If you thought America’s cradle of history was just for kids, you’re only partially right. Junior citizens are mostly absent from the site during certain months — May, September after Labor Day, October, the first half of November, January, and February — leaving its attractions for adults to explore in peace. So hoist up your britches and grab your tri-corner hat: here’s how grown-ups who want to explore Greater Williamsburg beyond its colorful history can enjoy a visit.

It Can Be Intoxicating

Booze flows through Williamsburg as freely as the James River. If you enjoy alcoholic beverages, there’s plenty to sample along the Williamsburg Tasting Trail. Compare craft beers from a half dozen breweries; visit the Williamsburg Winery, largest in the state and site of the tasty Café Provençal; or experience honey-based vintages at the Silver Hand Meadery.

It Can Be a Learning Experience

While it’s fun to stroll Duke of Gloucester Street or ride along it in a period horse and carriage, you can also master an 18^th-century skill during a visit. The Weaving Workshop teaches attendees to use a loom and complete a cotton tea towel in two hours’ time that they can take home to show their handiwork. There’s also an Ax Throwing program and instruction to Fire a Flintlock Musket. Colonial Williamsburg aims to offer more hands-on programs teaching 18^th-century skills in the future.

It Can Be A Madhouse

The most unusual, and unsettling, preface to the excellent Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg is the reconstruction of the Public Hospital of 1773, the first institution in America exclusively devoted to treating the mentally ill. The small but chilling exhibition includes a former cell, a straitjacket, and devices used at the time to treat “idiots, lunatics, and other persons of unsound mind.” After viewing, “escape” to view the nearby fine folk art collections.

It Can Tempt Shoppers

Along Gloucester Street you’ll see painted shingles outside buildings that announce the blacksmith shop, the apothecary, the milliner, and other tradespeople. Costumed interpreters explain what they made and how they operated. The Prentis store sells souvenirs, many made locally. Goods range from soft lavender powder and yarn to hard iron tools to recreations of important documents that articulate the early days of America’s freedom.

Adjacent to the Historic Area, Merchants Square contains a variety of shops and restaurants. Favorites include The Precious Gem, a fine jewelry store with an impressive selection of colored stones, and the William & Mary Bookstore & Cafe. In addition selling rah-rah merchandise, it has a concentration of American History books, a small Apple section, and a Starbucks. Bargain shoppers can head to Williamsburg Premium Outlets.

It Can Be Relaxing

Although some couples eschew spas, others adore them. If you desire a facial or gentle pummeling, the Spa of Colonial Williamsburg can supply practitioners and emollients. Elsewhere, the Williamsburg Salt Cave offers an unusual and more passive experience; guests are seated in a recliner inside walls of imported salt alleged to foster wellness. A session lasts for 45 minutes. Just don’t lick the walls.

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On the hour’s ride, when I was willing to unclutch the steering wheel long enough to wave at an occasional wild turkey, pheasant or deer (I was disappointed we didn’t see any of the Black Bears who sometimes show up on the tour) or look out over the magnificent countryside, I was reminded once again to take it easy on the turns. Though not for the faint of heart or heavy of foot as we bounced over rocks, dipped into ruts, careened around hairpin turns and stormed through muddy ravines, the adrenaline surge was thrilling. I had to keep reminding myself to relax my body, none of whose internal organs were where they started out before the ride. Okay, so yes, a tad nerve-wracking – but oh so much fun!

Even once I was in a real car on a real road, the driving still felt treacherous. Windy, hilly, curvy roads surveying mammoth, stunning overlooks cover the 12,000-acre campus – Primland is just shy of the size of Bermuda – and the shuttle drivers carry Dramamine with them to assuage those prone to motion sickness. Not your usual hotel amenity. And a lot of driving is involved. Once you arrive at Primland, you haven’t actually arrived. It’s six miles from the North Gate to the Lodge; another 7 miles to the South Gate. Shuttles to the different activities felt like activities in themselves.

So it was not surprising to be happily on our own two feet again when hiking with naturalist Tim, who enhanced our walk over varied terrain with knowledgeable explanations of flora and fauna and an even more interesting worldview.

And then it was time for archery, of course. And air rifle shooting. And tomahawk throwing. Doesn’t every hotel have that? Channeling my inner Native American, I raised my bow and arrow and shot at the target, choosing to spare the ersatz bear, wolf and wild turkey statuettes who all seemed like less appealing options. Turns out I was a natural, hitting the target every time. Not so much with the air rifle. Seems I’d make a much better Indian than Cowboy! Although admittedly, my tomahawk throwing was a little rusty. To assuage my diminishing self-esteem, I reverted back to my trusty bow and arrow.

