Day trips from Richmond

We will be staying with my wife%26#39;s relatives in Midlothian, this April, and I haven%26#39;t been able to interest her in spending an overnight somewhere else, so I am limited to day trips.

Here are four day trips, where I wonder whether I am trying to pack too much into one day. Whaddya think?

SKYLINE DRIVE Loop back on 11 or 81 and include Monticello, Luray Caverns, and Dark Hollow Falls. Is this too much for one day?

WILLIAMSBURG, JAMESTOWN, YORKTOWN - Again is this too much in one day? Of these 3, do you have a favorite? Is it possible to add on the Maritime Museum in Hampton?

MOUNT VERNON, ALEXANDRIA, D.C. - We have both already been to D.C, so we will probably only need to visit a minimal number of sites.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Nags Head or Chincoteague - Does it really take 4 hours to get to Nags or Chincoteague from Richmond? Regardless of trying to do the trip in one day, if you could only visit one, which would you visit? We probably won%26#39;t do this trip - too far.

Thanks for your help...

Day trips from Richmond

Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown - too much for one day. Do either Colonial Williamsburg, or combine one Yorktown site and one Jamestown site (if no children involved, I recommend Historic Jamestowne, the NPS site). Not advisable to add the Maritime Museum, but you could visit the Waterman%26#39;s Museum in Yorktown.

Mount Vernon would be a good daytrip. There%26#39;s a new visitors center and museum there, in addition to the house and grounds.

Yes, it really takes 4 hours to Chincoteague; haven%26#39;t been to Nag%26#39;s Head so don%26#39;t know first hand. I%26#39;d recommend Virginia Beach as a day trip.

Hopefully someone else will have ideas too. You could do Monticello, Ash Lawn-Highland, and Montpelier, or tour some of the Charlottesville area wineries, too.

Day trips from Richmond

A day trip would work to Luray Caverns including traveling some of Skyline Drive and a hike to Dark Hollow Falls. Shenandoah NP is beautiful, don%26#39;t miss it!

A nice day trip would also be to Charlottesville and a tour of Monticello. There is a very nice 2 mile hike called Saunders-Monticello Trail that ends at the Jefferson Visitors Center, more information at www.monticello.org/parkway/trail.html

Va Beach would work as a day trip and you could consider stopping by the Mariners Museum in Newport News (not far off I64) on the way back if there is extra time.....OR include Mariners Museum with a day trip to Yorktown, then you could possibly also have time for a hike (or partial hike) around the 5 mile Lake Maury trail on the grounds of Mariners Museum, it%26#39;s a beautiful trail.

Nags Head and Chincoteague are 4 hour one way drives from Midlothian, so are not good day trips.

Lots of options, enjoy.

I live very near Midlothian and have worked in the Williamsburg, VA beach and DC areas. At times, these drives are not enjoyable!

I really like the Alexandria area. Old Town Alexandria is beautiful, right on the Potomac. Tons of great shopping and restaurants--lots of history. Mount Vernon is also just a few miles away. You could even take the metro downtown if you wanted to see the sites. This would definitely be a very long day trip. I wouldn%26#39;t recommend leaving Midlothian before 8:30am because the traffic in the DC area is horrendous! I drive up there several times/month for work and have learned how to avoid the worst traffic times. It%26#39;s a little bit less than a 2 hr drive to get to Alexandia (with no traffic). I wouldn%26#39;t leave that area before 7pm to come back to Richmond.

I agree that the Charlottesville/Skyline drive area would be a great day trip. Beautiful, peaceful drive.

I wouldn%26#39;t do both Williamsburg and VA beach. Williamsburg is a little more than half way to VA beach and if you%26#39;re not spending the night, I don%26#39;t think it%26#39;s worth it to do the drive it twice. I would choose Williamsburg over VA beach because the weather in April isn%26#39;t very warm. There is a beautiful boardwalk, but I think you%26#39;d get more out of visiting Williamsburg, JMO.

Your Skyline Drive proposal would be quite a bit for one day. I agree that it is pretty. A better alterantive would be a basic trip to Monticello/Cville and add in a winerey or two.

