OT: Between DC and Richmond VA

[Bud]

Hey folks-

My wife and I will be traveling to Richmond VA for a wedding next weekend. We fly into DC late Thursday night. The wedding is Friday at 4:00. We're staying in a hotel near the aiport on Thursday night and driving down to the wedding Friday. What is there to see/do in between the two places? In other words, how should we spend our day before the wedding on Friday? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Friday night we're staying in Richmond, and then spending the rest of the weekend with friends in DC.

Thanks-

[flydhest]

In between is a bit dull. Fredericksburg is interesting for Civil War enthusiasts. For a Friday, however, I would heartily suggest avoiding rush hour (which lasts significantly more than an hour). Traffic will throw off timing calculations by easily an hour or more. That said, if you leave DC around 10:00 am, lunch and strolling through Fredericksburg could work. There is a quaint downtown area there. Another alternative would be going to Mt. Vernon (Alexandria, so south of the airport, and therefore on your way.) It's pretty interesting.

Richmond itself is a reasonable city as well. There were years ago walking tours of the city. It was the capital of the Confederacy, so it has an important place in history. There are a couple of interesting neighborhoods in Richmond that are also interesting. The Fan and Shockoe come to mind.

[billrick]

Which airport? Dulles or National? If Dulles, you might check out the Smithsonian Air and Space museum out there. If National, head south on the GW Parkway to Mt. Vernon. Old Town Alexandria is good for lunch.

And then high-tail it out of town before rush hour hits. Double ditto on what flydhest said. I-95 starts backing up around 2:30 pm on Fridays and when it gets bad, it can take 2 hours to go 15 miles. I-95 South is as bad as it gets for DC traffic.

:)

[majorpat]

the new US Marine Corps Museum just opened right off the I-95 offramp at Quantico. Haven't been yet but it has gotten rave reviews from all my friends that have seen it. There's even a brick with my unit's info on it in the walkways somewhere. And, as a special added treat you could enjoy some chow at the True Grit Diner in Triangle with John Wayne. Just a suggestion.
Pat

[djg]

The airport question matters. If you fly to RR/National, you can head south through Old Town Alexandria, which many folks like (Colonial City, with colonial-ish stuff from the originals to, say, last week) and then down to Mt. Vernon, before heading towards Richmond.

Fredricksburg is a nice old town, accessible from the interstate, with some things of historical interest, especially from Civil War times.

Out by Dulles Airport is the new Air and Space museum--it's really close by Dulles, rather than on the way, but it is close.

RR/National, is extremely close to downtown DC and the National Mall, so your really could see just about anything.

Just make sure that you leave yourself ample time for the drive. It's often just a couple of hours, but things can go wrong on 95S (and on the way there), so you should pad your travel time amply.

[rwsaunders]

+1 on the Air and Space. We were just there in April and it's first class. The International Spy Museum in DC is also worth a visit, but you'll need reservations.

Sir Major Pat Sir...does the new USMC Museum have a "Jody Call" exhibit?

[Bud]

Thanks for the suggestions, folks. We are flying into National, so we'll plan accordingly. We have Saturday all day to spend in DC, so I think Friday we'll head to Mt Vernon or Fredericksburg on the way to Richmond.

[rwsaunders]

Mt. Vernon is a very busy place, so plan your time accordingly.

It can be very warm and humid this time of year and traffic in DC in general sucks. If you're flying into National, you can take the Metro (public transportation/very safe) to just about any attraction in the city from there. Do a Google for the Metro website. It's easier than being involved in a gridlock on the Beltway or I95.

[OldDog]

In the downtown Richmond historic block is a brewpub, Richbraue (sp?). Goggle them, they have a site. Good brews. Up the street is The Tobacco Company, an old plant turned resturaunt. Very good eats in a cool building.