And the list of things we didn’t do is longer than those we did.  Fly fishing, clay shooting, disc golf, horseback riding, hunting, watersports, outdoor fitness track, and oh yes, of course golf and tennis.

But still, I felt I had definitely earned my Signature Massage at the spa, continuing the Native American experience which is more than just a theme, it’s a philosophy. Artifacts from the local Saura tribe abound and are considered sacred. In the signature massage, tribal elements of fire, water, air and earth are incorporated through hot stones, oils, scents and touch. And afterwards, you come full circle by sipping tea from the Native American Tea Company.

Prior to the massage, I was taken to a “relaxation space,” past hallways all decked out in shades of turquoise and brown – the color representing a “drop of heaven” and the stones, anti-aging. I was already well-relaxed before I even got to the Relaxation Room, where a wide span of windows looking out over the countryside, reinforced the sense of ennui. At this point, I didn’t even need the massage.

But that was before I met my spirit animal. Heather, my masseuse, led me into the massage room where, of course, there were animal feathers to clear the energetic pathways around me. I was told to ask myself a question I was seeking an answer to and to pick a card that spoke to me from the eight laying face down in front of me. Cynic that I am, I had no question and heard no card. The one I picked was the rabbit which apparently represented an internalized fear I needed to let go of. I didn’t relate at all – I didn’t like being a rabbit – but somehow felt the need to apologize that my rejection was nothing personal. I asked about the other cards – eagle, deer, wolf, skunk, turkey, squirrel, raccoon, each representing some personal exploration. Skunk? Turkey? Squirrel? The rabbit was beginning not to look so bad. We both thoroughly enjoyed our massage.

That night we went to the observatory for some star-gazing, of course. Foggy as it had been driving in, the sky overhead was crystal-clear, with a very sophisticated telescope projecting the stars onto a video in front of us. The full moon provided even more clarity. All of Primland emphasizes a return to nature and you can’t get much closer than this. We were surrounded by stars, planets, constellations, galaxies – including the Orion Nebula, a star-forming nebula approximately 1300 light years from Earth, the Pleiades Open Star Cluster (also known as the “Seven Sisters”) and the show-stopping Andromeda Galaxy (the closest and largest galaxy to the Milky Way roughly 2.5 million light years away). We saw over 1000 stars on the screen, including the mere 150 that the naked eye can see. So much that was impossible to fathom – in 4-6 billion years, the Milky Way may collide with Andromeda. Not to worry.

To mention once again that this is not your usual hotel amenity seems ridiculously redundant. For more information, visit the Primland site.

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My reply: None of the above, I muse.  But, as I chat with Mistress Murray, I soak up her keen observations on life in Colonial Williamsburg, navigating my way through her brogue; I learn very quickly that she is an especially hard worker, who puts in long hours, crafting wigs for the wealthy and status-seekers of the period.  Because, indeed, owning a wig (or, better still, a whole cupboard full of them), was a universally recognized symbol of wealth and status. She tells me that a mere five percent of the Virginia population could afford a wig — and those who could were likely to be tradesmen, merchants, clergy, military men, ship captains, and landed gentry. She further explains to me that the longer the wig, the more costly, of course; hence, the term “big wig” came into popular usage, denoting a person with clout, status, and — dare we say? — significant means.

As an Irishwoman working in a British colony, she does not have an easy time of it, but her skills are so in demand, that she is forgiven her national heritage.  She is a magician at crafting wigs and a font of knowledge on her chosen profession: She shows me how to curl a wig, using a forged-metal tool, which is constructed with a pair of round finger grips and a split blade (sort of like a pair of scissors). The circular grips are wrapped with cording to prevent burning the user’s fingers, as the iron is heated before use to better coax hair into curls and waves. She further tells me that she gets her “supplies” from goats, horses, and yaks. And another tidbit:  Wig wearers usually shave off their actual hair — makes wearing wigs easier and more hygienic.

Of course, Mary is but a corporeal imagining (with the help of historical research), brought to life by local resident Betty Myers, who is a seminal “interpreter” in the wig shop. She is a passionate player in the cast of interpreters who embody Colonial Williamsburg’s inhabitants — shop owners, tradespeople, soldiers, government officials, and patrons. Betty has been a cast member since the late ’80s. She is emblematic of the dedicated interpreters who thoroughly research their characters, their jobs, and their lives.  Indeed, everything here is period-perfect.

