In 2013, our vacation plans called for a week-long trip to Washington DC and Virginia as soon as school ended in May. In retrospect, we should have waited a few days. After picking up our kids directly from school on their last day, we stopped in Charlotte to have dinner with some friends and then drove as far as Durham, NC that night. Colonial Williamsburg was crowded when we arrived around 11:30 the next day (which also happened to be the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend). By the time we got to DC on Sunday afternoon, everyone was tired and cranky. We learned a very valuable lesson – give our kids at least a day or two to unwind from the school year before going on a week-long trip!
Thankfully a good dinner restored us on Sunday night and we were refreshed by Monday morning. If I had to do it over again, I would’ve pushed everything back by two days, avoiding most of the holiday weekend. Other than that, the trip met our expectations and then some!
Friday
Drive to Durham, NC
Saturday
Duke University campus
Colonial Williamsburg – including lunch at Chowning’s Tavern, tours of Rudolf House, Rockefeller House, Tea Room, Magazine, House of Burgesses
Dinner Blue Talon Bistro
Sunday
More Colonial Williamsburg – Governor’s House
Lunch at Trellis
drive to DC
Old Town and Alexandria waterfront
Stayed at Hotel Monaco, now the Alexandrian, Autograph Collection
Monday
Dinner at Taverna Cretekou
Tuesday
The Smithsonian Museums – American History Museum, National Gallery with one child, Museum of Natural Science – spouse and other child
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Hotel Washington Bar with friend
Wednesday
Ate at Pi Pizzeria
Annapolis, MD ferry tour
Thursday
Skyline Drive to Charlottesville, VA
Dinner – Continental Divide
Friday
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