ROAD TRIP
BOB TAGERT
To and From
Historic Yorktown, VA
T
his month’s road trip covers a lot of miles as well as great places to stop. We had to go to Williamsburg, Virginia to conduct R&D for the Business Profile about Copper Fox Distillery in this issue so we incorporated a circular trip south that carried us through Yorktown, a beautiful historic town straight out of a storybook. But first we needed to get south. We began our trip by taking Maryland Route 5 south to Waldorf where it turns into Route 301. After crossing the Potomac River Bridge into Virginia we proceeded to Route 3 south into King George County. Our first stop was at Ingleside Winery to see if our friend and owner Doug Flemer was at work on this Saturday. We were in luck as we found him walking through the beautiful courtyard that this winery is known for. Years ago when we hosted the annual Old Town Cup sailboat race, Ingleside was our wine sponsor. Great wines at a good price. Since we were on a time frame to reach Williamsburg, I will only mention the attractions along the way as we did not have the time to stop and explore. Westmoreland State Park is located on the Potomac River’s Northern Neck. The park offers many opportunities for family fun including
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an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and adjacent bathhouse, meeting area, snack bar, camp store and power boat ramp. You will also find a visitors center, campgrounds, cabins, a playground, fishing pier, boat rentals and 6 miles of hiking trails. Six miles south from Westmoreland State Park is the town of Montross, home to the George Washington Birthplace National Monument and Stratford Hall Plantation. Continuing south on Route 3 you will come to Warsaw, a town of unique history. A former plantation, Belle Mount is currently operated as a vineyard and winery within a few miles of Warsaw town limits. Before crossing the Rappahannock River you will come to the bustling town of Kilmarnock. Route 3 passes through the middle of town and continues on to White Stone, a small town before the bridge that has really great gas prices - $1.86 per gallon. Crossing over the Rappahannock River we continued to Route 17 to Saluda then picked up route 33 to 14 to West Point where we crossed the York River. From there we picked our way along back roads to I-64 towards Williamsburg. From there we took exit 238 and Copper Fox Distillery is about a mile down the road. From Copper Fox we picked up the scenic
Colonial National Historic Parkway toward Yorktown. The parkway runs along the shore line of the York River, across ponds and scenic overlooks. Before we reached the York River we turned right into Yorktown. The first thing you will notice is how clean and freshly painted everything looks. Historic buildings now house museums, restaurants and small inns. It is just stunning. The town is most famous as the site of the siege and subsequent surrender of General Charles Cornwallis to General George Washington and the French Fleet during the American Revolutionary War on October 19, 1781. Although the war would last for another year, this British defeat at Yorktown was the beginning of the end of the war. Yorktown also figured prominently in the American Civil War serving as a major port to supply both northern and southern towns, depending upon who held Yorktown at the time. Today, Yorktown is one of three sites of the Historic Triangle, which also includes Jamestown and Williamsburg as important colonial-era settlements. It is the eastern terminus of the Colonia Parkway connecting these locations. Yorktown is ROAD TRIP > PAGE 27
Old Town Crier