And that is just as it should be, as Colonial Williamsburg — the onetime capital of this colony — was conceived to accurately represent the period as flawlessly as possible: It is a living-history “gallery,” the largest outdoor museum in the country, bringing to life 18th-century America throughout its 300-acre campus. It is the passion project of the Reverend Dr. William Archer Rutherford Goodwin, who secured the financial backing of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., in the late 1920s, to bring his dream to life. The actual site comprises several hundred restored or re-created buildings — 88 of which are original — from the 17th through the 19th centuries. The main Historic Area is a National Historic Landmark and, indeed, if you step onto the main thoroughfare, Duke of Gloucester Street (referred to as DoG Street), you will feel as if you have taken a journey in a time machine back into America’s infancy.

Colonial Williamsburg is administered by the private Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which is dedicated to maintaining the Historic Area buildings, trades shops, and museums. Throughout the year, the Foundation offers educational programs, theatrical presentations, lectures, how-to classes, holiday-themed happenings, and so on, and is dedicated to the conservation and preservation the art and artifacts in the Historic Area.  There is even a wardrobe shop that produces authentically constructed garments for the interpreters — down to the most minute details, like hand-crafting intricate death-head buttons for military uniforms.

During one three-day visit two years ago, I was faced daily with so many choices of what to do — nearly thirty offerings each day — that I had a tough time choosing: “Secrets of the Chocolate Maker,” revolving around 18th-century recipes; a visit with the famous  barber of York, Caesar Hope, who tells his life story of slavery and enterprise; a lecture on Ben Franklin’s greatest invention, the glass armonica; a tour of the stables (called Bits and Bridles); the official Colonial Williamsburg Ghost Walk; and during another visit, I had an opportunity to view a highly educational theatrical presentation, “Resolved: An American Experiment Tour,” in the Capitol Building.

A year before that visit, I was able to attend the “Grand Illuminations” weekend (this year, it will be held December 4-6), the highlight of which is a re-enactment of the kind of “illuminations” (the firing of guns and fireworks) that occurred in Colonial celebrations. The December holiday weekend marks the official beginning of the Christmas season in Colonial Williamsburg and is traditionally observed in a grand way. That night, we toured the Governor’s Palace by candlelight and took part in a military ceremony on the Palace Green. It is a very special weekend, when the entire town is decked out in Colonial finery. This year, because of the pandemic, the celebrations are spread out over many weeks — and capacity is reduced.  (If you are planning a trip, check the websites for updates.)

No visit to Colonial Williamsburg is complete, either, without a meal or two in the authentic eateries.  Christiana Campbell’s Tavern was allegedly one of George Washington’s favorites, and I loved my period-inspired roast beef luncheon at Shield’s Tavern, as well as a classic Colonial dinner at Chowning’s Tavern. These roadhouse-eateries create menus that reflect the kind of cooking and spices used in the era and the restaurants are staffed by knowledgeable cast members, who also offer up anecdotes and historic trivia.  I also learned that in Colonial times, taverns were not mere eateries, but rather hostelries, which also offered lodging and overnight accommodations for travelers’ horses.

Visits to tradespeople’s workshops are also a treat, a brief dive into retro shopping:  I spent at least an hour with the cobbler who told me he works by sunlight only (as they did yesteryear — no electricity, of course!), and so in the winter, he knocks off early.  I spent another hour with the weaver, learning about the textiles she was making; another hour in the Margaret Hunter Millinery and Mantua-Maker Shop, chatting with the Mistress herself, brilliantly portrayed by Janea Whitacre, who has worked at Colonial Williamsburg since the early ’80s. The shop sells many things that we would never expect to find in a millinery shop — things more likely to be on offer in the 20th-century in an eclectic “notions” boutique — walking sticks, playing cards, navigational equipment, fans, patent medications, even tobacco! After my visit with Mistress Hunter, I rounded out the day with stops at the apothecary, the silversmith, the bookbindery, the cabinetmaker, and the tin shop.  Even then, there were still many more shops I wanted to view.

You will not run out of things to do, either.  And if you have time to extend your trip, then you need to take in much more that the Greater Williamsburg Area also offers: the Tasting Trail, which has stops at several wineries (among them, the Williamsburg Winery), breweries (including the wonderful Virginia Beer Company), and even a distillery that makes mead, a fermented-honey-based Colonial-era brew (the Silver Hand Meadery); the Taste Studio, which is equipped for culinary lessons and demos, at the Williamsburg Inn; the recently renovated American Revolution Museum at Yorktown; the York Battlefield; the College of William and Mary (the second-oldest in the America); Historic Jamestowne; the Jamestown Settlement; and even “entertainment experiences,” like Busch Gardens.

