#649 Virginia road trip to the beach

Virginia is perfect for road trips.

You don't have to try very hard or drive very long and soon you will have relocated yourself from the mountains in the west all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

And along the way, you'll find Shirley Plantation, Virginia's oldest, in operation since 1613.  The house built in 1738 sits between the James River and the beautiful Virginia State Route 5.  This scenic byway also known as John Tyler Highway parallels the James River and also runs past nearby Sherwood Forest Plantation, owned by US president #9 William Henry Harrison and US president #10 John Tyler.  And if we had time, many more James River plantations are open for tours.

 

Since road trips can make you hungry, you can stop in Charles City for lunch at Cul's Courthouse Grille.  The restaurant is only 5 years old but the building was built as a general store way back in 1872. 

I recommend the crab cake sandwich and Kelly likes the pulled pork sandwich and ESPN on the television.

It's been a while since we've been on a boat, so we drive our car onto a ferry boat (the Williamsburg) that will take us from Jamestown to the south side of the James River.   The Jamestown-Scotland ferry is a free service operated by Virginia Department of Transportation since 1945.

Soon after disembarking, we find ourselves at the Atlantic Ocean in the middle of the afternoon with time to stroll the beach and find an outdoor table at Ocean Eddie's Seafood Restaurant where we feast on more crab and key lime pie for dessert!

 

Yours in appreciation of the Virginia road trip,
Mary