When I say time traveling, I wish I meant physically shifting time and space. BUT today we’re getting the next best thing – a historical road trip throughout the beautiful state of Virginia.

Stephanie texted me one night suggesting we go to Williamsburg, Virginia, and we all know I can’t turn down a trip, so I immediately said “count me in!” Well, this trip to Williamsburg slowly turned into a tour de Virginia as we planned our itinerary.

This itinerary is just over an extended weekend, so you guessed it… it’s jam-packed!

Day 1: Williamsburg

5AM out the door; 5:30AM pick up Stephanie. Check. Now time to start that gruesome 7-hour drive. Thankfully Stephanie and I share two amazing, similar traits. We both never shut up, but we also both appreciate silence and are comfortable with it. This made the drive much easier as we chatted away or just enjoyed the views ahead of us.

We noticed three songs had continuously come on whether we were playing Spotify or the local radio stations: Leave Before You Love Me by the Jonas Brothers, Peaches by Justin Bieber, and Levitating by Dua Lipa. These quickly became our road trip theme songs for the rest of the weekend!

We had scheduled a carriage ride for when we arrived in Williamsburg, and were cutting it VERY close to the time. If we hit any traffic we weren’t going to make it, so Stephanie decided to call the visitor center to try and change our time. To our luck/disappointment, all carriage rides for the day had been cancelled due to the heat index. As sad as we were, we knew this was for the horses’ safety and comfort, so we couldn’t be that mad.

Colonial Shops

The first thing we did when we got to Williamsburg was head to the shops on Duke of Gloucester, which is the main road you’ll be on when exploring Colonial Williamsburg. For anyone who may not know, Colonial Williamsburg is a historical city in Virginia. This historical city is a living-museum that provides fun and education for all visitors! You can visit the Apothecary, Milliner, Blacksmith, and more. Each shop takes you back in time as the workers are living back in the 1700s and the second you step through the door, you’re transported back to the 1700s too! The workers are dressed in 18^th century attire and speak in a historical manner.

The workers in each shop are more than willing to answer any questions you may have or give you a thoughtful history lesson about their trade.

Dinner

After a long day of wandering and shopping, it was time for dinner. We had reservations at King’s Arms Tavern, and I cannot recommend this restaurant enough.

To start, we ordered a few drinks. I ordered myself a local lager that came in the cutest old-fashioned mug, and Stephanie ordered a punch bowl, which we ended up sharing. The waitress warned us that the punch was made with vinegar, so we were hesitant, but it was DELISH.

For appetizers we both ordered the Peanut Soup and shared an order of the Ramequin’s Vol-Au-Vent. The Vol-Au-Vent was described as a cheesecake, but was more of a cheese-filled puff pastry. It was very tasty, but also very unexpected. I cannot stress this next point enough: order the Peanut Soup. I still go to bed thinking about how yummy it was regularly.

For dinner, I ordered the Sage Roasted Butternut Squash “Steak”, the vegetarian option on the menu. This meal was simple yet delicious: two thick, steak-like, pieces of butternut squash seasoned with cinnamon, sage, and a mushroom sauce. All of the flavors blended perfectly together.

Haunted Williamsburg

You’re not going to want to miss the Haunted Williamsburg tour. Honestly, this tour chilled me to the bones. I’ve been on a handful of haunted tours on my travels, but this one just felt different. It felt… real.

On this walking tour, you will stop at a few houses and grounds that have been known to have paranormal activity present. I actually captured a photo with some orbs in it, check it out!

One of the most haunted places is the Wythe House, which Steph and I visited earlier that day as our last stop before dinner. Maybe it was because we visited this house in broad daylight, but it didn’t feel that creepy to me. Looking back, maybe I was just ignoring my feelings because let’s be honest, most places from the 1700s feel creepy even when they aren’t haunted.

Colonial Houses: Peter Hay Kitchen

Hand in hand, Steph and I walked back to where we were staying, which of course was one of the colonial houses: the Peter Hay Kitchen. We didn’t have the nerve to ask if it was haunted, because after that tour, we did NOT want to know.

The Peter Hay Kitchen was truly adorable. It was a small house right on Duke of Gloucester. The upstairs had the bedroom and the bathroom, and the downstairs had a cozy living room and the kitchen. The kitchen was a bit modernized, so it didn’t feel like we were living in the 1700s, but the rest of the house took us back in time If we hadn’t just come from a haunted tour I’d say the house was charming, but since we had, it was a bit creepy to stay there.

Day 2: Mount Vernon/Sperryville

On day 2, we woke up thinking we had all the time in the world to wander around Williamsburg a bit more before departing for Mount Vernon. After all, our reservations for tea/lunch in Mount Vernon weren’t until 1:00PM.

Well, we didn’t take into account that the shops we wanted to go into didn’t open until 10:00AM and we had a three-hour drive ahead of us. We realized this around 9:45AM. As you can imagine, we power-walked back to the Peter Hay Kitchen, grabbed our bags, and hit the road.

Tea with Martha

Thankfully, we arrived only a few minutes behind schedule for Tea with Martha Washington, wife of the first president, my main man, George Washington. Tea was approximately one hour and filled with history. As we snacked on George’s favorite snacks and drank our tea, Martha reminisced about her life and her time at Mount Vernon. 

As a history buff, I was shocked by how much I didn’t know about the first First lady. It was amazing to learn some of the personal details of her life before the presidency. Did you know Martha was married with children before she met George?! I didn’t.

Tour of Mount Vernon

After our tea, we walked about 10 minutes to George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Seeing where George and Martha lived was fascinating (and helped us forget that it was literally 100 degrees outside). The house was absolutely beautiful. There were so many different rooms and you could tell they loved hosting guests!

The view from the house was incredible. It looks over the Potomac River, and you can see Maryland across the way.