Colonial Williamsburg website

Visit Williamsburg

©  2020 Ruth J. Katz  All Rights Reserved

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This installment of Three Things About Loudoun County is courtesy of Richard Carroll, award-winning journalist  and Traveling Boy writer.

1. Question: What are some of the “things” or activities that the people of Loudoun County do for fun?

Answer:

Loudouners enjoy a large number of award-winning, family-owned wineries, many offering live music, entertainment, and concerts. The gorgeous tree-dappled county has six striking golf courses, and for Loudoun’s organic aficionados some 27 weekend markets and farms to browse. Loudoun’s famed Horse Country is lively throughout spring, summer, and fall with Steeple Chase events, Polo Matches, Jumper Shows, and the celebrated, international competition at the Middleburg Spring Races. There are also countless horse trails ideal for casual weekend riders. Loudouners experience the good life with fine dining and impressive wine lists led by celebrity Chef Santosh Tiptur who creates unique chocolate-infused cuisine in Conche, located in the historic village of Leesburg.

2. Question: What’s one thing the public probably does NOT know about Loudoun County?

Answer:

Loudoun is among the most affluent counties in the United States which may be why there are more horses in Loudoun than any other county in Virginia. Long noted for a booming equestrian lifestyle, fashionable Middleburg, regarded as the heart and soul of Loudoun’s horse country, is dotted with Horse Farms, Pony Clubs, and Equestrian Centers. Loudoun, with 697 acres of vineyards and 42 wineries, is the fifth largest wine/grape producer in the country, and is also listed among the most historic counties on the East Coast of the United States.

3. Question: Share some aspect of what Loudoun County has contributed to the world.

Answer:

Loudoun County, established in 1757, has throughout the years retained its dramatic Civil War history and significant personalities, preserving them for written history, scholars, visitors, and generations to come. The mansions, plantations, gardens, and battle sites that have been part of Loudoun’s history, are incredibly intact. The historic towns of Purcellville, Hillsboro, Middleburg, the village of Waterford, a National Landmark, and Leesburg, each with a distinctive identity and personality, all have tales to tell. The Leesburg area has an enormous 21 entries on the National Register of Historic Places with 63 historic markers in or near Leesburg, while the village’s Historic District, also on the National Register of Historic Places, is considered one of the best preserved and most charming downtowns in Virginia.

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Hauntingly striking, the county is criss-crossed like a thoughtfully designed masterpiece puzzle with two-lane undulating roads that are densely lined with trees and intertwine to connect 42 organic and sustainable wineries where a world of flavor awaits. Grouped into six Wine Clusters, the 697 acres of neatly planted vineyards create a gleam from the earth that is memorable. Because Virginia wine is youthful, like a strapping teenager anxious to encounter the world, the wineries are still relatively unknown, despite the fact the State has 10 wine regions and is the fifth largest wine/grape producer in the country.

Loudoun wineries were set in motion when Willowcroft Farm Vineyards planted the first vines in 1980. While that first planting was largely unsuccessful, the second planting in 1981 was triumphant and in 1984 the winery opened its doors to the public. A host of dedicated winemakers soon followed, creating a budding wine region in Northeast Virginia.

Loudoun, noted as the most affluent county in the country, has an intriguing assemblage of family-managed wineries ranging from grand estate-like venues to smaller farm-style wineries. Several offer matchless 360* views reaching to the monuments in Washington D.C. The emerging county is taking a big step forward with their award-winning Bordeaux-style wines along with a multitude of other varietals.

Stone Tower Winery

The farm-style buildings emerge amidst a glorious setting of rolling hillsides intermingled with vineyards and ponds reaching into the foothills of the Appalachians which contribute old world soil to a young wine industry. Farming Bordeaux-style, Stone Tower produces 15,000 cases a year featuring the thick-skinned Petite Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet and Viognier grapes, using traditional Bordeaux bottles and French Oak. At the end of the day, Stone Tower employees are allowed to pour a glass of their favorite wine and enjoy nature at its grandest, a nice tradition for this hard-working winery.

Doukenie Winery

Winemaker Sebastien Marquet, 46, born in Burgundy said, “At age 14 I informed my parents I wanted to make wine. What could they say? They were all winemakers, including my Grandfather.” Marquet produces 5,800 cases yearly, has been honored with a satchel full of Gold Medals, and explains that Merlot is a secret love from Burgundy that expresses itself nicely from old vines and is intense and layered after aging for three years in French Oak. Check for music concerts on weekends. Staying in touch with his heritage, Marquet leads 20 guests every two years on a seven-day Burgundy wine tour.

