Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Yorktown Virginia


On Sunday, after our museum day, Wesley and I drove to Yorktown Va.  I am so glad we ventured out looking for a waterfront on this trip. I had to merchandise one of the stores for the company I worked for a few years ago in this town and it was without a doubt the worst store in the company, so that was my impression of Yorktown. We discovered the historic part of Yorktown and it was charming!!



Our hotel's dining area was closed due to covid like everything these days, so we stopped by Starbucks for Chai and coffee and found a nice spot on the water for a bagel and some pepper jelly I brought along. We always bring peanut butter and dried fruits for snacks, so we were good to go.  

The breeze coming off of the bay was chilly and bracing and soothed every fiber in my body. Wesley brought her sketch book and inked in some of the sights,  I just settled in for the scenery and the intoxication of the air and water!

There is truly a way to travel these days without too much effort if you are careful and plan ahead. Yes, it is a bit stressful, but what family trip doesn't include some stress?! Just be prepared and try to stay flexible and it's worth the effort.




Historic Yorktown is absolutely a gem and we saw very few people where we were. It is part of the National Park Service and the informational signs and the visitors center were incredibly educational and I came away knowing so much more about our nation's history, that I obviously missed while daydreaming in school or doodling in a notebook!



The park has a great motor tour you can take that is well marked and has boards all along the way indicating battlegrounds and encampments and George Washington's headquarters.  This is a great way to social distance on a trip and still have a good experience. The pullouts are easy and the information signs are really well done. You could also bike and we even saw a family on horseback which I was super jealous of. Its a beautiful drive and incredibly interesting!  

Yorktown is most famous as the site of the siege and surrender of General Cornwallis to George Washington during the Revolutionary War. The British defeat at Yorktown effectively ended the war, one of the roads in the park is even named Surrender Rd. Yorktown also served in the Civil War as a major port to  supply both northern and southern towns, depending upon who held Yorktown at the time. Tobacco was big business here, coming from the local plantations around Richmond. My ancestors were seamen and merchant mariners so the ancestral memory was quite strong here for me. 

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After the car tour, we went back to the little town for a snack and some tea. The weather was so perfect and it was great to be outside. The Mobjack Bay Coffee Roasters offered lunch, fresh roasted coffees on site and a great selection of teas. They also were super diligent with covid guidelines, lots of hand sanitizer available, spotlessly clean, all wearing masks, and a great little spot outside with tables.


Down the hill from the coffee shop is the waterfront, more crowded, not bad, but we didn't hang around there too long. We walked along the quaint cobblestone sidewalks, avoiding contact, checked out a couple of the shops, bought a few souvenirs  and stayed away from the restaurants, where we were astonished to see no one in the outdoor dining areas wearing masks except the waiters, even on the day after trump created a super spreader event in the rose garden and was admitted to the hospital. I  still can't figure out why so many people have not yet heard of the Corona Virus!!!


I did, however, love the social distancing going on here with these folks and especially the older lady with the cigarette and fur coat! Brilliant!!  The local bookshop was also great, although cluttered, with a madman running the place, but there were treasures to be found. Lots of history antiques and books about wars and our country's beginnings, mariner books and old classics. Just what a bookshop by the sea should be. Bonus, there was no one there when we arrived, and only a couple of people by the time we left. 

This was a fun trip, quick and easy and now I am 60 and have survived two outings during a global pandemic.  My daughter is a superstar and kept us safe many times when I was starting to get slack and bored with this whole new way of life. She is so aware of every surface and every necessary precaution and the easiest person in the world to travel with as long as she is fed, gets some sleep and has something beautiful or interesting to look at. She doesn't ask for much! I am a very blessed mom, THANK YOU WESLEY for a great birthday! xo







9 comments:

smartcat said...

Wesley once again shows she is a super-daughter!
Looks like you had a lovely time and made many happy memories.
Toes crossed the year ahead is filled with joy!

Laurie said...

It sounds like an awesome trip! We put Yorktown on our "to visit" list last year. I'm glad to know you found it a worthwhile place to visit.

Tracey Broome said...

Yorktown is really a nice little place if you like history, which I do and we found it very COVID friendly, easy to navigate and lots of ways to stay safe. Take some walking shoes! Yes, Wesley is a Super Star!!

Michèle Hastings said...

What a great way to travel. Covid may make us rethink how we live moving forward. More relaxing picnics!

Anna M. Branner said...

Fun! Did you see the remains of the HUGE wood fired kiln? Pretty amazing to me to even consider filling it!

resmitoto said...
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Jasur Urunboyev said...


Thanks for this post, I expanded my knowledge and took a virtual trip, while being in another part of the world)

Anonymous said...

Tracey, just discovered your fabulous ceramic work on Pinterest. I, too, love creating houses in various art forms. I hunted to find where you’re located. Some of your photos seemed eerily familiar. I live in Florida now, until we moved here from Newport News, VA five years ago. And, oh my gosh, you even found PFAC. I used to take ceramic classes there! SERENDIPITY!!
On Pinterest I’m Hgfuller.

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