For a day excursion, I recommend a road trip to Fredericksburg, Va. Within an hour and a half from the D.C. area, you can be walking along the Rappahannock River in a town that’s rich in colonial and Civil War history. Mary Washington, George Washington’s mother, lived and died in Fredericksburg, and James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States, also lived here for some time.
Civil War enthusiasts will know that between December 1862 and May 1864 the four fiercest battles of the Civil War were fought in the surrounding area. The battlefields are part of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.
A historical sign says, “In May 1864, ambulances…clogged the city’s streets. Virtually every public building became a hospital filled with wounded soldiers. By today’s standards, conditions were gruesome. Mortality rates were high.” While runners in a 5K maneuvered through the streets, I tried to imagine the sights and sounds of such horror on these same blocks.
In fact, there are graveyards aplenty and a handful of ghost-themed walking tours offered in Fredericksburg to capitalize on the mayhem and loss in this town, strategically located between Washington, D.C. and Richmond.
Fill an afternoon visiting Mary Washington’s house, the Masonic cemetery, and museums. Nearby, the Belmont House offers tours of artist Gari Melchers‘ home, studio and gardens. (You will learn all about Melchers and wonder why you didn’t already know of him.) Kenmore House, George Washington’s sister’s estate, is a great example of Georgian-style architecture. On Saturdays and Sundays in June, Shakespeare is performed on the lawn at Kenmore.
History, parks, art, good coffee and shopping: Fredericksburg has something for each member of your traveling party and is an easy drive away. ("Easy," that is, if I-95 South were a swift, traffic-free route. Leave early in the morning before the appearance of thick, maddening columns of barely-moving cars!)
