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Busy in the Burbs

Busy in the Burbs

Tag Archives: Virginia

Washington, DC./Virginia 2018: 5 of 5, Mount Vernon

21 Friday Sep 2018

Posted by Nora in Travel

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George Washington, Mount Vernon, Virginia, Washington DC

Day 1: Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Day 2: Smithsonian’s National Zoo

Day 3A: Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum

Day 3B: United States Botanic Garden

Day 4: Luray Caverns

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First, for those of you outside of the United States, Mount Vernon is the home of George Washington who was the first president of the United States.  It sits on a lovely hill overlooking the Potomac River just south of Washington, D.C.  George Washington also owned other properties in the area, but this was the primary house where he lived and ran his various businesses.

This was a new location for us and we weren’t sure how the kids would handle the visit.  It was not as hot as it had been earlier in the week, but it was still hot and one would be spending much of the day outside.  Rain was not in the forecast, though we ended up wet from a brief shower mid-afternoon, that did serve to cool things off a bit.

The location is reasonably easily to get to and reasonably stroller friendly.  We did have to leave the stroller outside in the main house and some of the dirt paths are rather steep, but nothing that posed significant problems.

When you arrive and buy your tickets you receive a time stamp for entry into the main house.  Everything else on the property is open and available for you to explore at your leisure.  And, there is plenty.  We were there the entire day and still didn’t get to the Distillery.

We started with the upper gardens gardens, blacksmith’s shop, and spinning house.  All the gardens are still maintained, though more sparsely than they would have been.  One question I had is what happens to the food that grows there today as they did not seem to be harvesting anything.  There is a small garden oriented gift shop near the kitchen gardens, but we didn’t go in.

We then headed to the 12-acre lawn and bowling green.  These two large grassy areas in front of the house represent the view visitors would have had when they arrived.  The picture below is taken from the Bowling Green gate which separates the two lawn areas.

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Then we took our house tour.  As I mentioned the stroller needed to be left outside.  The tour was about 45 minutes, which was within the attention span of our group.  Each room had its own guide, all of whom were very knowledgeable and friendly.  You are on your feet for the entire tour with two flights of stairs.  Keep that in mind if planning a visit.  The colors are vibrant and bright, very different from the current grays one sees in houses.  Another significant difference from today is that the kitchen is separated from the house by an outdoor walkway to keep the heat and smells at a distance.

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Following the house tour we went back to the museum building you enter through to eat lunch.  They have a food court and a sit-down restaurant.  We chose the sit-down restaurant which turned out to be excellent.  It is a largely modern take on traditional foods, but is very homey and kid friendly and we didn’t feel we were paying a fortune at a tourist trap.  Highly recommend eating here for any group vs another food court stop for hamburgers and french fries.

After lunch we headed back past the lawns to the lower garden, animal pastures, stables, and orchard.  These areas were less developed than the upper garden, but still offered something to see and plaques describing what things would have been like when Washington lived.

We saw the Old Tomb where Washington was first buried.  His will stipulated a new tomb be built, which happened and his body was moved there.  We visited this tomb next.  To be honest, neither tomb really had much to see.

Near the new tomb is the Slave Memorial.  As would have been normal for a man of his wealth in that time and place, Washington had a number of slaves at Mount Vernon and his other properties.  This aspect of history is discussed well throughout the property.  George Washington, and later Martha, freed their slaves upon their deaths.  The slaves were clearly a critical part of the running of the plantation.

We continued down the hill to the dock and Pioneer Farm.  Here we ran into the one re-enactor that I would have preferred not to run in to.  The sixteen sided barn was interesting, but the woman explaining it rather trapped you inside so it was impossible to step in to see it without getting stuck for a long while.  We wanted to catch the shuttle back up the hill.  Since it only comes every thirty minutes or so it was important to keep moving.  Also, this was towards the end of the day with many small kids who just weren’t up for a long talk by this point.

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On our way out we went through the museum.  All in all it was a successful day.  I hadn’t known what to expect when we started since looking at historical stuff with kids can be hit or miss.  But, there was enough interesting things, enough movement, and not too much stuffiness as to make the day run quite smoothly.

