Hamlet Vineyard

 

In my last post about Fairy Stone State Park I mentioned there are a few wineries near the park.  One of those wineries is Hamlet Vineyard which is in Bassett VA.  On the drive down to the park I planned to visit a couple wineries but I ran into a little trouble.  We were driving down on a Friday afternoon and most of the wineries weren't open.  Hamlet's web page indicated that you could make appointments to visit.  I emailed them and sure enough heard back that day.  The owner advised she could indeed accommodate my sister and myself for a wine tasting.  I'm certainly grateful that she did as it turned out to be such a beautiful place with wonderful wines. 

 

See what I mean about beautiful place!  Like a lot of Virginia Wineries, this one is family owned and operated.  And the feeling of family came through loud and clear when Virginia, co-owner with her husband, didn't bat an eyelash at Emma running around acting like a typical 5 year old. 

 

The wines were exceptional and I would have carried all of them home with me if I could.  Instead I settled for a bottle of the Pinot Gris and something red.  I'm not going to lie...I forget what the second bottle was.  I say was because neither bottle made it through the weekend.  I guess we will just have to visit again to pick up more wine.

Like all good wineries...this one has it's own dog :-)

 

Virginia did tell us that in the summer they partner with a river outfitter to take people to the nearby river for kayaking.  They follow that up with wine back at the barn.  Since I did say we wanted to visit Fairy Stone in the summer maybe we can slip over here for more wine and a new adventure :-)

 

 

 

T.G.I.M.

Thank God it's Monday....yes you heard me right.  It has been a busy couple of weeks and I'm actually glad to say we are settled in at home and I'm glad it's Monday. 

We were at home last week too but before that we were on the road again.  Both trips were to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia so not really far away but being gone so much can take a toll on a person.  Glad we rested up while away on the trips :-)

The view from our cabin at Fairy Stone State Park



The view from the property at Blue Ridge Manor Bed and Breakfast

Along with the trips we also found time for a river cruise, a musical and I went and started co-leading a girl scout troop.  You know...because I have all this free time on my hands.  We also managed to visit two new Virginia wineries since I last blogged. 

The City of Fredricksburg

Newsies

 

Hamlet Vineyard



Mt. Vale Vineyards

While on our trips we visited a museum, hiked an awesome trail and crossed off a "to-do" from my bucket list.

Virginia Natural History Museum

Trial in Fairy Stone State Park



The Tobacco Heritage Trail

So yeah I haven't blogged in a while.  But as you can see I've been busy.  I'll follow up in the coming weeks by sharing some of the details of our trips and fun things we've gotten to do.  But enough about me....what have you guys been up to?

 

TGIF!

I don't know about you but for us it's just been one of those weeks!  Still getting the hang of taking a little one to school every morning, started back to training for an up coming half marathon, and the little one started dance classes again this week.  Lots of activity to keep us buzzing.  Not that the weekends are time to slow down...not by any means.  Last weekend we visited a local county fair, toured wineries with friends in Charlottesville and went kayaking on the Appomattox. 

The fair in Dinwiddie County

Staying past dark always seemed more fun to me than the daylight

Fireworks at the fair

Keswick Winery

Keswick winery

Castle Hill Cider

The view from Castle Hill Cider

Gardens at Jefferson Vineyards

The view from Jefferson Vineyards

Kayaking with a friend on the Appomattox

He didn't stay there long

Relaxing in the shade



The kayaking outfitters in Prince George County

See what I mean about a busy weekend?  And this weekend will give last weekend a run for it's money.  Tonight we are seeing a play at Lee Playhouse.  Tomorrow we are running in the Color Run 5K then attending a birthday party for one of Emma's friends.  Sunday we are back out on the Appomattox kayaking again.  Can you tell we are trying to soak up the last rays of the summer?  Somewhere in there I need to find time for laundry and yard work.  We'll find a way I'm sure.  We aren't the Busy Bryants for nothing. 

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!

More Wine Please

 

 

Before our excursion on the via ferrata last month we made a slight detour off of I81 to visit a couple wineries.  Not only did we get to cross two new (to us) wineries off our list but we also had the chance to check out some of the most amazing views in the area. 

 

The first stop was in Crawford Virginia at Cross Keys Winery.  The weather was perfect so we relaxed in their large outdoor seating area.  They have a few tasting options...whites, reds or desserts.  There is also a bistro on site if you want to grab a bite to eat.  We opted to get a cheese and meat plate to snack on while sharing a bottle of their Joy White. 

 

 

 

Our second stop was in Bridgewater Virginia at Bluestone Vineyard.  Another gorgeous view to accompany our wine tasting.

 

 

With tables on the patio and chairs under the shade trees we had plenty of options to enjoyed the view for a while before heading on our way.  We opted for a bottle of their chardonnay.  While here we found that they are working on a new addition to the winery, a new tasting room. Note to self...come back next year to check it out. 

 

This area is also pretty dense with wineries.  A return visit is in order.