[palincss]

Hey folks-

My wife and I will be traveling to Richmond VA for a wedding next weekend. We fly into DC late Thursday night. The wedding is Friday at 4:00. We're staying in a hotel near the aiport on Thursday night and driving down to the wedding Friday. What is there to see/do in between the two places? In other words, how should we spend our day before the wedding on Friday? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Friday night we're staying in Richmond, and then spending the rest of the weekend with friends in DC.

Thanks-

If you're bringing your bikes, here http://www.routeslip.com/routes/25936 is a terrific route that is less than a mile off the Ladysmith exit on I-95, maybe 1/2 hr from Richmond. From a sightseeing perspective, it takes in the Stonewall Jackson Shrine (twice), but what's really attractive about it is the gorgeous rural countryside. Here http://home.ntelos.net/~certhia/ride/caroline_ride.htm are some photos that were taken on this ride April of last year.

[learlove]

if Bush is home you could visit him and do us all a favor by punching him in his head.

[aminadab]

I went to college in Fredericksburg. If you're looking for a good cup of coffee, stop by Hyperion in old town.

[rounder]

Well... Colonial Williamsburg is about 75 miles east of Richmond and Monticello to the west (T. Jefferson's house) are both great. If you went to Monticello (my vote), you could drive down skyline drive which is beautiful by itself. Either one would would require a drive...but not with heavy traffic...and would be memorable and great.

[Bud]

OK thanks folks. I think we'll go for Fredericksburg on the way to Richmond, and try to do Air and Space on Saturday or Sunday before we leave. It's a quick trip for sure. I appreciate all of the advice.

[Lanny R. Levenson]

Bud,
Last weekend was the MS 150 which departed from the Capital. If you are bringing bikes, there is a 25 and 50 mile route that is marked with oil paint arrows. It heads out east on some gentle rolling farm lands with light traffic.

I live in an area called the Fan. We have the Museum of Fine Arts which houses the Fabrege Egg Collection. Next to that is the Virginia Historical Society and about 3/4 of a mile away is the Science Museum which has many IMax fills. Downtown is the Museum of the Confederacy and Capital of the Confederacy. You could also do a car tour of the battlefields in the area or my favorite is a walking tour of Hollywood Cemetary where there are 3 presidents burried. On Hollywood Cemetary, I'd find out when they are having the guided tours rather than walking it alone.

Depending on your food preferences, there are many options which I could help you with depending on your plans and where you're staying while in our fair city.

Lanny

[Bud]

Thanks again for all of the suggestions, folks. Ours was a quick trip, but we did manage to see a bit of Fredericksburg on the way to the wedding, which was very nice. We had coffee at Hyperion (which wasn't too bad, and that measn a lot coming from a coffee snob like myself) and visited old book stores and antique shops. Richmond itself was quite nice, too. The wedding was in this beautiful old cathedral downtown. Sunday morning before our flight back we went to Arlington National Cemetery, which was a very powerful experience.

My wife and I are going to try to plan a DC trip for this fall so we can see many of the things we missed on this trip.

[djg]

Thanks again for all of the suggestions, folks. Ours was a quick trip, but we did manage to see a bit of Fredericksburg on the way to the wedding, which was very nice. We had coffee at Hyperion (which wasn't too bad, and that measn a lot coming from a coffee snob like myself) and visited old book stores and antique shops. Richmond itself was quite nice, too. The wedding was in this beautiful old cathedral downtown. Sunday morning before our flight back we went to Arlington National Cemetery, which was a very powerful experience.

My wife and I are going to try to plan a DC trip for this fall so we can see many of the things we missed on this trip.

Glad you had a good time. If you fly into Arlington again, the coffee snob in you might want to trek to the Clarendon neighborhood's fabled Murky Coffee. I don't know much, but I know what I like -- I also know that our own flydhest (that's Doctor Coffee to you) has given them props, so there ya go.

[Ozz]

the new US Marine Corps Museum...Pat
My father regards the Evening Parade and Silent Drill Platoon at the Marine Barracks as some of the finest entertainment he has seen.