Planning a trip to Virginia's Northern Neck

Visitor Information -- For advance information about the area, contact the Northern Neck Tourism Council, P.O. Box 1707, Warsaw, VA 22572 (tel. 800/393-6180 or 804/333-1919; www.northernneck.org). The council's offices are at 479 Main St. (Va. 3 Business) in the Regional Center. The walk-in Virginia's Potomac Gateway Welcome Center (tel. 540/633-3205) is on U.S. 301 just south of the Potomac River Bridge. The Reedville Fishermen's Museum has information about Reedville and the Smith Point area. Information about Irvington is available at www.irvingtonva.org.

Getting There -- You'll need a car to get here. From Fredericksburg, go east on Va. 3, which traverses the length of the Peninsula. From Fredericksburg, Washington's Birthplace is 40 miles; Irvington, 95 miles. The "fast" route from Fredericksburg to Reedville and Irvington is via U.S. 17 and U.S. 360. From Richmond, take U.S. 360; from Williamsburg, use U.S. 17 and Va. 3.