Day 30 & 31 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

On Friday June 5th, we RV caravanned from Williamsburg to Greenwood Virginia. Again, not much opportunity for pictures, but I will share the history I shared with the caravanners as we drove west. We left American Heritage RV Park and got on VA 30 to US 60, which runs generally close to and paralleling Interstate 64. I-64 was under construction for the entire 30 miles we were on it to get to the campground!

We passed through New Kent, WOW, this little place packs a big punch! Established in 1654, it is one of the oldest and most historically significant localities in the US. It played a pivotal role in the Colonial era, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War. New Kent's roads served as a major artery for French, British, and American forces. General George Washington and French General Marquis de Lafayette frequented the historic New Kent Ordinary, a colonial tavern built in the 1690s. During the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, the county saw heavy military movement along the Old Stage Road. Union General George B. McClellan utilized the New Kent Ordinary as a critical communications point, while federal cavalry used St. Peter's Church as a stable.

New Kent is famously the backdrop for major milestones in the lives of two US First Ladies, Martha Washington and Letitia Christian Tyler. Born Martha Dandridge Custis, she grew up at Chestnut Grove. She is widely believed to have married George Washington in 1759 at St. Peter’s Parish Church, an active historic site often called "The First Church of the First First Lady". Letitia Christian Tyler was the first wife of President John Tyler was born at Cedar Grove plantation in New Kent, and her family's historic cemetery plot remains accessible today.

The Tredegar Iron Works is a historic 22-acre industrial site located in downtown Richmond, Virginia along the James River and Kanawha Canal. Founded in 1837, it grew to become the largest iron manufacturer in the South and served as the primary industrial arsenal for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Tredegar was the only facility in the South capable of producing heavy artillery and munitions at the start of the Civil War. It supplied roughly half of the South's total artillery (nearly 1,100 cannons) and rolled the heavy iron plating used to build the famous ironclad warship, the CSS Virginia. When Richmond fell to Union forces in April 1865, retreating Confederate troops burned most of the city’s industrial districts. Tredegar was saved from the fires because employees and armed guards stood watch to protect the facility. It continued producing iron products through both World Wars before finally closing its riverfront doors in 1957. Today, the beautifully preserved National Historic Landmark serves as the home to The American Civil War Museum at Historic Tredegar and a National Park Service visitor center.

The White House of the Confederacy refers to the historic mansion in Richmond, Virginia, that served as the primary executive residence for the sole president of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis, and his family from August 1861 to April 1865. The City of Richmond purchased the home and leased it to the Confederate government. It hosted key political meetings, military strategy sessions with Confederate generals, and family life. After the Civil War, the house was used as the headquarters for the federal military occupation of Virginia (1865–1870) and subsequently served as Richmond's Central Public School (1870–1890). It was saved from demolition in 1890 and turned into a museum.

St. John's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, is famously known as the location where American Founding Father Patrick Henry delivered his immortal "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speech. On March 23, 1775, Henry addressed the Second Virginia Convention inside the church, delivering a fiery call to arms that successfully convinced the delegation to vote in favor of raising a defensive militia against British tyranny.

We saw a sign for Gum Springs, so I did a bit of research for a caravanner that asked about it. Gum Springs is a historic neighborhood. Established in 1833, it holds the distinction of being the oldest free, sustained African American community in Fairfax County. Today, it is home to over 2,500 residents, hundreds of whom are direct descendants of the original founding families. The community was founded by West Ford, a freedman who had been enslaved by George Washington's family at the nearby Mount Vernon estate. He was released from slavery in 1805. Ford became a highly skilled carpenter and manager at Mount Vernon. He utilized the proceeds from land left to him by Hannah Washington to purchase the initial 214-acre plot of farmable marshland in 1833, naming it after a local gum tree.

The Trevilian Station Battlefield was the site of the largest and bloodiest all-cavalry battle of the American Civil War. Fought on June 11–12, 1864, the clash pitted Union Major General Philip Sheridan against Confederate Major General Wade Hampton. General Ulysses S. Grant ordered Sheridan to destroy the Virginia Central Railroad and link up with Union forces in Charlottesville. Hampton's Confederate cavalry intercepted the Union advance, leading to fierce, often dismounted hand-to-hand combat. Brigadier General George A. Custer's brigade was temporarily surrounded and nearly destroyed here before being rescued by Sheridan. The battle ended in a tactical Confederate victory. Hampton successfully blocked the Union forces, protecting Robert E. Lee's vital supply lines.

We arrived at Misty Mountain Camp Resort, our home for the next 2 nights. Decades ago, the property operated commercially under the well-known Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park franchise system. It catered primarily to family campers with basic themed amenities. 

