Gettysburg, DC, and Lynchburg-oh my!
Maybe summer wasn’t the best time to start a blog. We’ve been having too much fun in all the places and I often don’t make the time to write it all down. When I look at my older travel journals (which, yes, I still do), I will find pages and pages of hand-written memories and then come upon a lone page with a ticket stub glued to it and a few bullet points of highlights from that trip. Those are often the trips when there is SO much to see and journal and I don’t do a great job of it - but I must jot down a few notes for posterity. The past couple of weeks have been a little like that, and while I can’t glue our hiking maps or metro cards into this post (which Owen wanted to save), here is a high-level overview and key memories made along the way.
Gettysburg, PA and Hershey, PA
August 12 - 16, 2021
We knew that we’d have the opportunity to learn a lot about the Civil War during our trek east and given the significance of Gettysburg, we camped close to the area, staying at the Gettysburg RV Farm Resort so that we could visit the surrounding area conveniently. It also happened to be a favorite of Owen’s as they have a hobby farm and petting area with goats, horses, chickens, ducks and a pig; an 18-hole miniature golf area, and a pool! The pool was great, because it was extremely hot during our time here. Some highlights and recommendations:
Start at the Gettysburg Visitor Center and museum. Absolutely fantastic and well-done. Our mistake is that we went in the afternoon of a travel day (and had a tired kiddo in tow who was not that into the history at that particular moment). Start fresh in the morning with the kids. I could’ve spent a day here; we spent about 2 -3 hours. It does an excellent job of providing context on the Civil War and preceding events, in case your history is a little rusty.
There are many ways to tour the Gettysburg battleground. By auto, foot, bicycle, bus…it is a 24 mile heavily trafficked loop, so we started early in the morning and didn’t have too many issues (we also went on a weekday). Many suggest hiring a private guide who will drive your car for about a 2-3 hour tour. We didn’t want to be constrained by anyone else’s schedule, so we did some searching and found this app, which is a GPS-enabled tour, and it did a great job of helping us get around and explain what we were seeing. If you go this route, you’ll definitely want and need to pay the $10 for the full audio tour. Well worth it. If you are someone that wants to ask lots of questions on your tour, then I’d recommend a private guide. We also prepped for this visit by watching the 1993 movie “Gettysburg”, which I’d recommend watching if you’re heading there, or if you’re simply interested in the history of Gettysburg and the strategy behind it all. Family-friendly and definitely helps make Gettysburg come more alive when you’re out there seeing where all these battles were fought.
Took a side trip to Hershey, PA where we learned about Milton Hershey. Fascinating fact - he had put a deposit on a ticket on the Titanic but ended up not going for business reasons. Just think - life without Hershey’s Kisses or Hershey’s miniatures. But more than that, he was a great philanthropist who backed many different causes, including a school for orphaned and disadvantaged youth, which is still operating today. The Hershey Museum was a great experience and we even made our own chocolate bars in the Chocolate Lab. You can’t visit this place and not crave chocolate. We also visited Hershey Chocolate World, where you can rub shoulders (literally) with everyone else that desires to be sucked into a tourist trap. They do have a fun and free ride that explains chocolate making, but unless you are really into chocolate and all that Hershey has to offer in the way of sweet treats, the Hershey Museum is a much better find (IMHO).
Washington, DC
August 16 - 23, 2021
Driving through DC with the RV was a nightmare….haha, just kidding. We certainly did not attempt that. Stayed at the Bull Run Regional park campground. Owen might have been most excited to stay here as we got to take the metro to DC every day we went in. Ever since he’s been little, riding the subway/light rail has been one of his absolute fave things to do. If it’s one of yours, then you’ll enjoy his DC YouTube video, which takes up a good amount of time!
Yes, we did all the things in DC. Powerered through these days for sure, and in hot/steamy weather. Let’s see if I can remember them all:
Day one: travel day and also went to Udvar Hazy Smithsonian. Home to Space Shuttle Discovery, Enola Gay, the Concord, and yes - a Star Wars X-Wing Starfighter! Baby Yoda was standing guard.
Day two: First full city day. Took the metro to Arlington National Cemetary to see the Changing of the Guard at the Unknown Soldier’s tomb, JFK and Jacqueline Onassis gravesite, and also saw a large funeral procession in progress complete with a horse-drawn carriage and full military honors. Jumped on the Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour and rode around most of the city to determine what we wanted to come back and see. Lunch down at the waterfront at Shake Shack, which I wasn’t too thrilled about as I’ve been trying to stay away from chains! We’ve done a pretty good job with that and there weren’t too many other options. We also visited the Lincoln Memorial. To wrap up our day, we had to go in search of an Amazon Locker for something - forget what Tom had ordered.
