Arty

[DeputyDog]

I may be heading to your neck of the woods around the second week of July. We are planning on spending some time in the Williamsburg area and are thinking of trying to get in some beach time as well there in Va Beach.

Any recommendations on where to stay or what to do?


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[BarryBobPosthole]

Arty has a ‘lake’ that will be about ankle deep on you, Deputy.

BKB

[Bwana]

A tour of the naval base close by was pretty interesting. Saw a gent catch a little bitty shark off of the pier. I seem to recall visiting an area light house too where we saw some dolphins swimming off shore which was a first for me.

[DeputyDog]

My son is a big history buff and really wants to go to Williamsburg and also see Jamestown and Yorktown. The Navy base would be a plus for him too.

Before we go there we are going to Asheville so my daughter can see the Biltmore.

Of course my wife wants some “beach time” too so I was thinking VA Beach since we would be right there.


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[Chicken Dinner]

RT May be slow to respond as I think he’s headed out on a camping vacation.

Lots of cool history down that way between Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg. There are also some civil war battle fields that aren’t too far away. They have replicas if the ships the Jamestown settlers came over in and when you see how small they are you will be shocked. Those were some crazy and/or desperate folks. There are also some water parks and amusement parks in the Williamsburg area if you’re looking to change things up a bit.


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[Arty]

Ddog, in the Williamsburg area, Hank has covered the bases.
If it when you make it to Virginia Beach, a neat little 1 hour long excursion could be the cape Henry Lighthouse. It’s not the oldest lighthouse in the US but it was the first thing ever built by the (then) newly formed US government. You can still climb it. Leave you side arm in the hotel... they will check you and your vehicle upon entrance.... it’s on a military base.

Between here and Williamsburg is fort Monroe. A union fort in the civil war. Also the place where the very FIRST black slaves were brought in from Africa. That’s in Hampton.

I’ll be home most of the second week in July, so please hit me up. If y’all have a beach day or something I can sneak by and drink all the beer from your cooler while you ain’t looking.


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[Thumper]

Leave you side arm in the hotel... they will check you and your vehicle upon entrance.... it’s on a military base.

It's been so long since I've thought about that sort of thing, I'm pretty much lost when it comes to what's legal and what's not these days. How does LEOSA affect something like that? Knowing the military, some bases would allow carry, some would not, some you'd have to register and others might just make you secure it. I honestly don't know. I'd sure hate to rely on those dinky hotel safes, plus most any LEO would feel naked without a firearm on the way to or away from the installation. Will a badge and credentials be accepted at the gate? Anybody know for sure how it works these days? Is LEOSA thrown out the window if the military is involved?

[Arty]

That’s a good question, thump. I don’t know...
I do know I’ve taken people there twice and they ask you “are you carrying or is there a firearm in your vehicle. Then they pop hood, trunk and open all doors and look.

We took my FIL once and he forgot he was carrying. His CCL made no difference. We had to turn around and take it back home.
But he ain’t a LEO


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[Thumper]

Well, that's excusable ... but then you have (I won't mention names here to protect the guilty) some goofy N. Carolina LEO dufe who had to sneak off into the woods to BURY his firearm 'cause he forgot he was carrying until he was ready drive across the Canuckian border. :poke

[Egghead]

DD, there is some amazing history at the Military Aviation Museum (https://militaryaviationmuseum.org/) - all of their planes fly regularly and you can walk right up to them.

The Army Transportation Museum (https://transportation.army.mil/museum/) is another neat place.

Like Arty said, the lighthouse is worth a visit, just get there as early as they will let you if it is a sunny day!

If you go to Jamestown, may want to leave time to go back and forth on the free ferry there: https://www.virginiadot.org/travel/ferry-jamestown.asp.

The battleship Wisconsin is worth a visit too - in Norfolk.

Sounds like we'll miss each other (we'll be down for July 4th weekend), otherwise we'd gladly put you up for an evening/day at the beach. If you go to the beach and want to avoid the crowd, definitely head for the higher numbered streets away from the boardwalk.

[DeputyDog]

Thanks for the info. We don’t really have a set schedule for the trip yet. All we know for sure is we are heading out on July 10 after my son finishes the football camp he’s going to. Heading to Asheville first to go to the Biltmore. As of now, we know where we want to go, but haven’t decided how long we are staying at each place. Only definite is we need to get home no later than the 21st.


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[Thumper]

We've done the Biltmore twice. There's really nothing NOT to enjoy about that place. Have fun Deppity.

[DeputyDog]

How much time would you recommend that we set aside for the Biltmore? Can you do enough in a day to do it justice or should we do two days there?


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[Thumper]

If you keep moving, one day is fine. Two days is PLENTY! Our first time there, we did the guided house tour, the creamery (best ice cream you ever had!) and the guided winery tour. Throw in the gift shop and a restaurant and you can pretty much tear through a full day. You MIGHT be able to squeeze in a grounds tour, but it would be tight. Personally, I think a day is good if you don’t drag your feet. Two days is plenty and you can try a few different restaurants. Definitely go to Cedric’s and get some pickles! Trust me on that one. If you go for two days, would you stay at the Biltmore? They have a great fine dining restaurant at the hotel. Another great place to stay is right at the entrance at the Bohemian. The Grove Park Inn is also there. If you should be there on a Sunday, you HAVE to hit their (Grove Park’s) brunch. (Reservations highly recommended). Try to hit the “farm to table” place called “The Market Place” that’s a must do! Do NOT go without hitting the “Chocolate Lounge”. Or, hit the sunset at The Terrace. I could go on and on about the eating places. There is an endless supply of great places if you’re into food.second thought, it would be easy to spend a week there! 😉

[DeputyDog]

Thanks. My daughter read a series of books when she was younger that used the estate as a location so I was pretty sure on doing the guided house tour and maybe one of the horseback riding tours of the grounds.


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[Bwana]

Forgot about the Wisconsin battleship tour, that was pretty cool.

[DeputyDog]

I bet that is pretty cool. We toured the USS Alabama when we were down in Mobile for Spring Break. My son would like it but I doubt I could get my wife and daughter to do that again.


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[Chicken Dinner]

Not sure if you have lodging yet, but there’s a fairly big timeshare/condo market around Williamsburg and we’ve had pretty good luck on AirBnb getting decent deals on a place to stay. When traveling with the entire family, it can be a nice change to stay in a condo with a full kitchen and desperate bedrooms vs. a hotel.


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[Thumper]

I LOVE those desperate bedrooms ... as long as there are wimmins in 'em! ;)

[Chicken Dinner]

[emoji23] that is one of the benefits of separate bedrooms!


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[DeputyDog]

We will be rolling into Williamsburg on the 14th and Virginia Beach on the 17th through the 20th.


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[Arty]

Come on, man!
We are flying out to London on 7/16 and will be gone until 7/25!
Bummer!


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