The general admission tickets to Mt. Vernon include a visit to a fully functioning reconstruction of George Washington’s Distillery and Gristmill, located about 3 miles from the Mt. Vernon estate. Dave and I had a short ride from the George Washington estate, parked our car, and walked towards the Distillery and Gristmill entrance where we were greeted by this nice gentleman.
Dave and I decided to take advantage of the Pre-Labor Day weekend and visit Great Falls Park located on the southern bank of the Potomac in Virginia, 14 miles (23 km) upstream from Washington, DC. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal parkland is located along the northern banks of the river in Maryland. The Potomac and the falls themselves are within Maryland. Scenic views are offered on both the Maryland side and the Virginia side. We visited overlook points on the Virginia side.
On the way back from the Chesapeake Bridge -Tunnel, we stopped at Fort Story to visit the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse located there. Fort Story is a military base that is home to a variety of U.S. Army and Naval Units in the City of Virginia Beach. Cape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia and the southern boundary of the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. Near the point where the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean meet, Cape Henry was the site of the first landing of the English colonists, who eventually settled in Jamestown, on April 26, 1607.
To visit the lighthouse, you must pass through the security gates of Fort Story, and it is required to show Photo Ids at a military checkpoint to enter. Our car was checked out as well, which makes sense to do, by very personable, polite and helpful security staff. After passing the check point, we drove to the Cape Henry Lighthouse visitor center. There was a good view of both lighthouses right from the visitor’s center parking lot. The Old Cape Henry Lighthouse is on the left and the new Cape Henry Lighthouse is on the right in the picture below.
On the last day of our stay in Virginia Beach, Dave and I decided to visit the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse. According to the official site The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) is a 23-mile (37-km) long bridge-tunnel crossing the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and connecting the Delmarva Peninsula’s Eastern Shore of Virginia with Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads, Virginia.
The Delmarva Peninsula is occupied by most of Delaware state and portions of Maryland and Virginia states. It is a modern engineering marvel and is considered the world’s largest bridge-tunnel complex, which was opened in 1965. This Bridge is considered as both a tourist attraction and a travel convenience. Here is a aerial view of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel from a postcard.
Being in VA Beach, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to visit the Virginia Aquarium. The complex has marine life exhibits, aquariums, touching tanks, historical exhibits, nature trails, boat tours and more. There are 2 buildings and a nature walk in between them where you pass by an adventure/obstacle course and an aviary. The birds are mostly varieties that are found in and around the Chesapeake Bay, and are a part of the wetland ecosystem.
The Boardwalk was the best part of our 4 day trip to Virginia Beach. The 28 foot wide boardwalk stretches three miles and features a separate bike path for rollerblading, biking or surrey rentals. Rather than traditional wooden planks, Virginia Beach’s famous boardwalk is concrete. The 59 blocks are lined with quaint benches, Colonial-style street lamps, and nice walking paths.
The Boardwalk also hosts various events and festivals at different points throughout the year, though street performers can be found entertaining passersby most every day. And similar to other Eastern Shore beach destinations, there are many restaurants, souvenir shops, and hotels along the Boardwalk. King Neptune stands tall at 31st Street and overlooks a range of events that occur in the small park surrounding him.
My husband gave me Blue Man Group tickets for my Birthday. We were looking forward to this show based on the reviews. The show was scheduled in Washington’s historic National Theatre. Blue Man Group is best known for multi-media performances that feature three bald and blue characters who take the audience on a journey that is funny, intelligent and visually stunning.
Florida Keys are the chain of islands located in Sothern Florida. A one of a kind, it’s surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico stretching out as far as the eye can see, paralleling the historic railroad bridges that brought the first travelers to the Keys by land. Before that, the only way to get to the Keys was by boat.
The Florida Keys Scenic Highway travels through some of the nation’s most spectacular scenery. Folks in the Florida Keys describe the stretch of US 1 from Key Largo to Key West as the “Road to Paradise.” The Florida Keys Scenic Highway allows you to drive to the Southernmost Islands in the Continental United States from Mile Marker 110 down through the Florida Keys to Mile Marker 0.
We heard about the beautiful beaches of the Bahia Honda State Park, so we decided to check them out. We didn’t plan any specific activities, but we hoped to spend some time at the beach, do some snorkeling and visit the historic bridge there. In the picture below is a view of Caruso beach from the old Bahia Honda bridge.
In Marathon we visited Honda Bahia Beach and the Turtle Hospital. This post is about the Turtle Hospital, where we took a guided educational tour which includes the hospital facilities and the sea turtle rehabilitation area. This educational experience lasted approximately 90 minutes. At the end of the program we were invited to feed the permanent resident sea turtles. It was easy to find the hospital, since it is located right on Overseas Highway, the main street of the island.