The property eventually dropped the franchise affiliation. It was renamed Misty Mountain Camp Resort, leaning into its scenic mountain location near Charlottesville. In 2023 they expanded adding 53 new RV campsites to bring the total layout to 179 sites.

We coordinated the delivery of a pizza and salad dinner from Sal's Pizza. It is a family-owned and operated Italian restaurant in Crozet, VA. Established in 1987, this multi-generational eatery is well-loved by locals and guests. We had Sicilian Pizza. A thick, pan-baked dough that is crispy on the bottom with an airy, pillow-soft center, using the old-fashioned Italian family recipe. The pizza is cut into thick square slices and layered with the seasoned family-recipe tomato sauce, 100% whole-milk mozzarella cheese and topping galore!

We even were treated to an outdoor concert by Shane Click. He is solo acoustic musician specializing in Oldies, 70s and 80s, Southern Rock, Easy Listening, Country, 90’s Rock, and today’s hits. Shane delivered an engaging performance. 

  

  

 

Shane’s music created the perfect atmosphere—relaxed and enjoyable. He was named the Best Band/Solo Act of 2024. Shane ensured that each show is uniquely crafted to left a lasting impression on all of us. All the caravanners had a great time!

On Saturday June 6th, we caravanned in our cars to Jefferson's Monticello. It was the primary neoclassical plantation home and architectural masterpiece of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and author of the Declaration of Independence. 

The iconic 5,000-acre estate is the only private presidential home in the US designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Jefferson spent over forty years designing, tearing down, and rebuilding the house, famously calling it his "essay in architecture".

The architecture features a unique blend of Roman, Palladian, and French Neoclassical design elements, centered around its famous octagonal dome.

Mulberry Row is the area that explores the daily work and lives of the free and enslaved workers who built and sustained the plantation.

The Entrance Hall was designed by Jefferson as a museum space to showcase maps, European art, and Lewis and Clark expedition artifacts.

It was a very rushed tour, they take a group through every 5-minutes. Our guide was knowledgeable, but he spoke so fast that it was difficult to follow him.

We enjoyed a group lunch at Michie's Tavern. We quickly learned that it is pronounced Mick-ee, not Mich-ee. The tavern was established in 1784 by Scotsman William Michie. It originally operated as a bustling social hub and hostelry in Earlysville, Virginia. 

William Michie inherited the property from his father, who originally purchased the land in 1746. Responding to the frequent travelers knocking on his door for food and lodging, Michie built an adjacent tavern in the 1780s and received an "ordinary" license to host guests in 1784. The tavern served as the beating heart of the community. It provided lodging, meals, church services, political debates, and dances. Founding figures like Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe are known to have visited.

The tavern stayed in the Michie family for over a century until it reverted to the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1910. Visionary local businesswoman and preservationist Josephine Henderson bought the structure in 1927. To save the historic building and place her antiques on display, she carefully dismantled it beam by beam and relocated it 17 miles to its present site near Monticello.

Today, it functions as a popular 18th-century dining and museum complex. The tavern is famous for its all-you-can-eat Southern Midday Fare, served buffet-style by staff dressed in period clothing. You drink out of traditional pewter mugs in a rustic setting. 

The heavy lunch buffet includes renowned home-style fried chicken, hickory-smoked pork barbecue, buttermilk biscuits, mashed potatoes, gravy, and peach cobbler.

After lunch we headed to James Monroe's home. It was formerly known, for decades, as Ash Lawn-Highland. It was the estate of the fifth US President, James Monroe. Located adjacent to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, Monroe purchased the initial property in 1793 and made it his family's official residence from 1799 until 1823. 

Monroe purchased the initial 1,000-acre estate in 1793 at the strong urging of his close friend and mentor, Thomas Jefferson, who wanted Monroe to join his local social circle. Jefferson even helped select the home site so that it was within view of Monticello. The Monroe's permanently moved into their newly built, single-story home in November 1799. Monroe affectionately referred to this primary residence as his "castle cabin".

Highland grew into a 3,500-acre working plantation reliant on the forced labor of up to 40 enslaved men, women, and children. Enslaved craftsmen, including carpenters George Williams and Peter Mallory, were responsible for much of the estate's production, maintenance, and building construction.

In 1818, during Monroe's presidency, a separate two-room guesthouse was constructed on the property to accommodate the influx of political visitors.

Accumulating personal debt forced Monroe to sell Highland's core acreage to Edward Goodwin in 1825, officially leaving the property by 1826. When the farmland was broken up, many of Highland's enslaved families were tragically divided or sold to the Deep South.