Sunset Hills Vineyards

This 1870 Amish farm, recently converted to a stunning wine destination, opened its appealing two-tier tasting room in 2008, incorporating fine Amish woodwork in the design. With views of the Short Hill Mountain Range, connoisseurs of wine will enjoy a 2016 Chardonnay with nuances of green apple, hand-picked and harvested in-house along with 15 other grape varietals. Sommelier Matt Riley said, “We don’t have television, so guests come here to enjoy a taste of wine, our fresh bread, and chocolate, and spend hours rediscovering the art of conversation. Our 80,000 vines produce Bordeaux-style Viognier, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. We fenced the vineyards to keep the deer and young bears out, both of whom love our fruit.”

868 Estate Vineyards

A one-stop, all-consuming destination, 868 opened in 2012 with 120-acres planted with 21 Bordeaux-style varietals. Their wines are 90% estate grown, the vineyard is dog friendly, and their barn cat, Franc, owns the place. The toasty and firmly balanced Cabernet Franc and Merlot Blends can be enjoyed in the adjoining Grandale Vintner’s Table which has been honored for their sustainable wine-amenable cuisine. Expansive verdant grounds with a colorful butterfly garden host a series of summer concerts, barbecues, and weddings.

Breaux Vineyards

An elaborate estate-style winery with design touches straight out of New Orleans, Breaux is striking. Its amenities include beautiful vineyards, a sizeable tasting room, and for those on a winery tour a location that is only a quick two-minute drive from 868. Large sweeping patios overlook the vineyards and Blue Ridge Mountains and the sunsets are a traditional evening pleasure. Honored with ‘Best of Class” at the LA Country Fair Wine Competition, Breaux considers Viogner Virgina’s signature grape, while the silky smooth 2013 Nebbiolo produced from old Italian vines is a Breaux favorite.

Bluemont Vineyard

Bluemont, at the very west end of the county and the 1,000 mile mark on the Appalachian Trail, overlooks Loudoun Valley, and from the front patio those with a telescope on a clear day can spot the Washington Monument. The Zurschmeide family, farmers through and though, offer seven small-lot Bordeaux-style varietals, producing 6,600 cases each year for their Wine Club Members. Vivacious Hailey Zurschmeide said, “We have a farm-to-table restaurant, bake our own bread, have four accommodations available, and we have proposals in the vines along with wild turkeys, bear, and deer. On the 4^th of July, guests can watch 13 firework shows while enjoying dinner and a glass of wine.”

Fabbioli Cellars

Owner Doug Fabbioli is a passionate icon honored as the “Godfather of Loudoun Wines”. His heart is always in accord with the rhythm of his vines, the unpredictable weather, and the clusters of fruit ready for harvest. Fabbioli, with his Italian heritage shining, and his hands animated, explains that his 10 years at the distinguished Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma California were spent learning different techniques from different winemakers, techniques he then generously shared with a number of Loudoun County winemakers. He said, “We opened in 2005 and use what works such as the Cab Franc, the Bordeaux blends, Petit Verdot, and we do Zinfandel quite well.” Softly understated, Fabbioli has won more than 20 ribbons, and is also distinguished for fine dessert wines which blend nicely with the small bites offered at the wine tasting table.

Boxwood Estate Winery

Winemaker and Vineyard Manager James Kress, a U.C. Davis graduate, produces 100% estate Bordeaux style blends with assistance from Stephane Derenoncourt, the distinguished French vigneron Bordeaux consultant. Boxwood’s vines spread across one of the initial horse farms in Middelburg, a prominent Historic Landmark, which today has been transformed into an imposing AVA designated wine grape-growing area. Kress works exclusively with French clones, the fruit harvested and sorted by hand, fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. The smooth and silky 2015 Topiary, a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot, has an elegant balance of fruit and earth, and a bouquet that can sweep one back to the sidewalk cafés in Bordeaux.

Carroll Vineyards at Leesburg Vintner

Mike Carroll (no relation) has a wine boutique on South King Street in Old Town Leesburg. In business since 1988, Carroll has a vineyard just south of town, is a great resource for travelers, and offers tastings at his wine bar.

When you go

Wine tasting from $5 to $15, live entertainment in most wineries on weekends, wine tours available, fashionable venues for wedding events, and family friendly; check for opening hours.

Visit Loudon

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