Explore Virginia in Retirement

My wife and I have had a lot of fun driving through Virginia on our way down to Florida.  But everyone should take the time to stop and explore Virginia in retirement.  I love mountains and Virginia has some beautiful ones.  In fact, the drive along Interstate 81 is one of my favorite ones.  One look and you realize why they’re called the Blue Ridge Mountains.  If you have the time, Skyline Drive is spectacular.  Just keep in mind that the speed limit is about half of what you would do on the highway so leave yourself some extra time.  The scenery is worth it.  If you keep exploring, you may end up living there!  All of Virginia is beautiful although it can get quite hot in the summer.  The heat and the distance (six hours from our children) led us to upstate New York rather than the mountains of Virginia.

If you like history, as I do, Virginia is filled with incredible places to visit.  Any Civil War historian will admit that this state may take first place for the number of historic battlefields there are throughout the state.  One of the places I had always dreamed of going to was Appomattox, the place where the war ended.  If you look on the map, it’s very small and there is nothing else around, so you really have to out of your way to make a visit.  Retirement has given me the time to see places like this, and it has been very rewarding.  It is a very sobering experience to visit the small courthouse and realize that this was the place where Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met to end the four years of fighting that cost each side hundreds of thousands of lives.  History is meant to be studied and seeing sights like this firsthand make all the words come alive.  For those who think of history as boring, I strongly urge you to take the time and place yourself at the scene and try to imagine what it was like.  Read an eyewitness account or watch an accurate movie and then visit the actual site.  For a lover of history, there is nothing better.

Explore Virginia in retirement and you may end up living there.

There are also some homes of Presidents that I have enjoyed visiting and we continue to go back there because, believe it or not, they are making new archeological discoveries all the time.  Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, is in Charlottesville and is an amazing experience.  They not only do tours of the grounds and mansion, but they have special tours that allow you to see parts of the house that are not open to the public.  It’s something that is well worth the money.  The lectures that they have on the grounds are also very informative and they cover subjects such as the slave quarters, farming, the wine cellar and life during Thomas Jefferson’s time.

Near Monticello is Montpelier which was the home of James and Dolly Madison.  It is another all day visit because the house has been completely restored after being owned by the DuPont family.  The amount of research that went into restoring the house back to Madison’s time is covered in detail through a film and a guided tour.  Mr. Madison is called the Father of the Constitution, and he is responsible for much of the document, and you can see the room where he did most of his research.  You can just imagine him seated at his desk surrounded by books while he gazed out the window at the beautiful mountains on the horizon.  The state is beautiful.  I highly recommend that you explore Virginia in retirement.

There are actually more Presidential Homes in Virginia, and one is located not too far from those of Jefferson and Madison so you can actually see all three on one trip (which we have done twice!).  The home of James Monroe, called Ashland, is a great example of how we are learning about the past even today.  An archeological project has already re-written some of the history of the home and they continue to discover new facts all the time.  It’s interesting that there are other homes associated with two other Presidents.  The home of John Tyler is not open except for private tours but this is where he lived with his family and fourteen children.  You can also visit the place where William Henry Harrison was born although there are very few pieces associated with the ninth president who only served one month in office.  That is not true for Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.

There are actually two homes related to our first President.  His birthplace has been reconstructed but it’s very well done and definitely worth going to.  The top attraction, however, is Mount Vernon which is where he retired to after leading the colonies through the Revolutionary War and serving as the country’s first President.  It is a beautiful home situated with a wonderful view of the Potomac River.  There are events taking place all the time and the home is decorated for Christmas during the holiday season with a camel in residence on certain weekends.  Apparently, the General thought it was good way to entertain his family.

Virginia is gorgeous.  I highly recommend you explore Virginia in retirement because we haven’t even mentioned the shoreline, Williamsburg Village and Busch Gardens plus all the hiking and exploring you can do through the mountains and caves.  While you’re here you also have to visit Alexandria which is right outside Washington, D.C.  Old Time Alexandria has wonderful homes and restaurants and is worth a trip by itself.  You definitely need to explore Virginia in retirement.  It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!

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