In 1837, the property was purchased by Alexander Garrett, who officially renamed the plantation Ash Lawn, likely inspired by the abundant, prominent ash trees on the landscape.

Sometime between the mid-1830s and early 1850s, Monroe's original 1799 "castle cabin" main house was completely destroyed by a fire, leaving its exact location forgotten for generations. In 2016, groundbreaking archaeological discoveries completely rewrote the history of the site, revealing that the standing main structure long believed to be Monroe's home was actually a presidential guest house built later in his tenure.

These days were filled with so much history! Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!

Day 27, 28. & 29 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

Tuesday June 2nd, is our first caravan move with this group. We are moving from Fayetteville NC to Williamsburg VA. As the Wagon master, we lead the caravan of the RV's and give the directions from our road log. So, taking pictures is difficult, but we also narrate about the areas we travel through on the RV caravan. So, this blog will be full of reading, with limited pictures!

I shared with the group about the Averasboro Battlefield, located just south of Dunn, North Carolina. This battle occurred on March 15–16, 1865. It served as a vital Confederate tactical delay during the Civil War. It stalled Union General Sherman's advance was long enough for Southern forces to consolidate for the major Battle of Bentonville three days later. 

The Bentonville Battlefield is the largest Civil War battle fought in North Carolina and the last major Confederate tactical offensive of the war. Fought from March 19–21, 1865, the Battle of Bentonville involved over 80,000 soldiers. It was a desperate, unsuccessful attempt by Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston to halt Union General William T. Sherman’s relentless march through the Carolinas. 

As we caravanned further north, we passed by Halifax, North Carolina. It was the site of the Halifax Resolves. The resolution was adopted on April 12, 1776, by North Carolina's Fourth Provincial Congress meeting in the town of Halifax. The resolution was pushed forward closely following the Patriot victory at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in February 1776. This victory severely weakened Loyalist influence in North Carolina and catalyzed revolutionary fervor across the colony. 

It is historically significant as the first official action by an entire colony explicitly empowering its delegates to vote for independence from Great Britain. Although the resolution did not directly declare North Carolina independent on its own. Instead, it authorized the colony's representatives at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to "concur with the delegates of the other Colonies in declaring Independency". By formally committing to independence on paper, North Carolina broke a lingering political impasse among the 13 colonies. It provided a direct model and momentum for other provinces to follow suit. In less than three months, the Continental Congress officially approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Closer to Richmond you can find the Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier. Highly acclaimed as the "crown jewel of Civil War sites in America", the park preserves a critical piece of the National Historic Landmark Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield, where Union forces broke through Confederate lines on April 2, 1865. This pivotal action forced the evacuation of Richmond and led directly to Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox one week later.

The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier: The main entry point. It houses the interactive gallery "Duty Called Me Here," where you receive an audio device to follow the real-life journey and ultimate wartime fate of a specific Civil War soldier.

There are miles of interpreted walking paths winding past some of the best-preserved Confederate earthworks, rifle pits, and military fortifications in the nation.

Petersburg National Battlefield preserves the sprawling historical landscapes of the Civil War’s longest continuous military campaign, a grueling 292-day siege stretching from June 1864 to April 1865. This 9,300-acre park marks where Union General Ulysses S. Grant systematically choked off vital Confederate supply lines to Richmond, ultimately forcing General Robert E. Lee's retreat and expediting the end of the war.

After we arrived at American Heritage RV Park, we enjoyed fellowship and a catered dinner from Corey's Southern Catering. All the best of the southern classics, fried chicken, mac & cheese, green beans, potato salad, and rolls! We also got to visit with Pam & Ben Phillips who drove in to see us and a few of our caravanners. 

On Wednesday June 3rd, we visited Colonial Williamsburg. It is the world's largest living history museum. The museum spans over 300 acres of historic area. Each section of the campus meticulously recreates 18th-century life in the former capital of the Virginia Colony. It is like walking into an immersive time capsule where you can interact with costumed historical interpreters, watch artisans practice period trades, and tour beautifully preserved and reconstructed landmark buildings.

We met our guides for our private guided walking tour at the Colonial Williamsburg Capitol. It serves as a focal landmark anchoring the eastern end of the historic Duke of Gloucester Street. Originally constructed in 1705, it was the very first structure in America to be designated as a "Capitol". Today, the building stands as a meticulous, twentieth-century reconstruction where visitors can explore early American governance, political history, and live legal reenactments.