Washington, DC./Virginia 2018: 4 of 5, Luray Caverns

20 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by Nora in Travel

≈ 1 Comment

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Luray Caverns, Skyline Drive, Virginia

Day 1: Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

Day 2: Smithsonian’s National Zoo

Day 3A: Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum

Day 3B: United States Botanic Garden

Pictures today!

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On our last trip to New York state we visited Howe Caverns.  Since the boys enjoyed that experience we decided to visit Luray Caverns this trip.  We made a full day of it and took in everything to see on property.  Luray Caverns is about two hours west of Washington, D.C.  Since we were staying to the west already, a direct route would have taken us about an hour and a half.

On our way there we did the northernmost stretch of Skyline Drive.  This added about thirty minutes to the drive.  Note that there is a fee to enter so it is both a slower and more expensive way to get to Luray from the DC area.  But, the scenery on that part of the route (between Front Royal, VA and Rt 211) was spectacular – even the boys thought so.  On the way back we decided to drive it a bit more so we took the middle section from Rt 211 to Rt 33.  This was not as spectacular and probably not worth the drive.

Upon arrival at Luray Caverns we bought our tickets and then had lunch.  The line was somewhat long and tickets are not timed, so its up to you to best judge the line for entry.  That being said, it moves pretty fast regardless.  Even more than Howe Caverns, this operation seems to be a smooth running one that’s been going for generations.  That is apparent both in what you see in the caverns as well as how things are run above ground.  One example is that they take your picture with a green screen at the entrance and you have the opportunity to purchase at the end – very theme-park like.  It’s not a negative, but it is apparent that you are not seeing a truly unblemished natural treasure.

You can bring your own food to eat onsite, just not in the caverns.  There is also a basic grill near the entrance.  We later found that there is another food option across the street at the Luray Valley Museum that might have been worth exploring more had we found it earlier.  We ate at the grill.  The food was fine, but limited, basic, and pricey for what you got.

Note: A ticket to Luray Caverns includes entry to the Car & Carriage Caravan Museum, Toy Town Junction, and the Luray Valley Museum.  I’m not even sure if you could purchase ticket to those separately.  They did check our tickets at both the car and Luray Valley museums.

After lunch we went in the adjacent Toy Town Junction.  I’m glad they don’t call this a museum.  It’s more like someone’s well-organized toy collection.  Just about everything dates from 30-50 years back, with a few popular modern items and very old things added for completeness.  But, it was a fun few minutes.

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After lunch we joined the line for the caverns.  It was much shorter.  We made the second group, which was maybe a 15 minute wait.  A huge advantage for us is that strollers are allowed in the caverns.  The steps are also somewhat narrow so an umbrella stroller is probably better than a big jogger.  You do have to carry them up and down the stairs and the start/finish of the tour.  And, there are some steep hills to watch out for with strollers.  But, it makes it much easier to handle the smaller children.

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The tour itself is about 45 minutes.  It was well organized; our guide was knowledgeable and kept the group together and moving the entire time.  One is very aware of the many other tour groups moving through the caverns with you, but they rarely interrupt the experience.  There are great vistas of large caverns and smaller features.  The completely still, mirror-like water was impressive.  The tour concludes with the playing of the Stalacpipe Organ.  By this point we had a hard time keeping the small ones quiet, but clearly we weren’t the only ones with that problem.  Generally, if your group is exclusively attentive adults who want to hear everything I’d recommend staying towards the front of the group.  Drop back if you have small children who might needs space or talk a lot.  If you want to take pictures, dropping back may also be a good idea.  Just, keep up with the group as the lights are on timers and you don’t want to end up in the dark.  Also, realize that in some places the path is quite narrow and you may not be able to work back to the front for a few stops.

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After our tour we headed down the hill to the car museum (and bathrooms).  I must say, after the toy “museum” the car museum was impressive.  If you are at all a car enthusiast, you should visit.  They had an excellent variety of vehicles, displayed well with descriptions, and in excellent condition.  The aisles are wide and very stroller friendly.  We (adults) could have stayed much longer, but unfortunately the boys were unable to get very interested.  Many of the cars had a tie-in to the region, but not all.

