Caledon State Park



I have a personal goal of visiting all of the Virginia State Parks.  I'm pretty sure I've shared that goal with you guys...haven't I?  Either way...we found ourselves with a free day a couple Sundays ago and decided to make it a family event.  I had been eyeing this park, thinking it was close enough to go just for an afternoon and not feel like we drove more than we picnicked or hiked.  I was right. 




The parks one and only picnic shelter

The park is just east of the city of Fredricksburg, in King George County.  For us that meant a trek up I 95 and then a short drive east.  Most of this was pleasant enough but we did hit one snag on the way up.  I'll get to that a bit later.  The trails are a mixture of single path/dirt trails and some road size/gravel covered trails.  I'm more of the single path but we wanted to see water so gravel it was.

 

Hampstead Road Trail

 

Potomac Overlook

 

The park is right on the Potomac so you get some amazing views. We were told you can also see bald eagles.  None were out while we were there but a few boaters gave us a show.

Visitor's Center

Playground area



Fern Hollow Trail

The park offers programs like sunset kayaking, 5/10K races in the park, a wine festival along with the usual hiking, fishing and biking. 

On the way there my sister, who was in a separate car, had a little bit of a problem.  She got a nail in the sidewall of her tire.  We were close enough to Fredricksburg that we got off of interstate and headed north or Route 1 until we found the closest tire store.  Before no time she was all fixed up and we were back on our way. 




OUCH!

Fun park to visit for the day...plenty of hiking and other things to keep you busy.  If you are like us then you might want to visit some local wineries.  Oak Crest would be the closest (Google Map said 5.9 miles away) with Ingleside (18.4 miles away) and Potomac Point (about 40 miles away).   

 

If you live in Virginia I hope you are enjoying the milder weather.  I know I am!

Colonial Beach

While exploring the Northern Neck region this last weekend, Mark and I made a stop in Colonial Beach.  Located on the Potomac the town itself started as a get-a-way for people living in Washington D.C.  I think the draw today is that you can enjoy the sandy beaches and still feel like you are in a small hometown.  Residents get around town on golf carts and there seemed to be a church on every corner. 

Not knowing what we would find in the town we had made arrangements to stay at Breakers Bed and Breakfast.  Along with The Tides Inn, Breakers is a cute spot to stop and spend a night.  There were a few other small hotels/motels in the area but even with the summer fading the area was busy with tourists coming and going, so I'm glad we made prior arrangements. This particular B & B is just down the street from High Tides Restaurant and The Black Pearl Tiki Bar :)  Can you guess where we had dinner and stopped to listen to the band play?



Breakers Bed and Breakfast



This baby was in our bathroom :)

Our room



Wine is served on the porch at 5 o'clock



Tides Inn just across the street from The Breakers



Food and Music just two short blocks away

We could sit on the front porch and hear the music playing from down the street.  The breeze off the water mixed with the music and the wine left out on the porch chilling made for a more relaxed Momma....and since we had Emma I needed all the help relaxing I could get.  Terrible 2s....need I say more?



On the deck at High Tide Restaurant



 

There is a pier for fishing, a half dozen or so other restaurants near by a gourmet food shop to grab a few goodies and everything is within walking distance.  If your willing to go for a short drive there are two wineries, Oak Crest and Ingleside, to tour and do tastings.  We've been to both....I blogged about them here.  There is also George Washington's Birthplace and Robert E. Lee's Birthplace available nearby to tour.  Of course Westmoreland State park is also just a short drive south of here.  Plenty to do and lots of beautiful Virginia to see.

I'll just park myself here please :)

Westmoreland State Park

Last year, while on a little excursion, Mark and I found Westmoreland State Park.  But at the time the area had just been hit by a hurricane and the park was closed to visitors.  I have had it in my head since then to go back and visit.  This last weekend turned out to be the perfect time to return. 

The park has all the usual things you would expect to find at one of Virginia's State Parks.  Camping, cabins, hiking trails, a visitor center, a playground for the little ones.  But this park also has two beachy areas, paddle boat rentals and views of the Potomac River that are just knock your socks off. 

To visit the park you pay only $4.  We started our visit with a driving tour.  We figured our best bet was to get Emma out of the car and moving fast so the first thing we did was hike to Fossil Beach.  This is said to be a good spot to look for shark teeth.  We didn't find any....but we really were not looking hard either.

This trail leads to Fossil Beach



Views of the cliffs



The far end of the beach



The trail to get down wasn't longer than a mile.  At some points it was pretty steap but Mark could manage easily carrying Emma.  There weren't more than 20-30 other visitors down here so it was a peaceful spot to just stop and relax.



Before heading back we checked out the boardwalk

From the boardwalk



Still lots of trees down from last year's hurricane



Back up at the trail head is the visitor center




A short trip to the other end of the park and you come to the picnic/fishing area.  There is a swimming pool (open during the summer only) and a shop to buy bait and a few supplies.




You can rent the paddle boats and kayaks here

Yes that is a nest on top of the gazebo



One of the cabins

What I don't like about the cabins in the State Parks is that they require you stay a minimum of two nights.  We tend to only do two nights if we can get off early on Friday because of travel time.  It seems a waste since some of the cabins go empty...but at least for us it gives us a reason to try somewhere new. 

I really enjoyed the park over all.  Next time we'll make sure that Emma is in the mood to walk (she wanted carried the entire time).  There were still plenty of other trails we didn't get to hike.  Until next time....happy travels folks.