The First Capitol was built in a distinct H-shape layout following a devastating fire in Jamestown. To protect the colony's paper records, it was originally built without fireplaces or chimneys, though candles ultimately caused it to burn to the ground anyway. (1705–1747)

The Second Capitol was rebuilt on the same foundations. This structure hosted the monumental debates of the American Revolution. It ceased operating as the statehouse when the capital relocated to Richmond in 1780 and eventually burned down in 1832.(1753–1780)  

The modern reconstruction was funded by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin. Architects chose to recreate the first 1705 design using precise 18th-century sketches found on the historical "Bodleian Plate".

On the ground floor is The General Court. This is where the Governor's Council wore traditional robes and wigs to act as supreme judges of the colony.

Positioned upstairs above the Court is The Governor’s Council Chamber. It served as the meeting place for the wealthy, aristocratic advisors appointed directly by the British Crown.

On the ground floor of the West Wing is The House of Burgesses. This chamber hosted the elected representatives of local Virginians, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry.

We walked the main street and back streets. We toured the Raleigh Tavern. It was the closest tavern to the capitol and the lawmakers would often stay there to unwind. Interesting fact, back in the day... you paid for a space in a room, not necessarily on a bed. You could pay the same price for your space and be sleeping on the floor!

On the back streets, we watched the carriage horses in training pass.

We watched the brickmakers. These master masons and apprentices demonstrate 18th-century brickmaking. We observed, no one from our group participated in, the physically demanding processes used to construct the historic town.

Throughout the summer, brickmakers mold and dry up to 20,000 sun-baked "green bricks" using local Chickahominy River clay. In the fall, they stack these bricks into a massive, temporary 10-foot clamp kiln.

The team maintains fires in the kiln tunnels 24 hours a day for four to five days until the bricks are properly hardened. It then takes an additional week and a half for the kiln to safely cool down.

This shop is deceiving, the sign looks like a furniture maker, but it is soooooo much more! It is the primary historic furniture and cabinetmaking shop within the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area. The official name is the Anthony Hay Cabinetmaker Shop. 

Operating as a living history museum site, it features master woodworkers and apprentices recreating 18th-century furniture, desks, and chairs using period hand tools and techniques. They were working on a harpsichord while we were there!

Our last stop was the Bruton Parish Episcopal Church. It is the active, historic church located directly inside the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area. Established in 1674, its current building on Duke of Gloucester Street has been in continuous use for over 300 years and still hosts an active congregation with regular Sunday services. Only parishioners can drive to the church in the historic district.

Everyone was free to enjoy lunch on their own. We enjoyed a light meal at the Mellow Mushroom. After lunch, we boarded the buses back to our cars and headed to the Jamestown Settlement.

Jamestown Settlement is a world-class living history museum that chronicles America's 17th-century beginnings through immersive, life-size outdoor re-creations and indoor gallery exhibits. The museum sits adjacent to Historic Jamestowne, which is the actual archaeological site where the first permanent English colony in North America was founded on May 14, 1607. 

This museum offers a comprehensive view of how European, Powhatan Native American, and African cultures intersected to shape early American history.The outdoor exhibits feature Paspahegh Town. It is a detailed re-creation of a Powhatan Native American village based on local archaeological findings. You can explore reed-covered houses, watch historical interpreters process animal hides, and see how tools were carved from stone and bone.

At the waters edge you can board the re-created ships. These are life-size replicas of the three famous ships—the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. They transported 104 English men and boys across the Atlantic Ocean. On board you can see the incredibly cramped quarters the settlers endured during their 144-day journey.

James Fort is the wooden-palisade fortress housing re-created wattle-and-daub buildings, including a church, storehouse, and governor's house. Daily you can watch live blacksmithing and the firing of 17th-century matchlock muskets.

The indoor galleries are expansive exhibition spaces that house real 17th-century artifacts. There are many unique, interactive films, and dioramas depicting the complex origins of the colony. 

Yes, even a gift shop!

Everyone returned to camp at their leisure and we enjoyed a meal of leftovers from our catered meal the night before!

On Thursday June 4th, we toured the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. It is a sister to the Jamestowne Settlement museum.

The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is a premier, interactive history museum that chronicles the nation's founding from the colonial period through the dawn of the Constitution. The facility replaced the old Yorktown Victory Center in 2016 to deliver massive, immersive exhibition galleries and vibrant, hands-on outdoor living history areas.

We watched the award-winning introductory film "Liberty Fever" and the flagship "The Siege of Yorktown" film, a 180-degree surround-screen experience that uses special effects like wind, smoke, and simulated cannon fire to drop you directly into the 1781 battle.

Some caravanners took advantage of some of the interactive displays!

Some sat on the bench and pondered life!

Everyone had free time after that, some went to pubs, taverns and a few took a sunset sail!

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!