Williamsburg, Jtown, Ytown is a lot to try in one day. One idea would be to combine Wburg, wit Ytown. The CW Parkway connects the two and is a great drive. My advice would be AM yorktown then take the CW to Wburg and get lunch at the Cheeseshop or one of the deli%26#39;s (anyone in Wburg will tell you what and where these are) then stroll down DOG Street.

Nags head is great but it is about 3 hours from Richmond and probably not a great day trip.

Enjoy

Yes, I was thinking the same thing about the slow pace and viewing ops along Skyline Drive, the Luray Caverns and Falls...hey that%26#39;s a day there and tuck in at Big Meadows or Sklyand. But instead add C-ville area and the commute back and forth to Midlothian.

I%26#39;m wondering if by ';four day trips'; you mean you will choose just one or two.

You know, I guess you considered that when people visit relatives and understandably take day trips, it is generally in the area of where the relatives live. I mean the city, not the state:)

You will leave early...try to avoid rush hour even in Midlothian...and come home late and do a lot of walking, listening, learning, new experiences in between which is wonderful but exhausting too. And then get up and do the same the next day...and the next.

If you didn%26#39;t take your relatives with you you would see them hardly at all so I guess they%26#39;re coming.

Otherwise jimho it%26#39;s not worth it to spend such a short time overnight in Midlothian.

We have done a lot of driving and vacationing around visits with family and friends.

Have you mapquested all the distances?

If you really are doing four or more day trips without your relatives with you, here%26#39;s an idea...how about instead of coming in late at night in Midlothian and grabbing breakfast with relatives, eying maps, mind on the optimal time to leave to avoid traffic and get to places for the tour...add up the number of hours you%26#39;d spend eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart connecting with them and spend that in a day or two dedicated totally to connecting with the relatives.

Spend the rest of the time driving Va.

We are spending 5 full days in Virginia. I have refined my day trips to two items per day - we are skipping Virginia Beach, altogether and the hike to Dark Hollow Falls, from the Luray trip.

My potential itinerary for the Luray Caverns day trip is:

arrive at Monticello at 9:00 AM and stay for 2 hours

depart Charlottesville at 12 noon (1 hour for lunch in Charlottesville)

get to Skyline Dr by way of Hwys 29 and 33

get to Luray by way of Skyline Dr and 211

I think this will take 2.5 hours, including some time on the Skyline Dr, to go from Charlottesville to Luray, which will put us in Luray at 2:30 PM. Luray Caverns closes at 6 PM, which leaves us 3.5 hours for the cave.

Leave Luray and travel 340S-33E-29S-64E to Midlothian, which should take 3 hours.

Is this a good schedule and route?

And, one last question...

We will probably be seeing the Confederate Museum and White House in Richmond. Is there a Civil War site, like Manassas, Fredricksburg, Appomattox, or Petersburg, that is more interesting or scenic than what is already on my itinerary? We do have one, as yet, unscripted day. I probably lean more towards colonial than Civil War Virginia.

Yes, my in-laws will be traveling with us on a few of these trips, and I am flexible for whatever the days bring. We are staying at my wife%26#39;s brother%26#39;s house.

Thank you all. The advice has been very helpful.

Your Luray day trip schedule is full but doable. You know the type of traveler you are; some are happy with an overview and time for a good look, others must see each brick and word to be satisfied.

For your available day trip, consider Colonial Williamsburg. There is no better representation of the Colonial period, it%26#39;s a short drive, and if you%26#39;ve never been, this would be a great opportunity for a unique experience.

Happy trails

Yes, if you prefer Colonial history, then Colonial Williamsburg is for you, just about an hour%26#39;s drive.

But here some other things to investigate:

Shirley Plantation, shirleyplantation.com. It%26#39;s one of the James River plantations, off Rt. 5 east of Richmond, quite rural, Rt. 5 is the old road to Williamsburg.

A beautiful spot, current owner is 13th generation of the same family. On the James River.

Henricus Historical Park, www.henricus.org. In Chesterfield County, just off I-95. A re-creation of the second settlement after Jamestown with both a settlers%26#39; village and an Indian settlement. On the James River.

Tuckahoe Plantation, tuckahoeplantation.com, or historictuckahoe.com. Short distance west of Richmond, in Goochland County. Thomas Jefferson went to school there.

Also, the Virginia Historical Society is a great museum, vahistorical.org. On the Boulevard in Richmond%26#39;s Fan District.