Outside of the house were the servants’ quarters and the slave housing. The slave housing was pretty bare. There was one house for the men and one house for the women. Both were set up similarly with bunk beds lining the walls, a common sitting area, and a fireplace.

George Washington’s tomb is also on the property. It’s been moved from where it originally sat on the property to where it sits now, but it was at his own request in his will. 

The Inn at Mount Vernon Farm

It was time to head to the Inn at Mount Vernon Farm, which is not in Mount Vernon but in Sperryville, VA. The Inn is about two hours from Mount Vernon itself, but it sits on Mount Vernon Lane, which is where I assume the name hails from.

This upscale B&B is a travel blogger’s paradise. The Inn sits on a hilltop with views that could make anyone speechless. While standing outside this quaint inn, you are looking at the beautiful mountains of Shenandoah National Park. Who knew Virginia was mountainous? I sure didn’t.

Steph and I stayed in The Cabin, which is separate from the actual Inn, but only by a few steps. The Cabin is a very private, cozy stay for two. It was two stories, with the upstairs being entirely made up of the bedroom area. A super-comfortable king-sized bed takes up most of the room.  My favorite part of the experience? Stephanie requested a picture of George Washington to be placed in our room, and THEY DELIVERED! We had the best picture of George sitting next to the bed. Night made.

Downstairs, there is a living room with a fireplace and a bunch of books, a kitchenette, and a bathroom.  When sitting at the kitchen table, you overlook the yard of the Inn. There is a hot tub, some seating, and even a bocce ball court.

When we first walked in, we noticed a bottle of champagne and some chocolates waiting for us on the kitchen table. Yum! After Stephanie and I shared our excitement for the chocolates, Sarah, who worked at the Inn, greeted us with a glass of wine and a little cheese plate. This place just kept getting better and better!

After indulging in some wine, cheese, and chocolates, Steph and I decided to do a little photo shoot to show off The Cabin since we loved it so much. Between the scenery, aesthetic and the personalized service, it’s a place I would recommend anyone stay at while visiting Virginia.

We originally planned to go to some local wineries, but time and energy didn’t permit it for this trip.

Instead, we decided to grab a quick dinner at Headmaster’s Pub, a bar/arcade just a few minutes down the road from the Inn. The front had your standard bar and restaurant set-up, but in the backroom, there were arcade games as well! We chose not to sit in the game room, but it did look fun! The food was delicious, and the local beers were nice and refreshing. Definitely a good spot to check out when you’re visiting Sperryville!

Day 3: L’Auberge Provençale

Every vacation needs some sort of relaxation day. This is where our stay at the French Country Inn, L’Auberge Provençale in Boyce, VA, came in. We didn’t have to be at L’Auberge until mid-afternoon, so we decided to hang around Sperryville for the morning since the drive was only one hour.

Stephanie recommended we check out the Luray Caverns, which were approximately 30 minutes from The Inn. At first, I didn’t have much interest in going, but I am so glad we did! The Caverns are stunning. This is one of those places that the pictures don’t do justice.

It costs $32 per person to enter the caverns, but I promise it is worth it. This is a walking self-tour through the caverns, but the pathway is completely paved and easy to navigate. I was wearing sandals and had no problem getting around. The whole walk is less than 1.5 miles, so it is an easy activity.

After Luray, we decided to kill some more time by driving on the Skyline Drive “trail” in Shenandoah National Park. It costs $30 per vehicle to enter the national park. If you have the America the Beautiful pass, you can enter for free. I do have the pass, but since I didn’t know we were going, I left it at home. Poor planning on my end!

It was finally time to get to L’Auberge Provençale. When we got to our room, there was a gigantic meat and cheese plate waiting for us next to our crackling fireplace, and we instantly fell in love with the place. We stayed in a garden room, which is exactly what it sounds like – a room right off of a garden. It was colorful and relaxing.

Ok, let me tell you about the best dinner I think I ever had in my life. We ate right at the restaurant on site, La Table Provençale. To start, I ordered myself a “Cool as a Cucumber” to drink. The Cool as a Cucumber is made of cucumber/lime vodka, agave, mint, cucumber lime, and club soda.

We looked at the menu for about 3 seconds and then dove right in and ordered some Burrata and Pigs on a Clothesline. If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking, “wtf is that?” It’s bacon… brûléed right at the table. It was a fun appetizer, and delicious to eat!

Next course: Sweet Corn Bisque. This creamy, flavorful soup hit the spot. It wasn’t too heavy, but it was jam-packed with flavor.

For the main course, I ordered the Local Country Fried Chicken, which came with buttermilk biscuits and collard greens. Steph ordered the Moules Frites (mussels). We decided to get some extra sides, since we were already ordering half of the menu, so we got the Truffle Fries and an order of L’Auberge Provençale Ratatouille, which was to die for.

Even though we were stuffed to the top, we couldn’t resist dessert. We were planning on ordering some beignets, but unfortunately, they had just removed them from their menu, so we went with the Crème Brulée, which was made with blueberry compote. The best part of the whole meal was when the (young and ambitious) waiter explained what crème brulée was to us in surreal detail, as if we’ve never heard of it before. It was really funny, but I appreciated his enthusiasm!

Back to the room for the most intense food coma of my entire life.

Day 4: DC & Home

We woke up and were getting ready to head out when our breakfast room service was delivered. As expected, the food was perfect, an extension of how delicious the food from the night before had been.

I ordered some crepes and Steph ordered the frittata, and both were great choices! We also were given croissants, juice, tea, and melon smoothies. The melon smoothies were unexpected, but I was not upset that they gave them to us. They were so refreshing and perfect for this little breakfast before hitting the road for a long drive back home.

Until next time, Virginia! xo

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