The ghost of Thomas Jefferson presides in the rolling hills around Charlottesville—under the eaves of Monticello, beside the slopes of Barboursville Vineyards, on horseback in the woods of Oakland Farms, and around the Rotunda of…
Silky notes from a golden harp float across the sun-dappled dining room, where fine settings of silver and china adorn white-cloaked tables. A waiter approaches and offers champagne to my friend Robin, and me. “Why,…
Taking a teen on vacation is always a gamble. If you’re lucky and your teen is in a good mood, you just might be able to relax and enjoy yourself. On the other hand, if…
When someone handed me a glass of pinot gris at the beginning of the 10 a.m. cooking class at the Boar’s Head Inn, I shrugged and said, “Why not?” I looked around and saw I…
When I received noticed that I’d won the Grand Prize in a Virginia Tourism contest I’d entered online, I thought it must be a mistake. I never win anything. But there it was: an official…
How would you describe Virginia’s Eastern Shore? If you’re like me, the southern side of the Delmarva Peninsula conjures up long stretches of highway punctuated by crepe myrtles and tomato stands, ramshackle buildings that look…
Before you even enter the gates, you hear the shrieks of sheer elation reverberating among the treetops. Up there higher than the loblolly pines, colorfully-clad humans, who look more like tiny dolls, swoosh by in…
Ross, our 14-year-old, is a typical teen who plays too many video games, watches too much TV, and shows little interest in culture, the arts, and history. Of course, over the years, Ross has been…
Just up the road a piece, a tranquil county spreads across Northern Virginia. Most of us, traveling the interstate northward to D.C. or beyond, have passed through Prince William County. Maybe we’ve glimpsed the cozy…
Any time you try to mix education with fun on a family vacation, you’re never quite sure whether the fun part will actually come true. I know. I’ve taken my three sons to an assortment…