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Finally, we went across the street to the Luray Valley Museum.  As folks who have visited Sturbridge Village, there really wasn’t much to this one.  It’s not that it isn’t well done, just that it isn’t very fleshed out and comes across as an afterthought.  I don’t know if they have bigger plans for this area, but compared to the rest it underwhelms.  There’s a small museum and five exhibit buildings from 18th century life that you can look in, but not actually enter.  Again, its not bad, it just feels like it could/should be developed further.

Note: If you check their website you’ll see that they advertise a maze and rope adventure park.  If I’m honest, neither looked very big or worth the price.  More importantly, they didn’t really work for the age ranges we had in our group.  But, take a look before you go especially if you are traveling with teens/tweens.  Both are right near the entrance and you may decide that they are a good option for your family.

All in all, Luray Caverns is worth the drive.  In fact, I think doing the top portion of Skyline drive on the way is worth it.  There is plenty to do and abundant free parking.  Clearly they can handle even very busy days.  Assuming you check out all they have to offer it’s a pretty full day so doing Skyline on the way there is better as it may be getting dark when it’s time to head back east.

Washington, DC./Virginia 2018: 1 of 5, Smithsonian Air & Space Annex

06 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by Nora in Family, Travel

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Air & Space, Smithsonian, Udvar-Hazy, Virginia, Washington DC

I let you know already that we spent in a week in the DC area in August.  Some of these places we had been to before, but enjoyed.  Others were new to us (or some of us as I had actually been to all of them years ago).  So, over the next few weeks I’ll give you an overview of each of the five places we went, in order.

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Day 1 was at Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.  We have been there twice before; it is a favorite every time.  The kids love the scale of the place – the big hangers with complete airplanes and helicopters are a wonder to behold.  It really does take a full day to take it all in, especially if you want to see one of the IMAX movies.

We decided to go here first because there was rain in the forecast (see clouds above, although it didn’t rain) and it was the shortest drive after a long travel day.  We also consciously did the loop in the museum in reverse of our usual order as folks do tend to tire towards the end.

The museum is basically “T” shaped and divided into three categories: military, space, and civilian.  There is also a restoration hanger, a control tower where you can watch planes landing at Dulles airport, simulators, and IMAX movies.  We did the civilian planes first.

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Then we looped back for lunch (McDonald’s, though they will let you bring in food).  As we passed the cockpit of the Enola Gay the boys remarked on its similarity to the Millennium Falcon.

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After lunch we went up to the control tower and purchased tickets for the older ones to watch one of the IMAX movies later in the afternoon.  The wind direction was perfect because planes were coming in to land on either side of the museum’s control tower such that they were almost at eye level as they went past.  (More on this later.)

After lunch we went to the military wing.

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The older boys are finally getting old enough to understand the sides in the World Wars, the existence of the Korean and Vietnam wars, and the significance of the military in general.

I always appreciate it when they leave some airplanes in an un-restored state.  Dusted and cleaned up a bit yes, but not patched/painted/etc.

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Finally, we headed to the space wing.  I finally figured out the corner to wedge into to get the entire space shuttle in one picture!

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The space wing has many more small displays and plaques to read than the other areas.  In this way it is the most like the main Air & Space museum downtown.

Finally, we sent the older ones off to their IMAX movie and I took the younger three up the observation tower again.  It was packed!  What I didn’t realize initially is that most folks up there this time were plane spotters.  This because obvious a few minutes later when an Airbus A380 came right past the window.  I was so busy showing it to the kids that I didn’t get a picture of it until it was past us landing.  But, I did get a picture of the Boeing 747 that came a few minutes later.  You can imagine the even larger plane this close!  Definitely not some thing you see often.

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Anyway, after the A380 went by almost 2/3 of the crowd headed for the elevator.  I also because aware of the number of people checking their phones to see which planes were coming next.  That’s how I knew to be more ready for the 747.  Apparently after the 747 went by there weren’t any other big planes due (at least for a while) because everyone headed for the exits.  We stayed a bit to let the crowds clear and then headed down to meet the rest of our group and end our visit.

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About Me

Welcome! I’m Nora. We have 5 boys and 1 girl. I write about the practical stuff that we call life – managing school, sports, and all things suburban. I get everyone where they need to be, with their stuff, when they need to be there and write about how that all gets done.

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