Things To Do in Virginia's Northern Neck
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Virginia's Northern Neck Attractions
You can easily see George Washington's Birthplace, Stratford Hall Plantation, and the Ingleside Vineyards as a day trip from Fredericksburg or as stops on the way to Irvington. To do this area justice, plan on at least 3 days if you go on to Reedville and Irvington, 4 days if taking an all-day cruise to Tangier Island.
On The Wine Trail
The Northern Neck has five operating vineyards and wineries that have bound together to form the Chesapeake Wine Trail (tel. 800/393-6180; www.chesapeakebaywinetrail.com), whose website will help you plan an inebriated tour.
The oldest, largest, and most convenient to visit from Fredericksburg is Ingleside Vineyards, 5872 Leedstown Rd., Oak Grove (tel. 804/224-8687; www.inglesidevineyards.com), off Va. 3 on the Rappahannock River side of the Peninsula. You'll get here before arriving at Washington's birthplace and Stratford Hall, so go easy on tasting the Virginia Brut, a handcrafted sparkling wine.
Others are Irvington's White Fences Vineyard & Winery (tel. 804/438-5559; www.whitefencesvineyard.com), a relative infant whose Meteor Bright reds and whites already have won awards; Athena Vineyards & Winery, 3138 Jessie Dupont Memorial Hwy., Heathsville (tel. 840/580-4944; www.athenavineyards.com); Belle Mount Vineyards, 2570 Newland Rd., Warsaw (tel. 800/335-5564 or 804/333-4700; www.bellemount.com); and Oak Crest Vineyards & Winery, 8215 Oak Crest Dr., King George (tel. 540/663-2812; www.oakcrestwinery.com), near Colonial Beach.
Barefoot Stomping in Irvington -- Irvington's White Fences Vineyard & Winery (tel. 804/438-5559) sponsors the Irvington Stomp (www.irvingtonstomp.com), one of the Virginia's most unusual festivals. During the festival you can actually stomp grapes with your bare feet, just as they do in Europe. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 6 to 16, free for kids 5 and under. The stomp is held on Saturday of Labor Day weekend.
- Landmark
George Washington Birthplace National Monument
Although it's a re-creation of Popes Creek Plantation, where the first president was born on February 22, 1732, this national monument shows what 18th-century farm life was like when Washington's father, Augustine, established a tobacco plantation here in 1718. George lived here… - Religious Site
Historic Christ Church
Elegant in its simplicity and virtually unchanged since 1735, this is the most pristine of Virginia's many Colonial-era churches. It was the gift of planter and businessman Robert "King" Carter, the richest man in the colonies at that time. His father, John Carter, four of his five… - Historic Site
Stratford Hall Plantation
This is one of the great houses of the South, magnificently set on 1,600 acres above the Potomac, renowned for its distinctive architectural style and for the illustrious members of the Lee family who lived here. Thomas Lee, a planter who served as governor of the Virginia colony,…
