signers of the Declaration of Independence. General Henry "Light-Horse Harry" Lee (Robert E. Lee's father) was a Revolutionary War hero in his 20's and served as one of General George Washington's most trusted officers. After the war, he married the heiress to Stratford and served three one-year terms as governor. General Robert E. Lee was born in 1807 at Stratford Hall. His cradle can be seen on the tour of the Great House. At age 54, Lee was a colonel in the U.S. Army when the Civil War broke out. He later led Confederate forces against the Union armies. In a letter to his wife, he wrote about his dream of one day returning to Stratford Hall - a dream that never came true.
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Headed back towards Colonial Beach, stop at Bowie's Diner (Route 3 at Rt. 664) for dinner, or if you can hang on another 10 minutes you'll be back at the beach where you can choose from many great restaurants. 


Sample Day Trip 2: Breakfast at Ola's Country Kitchen, then head towards Montross (see directions above) and take a left turn from Rt. 3 onto Rt. 204 to make your first stop George Washington's Birthplace National Monument.
Westmoreland State Park can be next on your list. Here you can go hiking, biking, fishing, swimming, kayaking, or search for shark's teeth on the beach. You can even camp here overnight, they have wonderful facilities.

OAK GROVE

Head out of Colonial Beach towards Oak Grove. Try breakfast at Bowie's Diner, then head west on Rt. 3 and (springtime only) pick your own fruit, or buy it at the Westmoreland Berry Farm and their famous "goat walk" at 1235 Berry Farm Lane. While there, get a map so you can take a stroll at the nearby scenic Voorhees Nature Preserve.
Ingleside Vineyards , an 1834 plantation that has been a winery since 1890 is not far away, on Leedstown Road, so that could be your next stop. There are tours, tastings, and a gift and wine shop. Open Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sunday, noon-5pm. They even offer overnight accommodations, in case you'd like to stay there.

If you prefer motor sports, you can ride or watch a dirtbike/ATV cross-country race at the Northern Neck ATV Park just a couple miles down the road from the winery. They also have events like mud bogs and ATV drag racing. If you'd rather watch cars race instead, go back towards Colonial Beach, take a left on Rt. 631 and watch for the Colonial Beach Dragway sign. From there, it's a short drive back to the beach for a nice dinner.

Antiques lovers will love shopping at The Red Barn and Jameka on Route 3 in Oak Grove. Allow a few hours at least, because it takes awhile to see everything. If after that you still want to see more, be sure to see Wishes and Dreams on Washington Ave. and the other antiques shops once you arrive back at the beach from Oak Grove, Virginia. Vacations and Day Trips options are plentiful here in Westmoreland County and the Northern Neck region!

Cyclists on a Dirt Track in Virginias Northern Neck Region

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John Wilkes Booth was captured nearby

Paramount's King's Dominion is an hour away

Charming, historic Old Town Alexandria VA is just over an hour away

Colonial Williamsburg is two hours away

Contact me and let me know what your favorite Virginia vacations sites are.

If you've got an urge to cross state lines and head out of Virginia, vacations in the Washington, D.C. area are always an option. As a day trip from Colonial Beach, I'd recommend driving north on I-95 to the closest Metro station in Springfield, VA or to the Virginia Railway Express station in Fredericksburg, VA and taking the train into D.C. from there.Here's a link to a neat interactive map that pinpoints places of interest in our nation's capital:http://map.mapnetwork.com/destination/dc/

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