Day three: Visit to the Natural History Museum, lunch in Chinatown (where we thankfully escaped a downpour) and visits to the (outside) of the Supreme Court building, Thomas Jefferson library, and the Capital. Everything is pretty well gated off and not even the Capitol Visitor Center was open. The next day, by the fountain in front of the Thomas Jefferson library, there was a bomb threat by a man who had driven his truck right up to the fountain. We had taken pictures there the day before. He was disarmed and hauled away….
Day four: Tom and Owen went to the Air & Space museum (unfortunately large portions were under construction) and I took the opportunity to discover the American Indian Museum, which was fantastic! We also went to the American History Museum in the afternoon, one of Owen’s favorite. Lunch at the food trucks for the 2nd day in a row, along the mall. I discovered the Smithsonian Visitor Center!
Day five: Our longest day yet. We went back to the Smithsonian Visitor Center, as Tom needed a good place to do a call from and I wanted to explore it a bit more. This building, also known as “The Castle” is the first Smithsonian building built as a result of the funds that James Smithson bequeathed to the U.S. that birthed the Smithsonian organization. Even more interesting - Smithson was an Englishman and never set foot in America, yet left his entire life savings (over $500k in the early 1800s) to a country he never visited. He was passionate about sharing knowledge with others and had specific requirements for what would be in the original Smithsonian including a chemistry lab and a library. The building now houses the Smithsonian Visitor Center and the crypt of James Smithson. The history behind the development of the Smithsonian Institute is fascinating and there were so many roadblocks to its creation that it’s amazing it’s even here. I never knew the story behind the great museums and institutions until today. High recommend visiting The Castle when you’re in DC. Not only is the history fascinating, but there is an exhibit highlighting all sorts artifacts from the different Smithsonians and the gardens in this area are gorgeous. I could go on … pro tip: it’s open at 8:30 am (all other museums open at 10) so it’s a great place to start the day!
We also secured tickets to the Holocaust Museum - I went a couple of years ago with my dad, but Tom and Owen had not been. Unfortunately, the children’s exhibit wasn’t open due to COVID, given it is a high-touch/interactive exhibit. But it is still breathtakingly horrific. If you have not been, this is a must for everyone.
We also visited a lot of monuments - Thomas Jefferson, MLK, Veterans Memorial, Nurses Memorial (fact: my parents know the woman who was behind pushing this memorial into being, and my dad actually used to date her!), and the WW2 Memorial, where we were able to soak our feet. This IS an accepted practice as the soldiers were known to celebrate in the fountains of Europe once the war was over. Wading is not prohibited, but putting your feet in is.
Days five and six: Pool time! There is a large waterpark in the actual regional park, and as “residents” of the campground, we were able to go for only $4. This was a great way to wrap up our time in DC before our next stop - Lynchburg, VA. We were also staying very close to the Manassas Battlefield, where the 3rd Civil War was fought, and we also took some time to tour this area to understand what happened here. The confederate army was successful with this battle, and at that time, the war was far from over. It happened two years before Gettysburg.
Lynchburg, VA
August 23 - 29, 2021
Our home is in the Blue Ridge Mountains this week….found a great campsite at the KOA in Lynchburg, right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. I think this was our lowest-key week yet, which we loved and was much needed. Still found time to:
Drive the Blue Ridge Parkway for amazing views of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Hiked an actual part of the Appalachian trail (Bucket list - check)
Scrambled up a boulder field and encountered a five-foot Eastern Ratsnake on the way down….
Made friends with Mark and Audrey from Lynchburg, who Owen made an impassioned plea to follow him on YouTube
Swam, swam and swam at the KOA pool - more steamy hot weather
Major highlight: A visit to the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. This was way cooler than we thought it would be, but I think it is because we have spent so much time steeped in Civil War history on this trip. This is the actual place where General Robert E Lee surrendered to General Ulysses Grant. We saw the room where they actually sat and signed, and learned how this was the start of peace and reunification for the country. See this if you’re a Civil War history buff!
Discovered Natural Bridge - an amazing natural structure, 55 feet taller than Niagara Falls and over 500 million years old. There is a highway that crosses over it! We drove the RV over it on our way out of town. George Washington carved his initials in the stone in 1750 and you can still see this today.
Biked through Lynchburg, ate at the Water Dog (great food along the trail) and hiked up STEEP hills for fresh-made cider donuts at Mama Crockett’s (which I then needed to figure out how to bike down the hill with them - I ordered half dozen after all!)
