Chesapeake Chase 

14 nights

 

Washington may be the U.S. Capital but prepare to be surprised. Offering a wealth of activities, foods and nightlife, DC is full of fun. Kick back with a Creole dinner and jazz at Washington’s legendary Blues Alley in Georgetown. Or head to the Adams Morgan neighbourhood, where you'll find an endless variety of cuisines from around the globe. Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Latin American...take your pick. Live blues music pours out of Madam's Organ and salsa dancing beckons at Havana Village, while stylish crowds flock to bars like Chloe, Restaurant Marvin and Allegory. Stop at the Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Cross the Potomac to Fairfax County and shop the “Rodeo Drive of the East Coast” in Tysons Corner.

 

Drive through lush countryside, past gracious horse farms to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Make a side stop at Manassas National Battlefield Park, site of Civil War battles, and then on Luray Caverns.

 

Visit the mountaintop home of founding Father Thomas Jefferson, whose Monticello takes you back to the days when his great brain carved out a future for an independent United States of America.

 

In Richmond, be sure to see the Museum and White House of the Confederacy — very Victorian. Explore Shockoe Bottom and Shockoe Slip where old waterfront warehouses have been restored into trendy shops and restaurants.

 

Travel to Williamsburg via scenic Route 5 and stop at Berkeley and Shirley Plantations along the way. Another highlight is Jamestown Island where America’s first permanent English settlement was established. The mid-Atlantic’s largest water play park, Water Country USA, features a 1950s and ‘60s surf-theme and offer tons of summertime fun with more than 30 slides, water rides and super soakin’ thrills.

 

Stop at Newport News’ impressive Mariner’s Museum before travelling to Virginia Beach, a popular resort with miles of public beach and boardwalk. Close to Virginia Beach is Norfolk, best known as home of 116 ships of the Atlantic and Mediterranean fleets at the US Naval Base. The Virginia Air and Space Center is located in nearby Hampton.

 

Travel across the 17-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Stop at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge or the NASA Visitor Center at Wallops Island. Step into the past with a luncheon cruise from Crisfield to Tangier Island or Smith Island. Explore Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Visit beautiful St. Michaels where you can feast on the local specialty, crab, whilst overlooking the small picturesque harbour. Browse the antique shops, ice cream parlours and cafes and sit back and enjoy the delightful ambiance of this quaint town. See Tilghman Island, home port for many of the Chesapeake Bay’s remaining skipjacks.

 

Before taking the ferry to Bellevue have lunch at the Robert Morris Inn in Cambridge, the setting for James Michener’s novel Chesapeake. Explore the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels. At Maryland’s capital, Annapolis see the William Paca House and Gardens, the US Naval Academy and much more.

 

On to Baltimore, with its bustling harbour, National Aquarium and fascinating neighbourhoods. Visit the USS Torsk (a WWII submarine), USS Constellation, and IMAX Theater; then dine in Little Italy for some authentic ethnic flavour.

 

Flight home or extend you stay.

 

Hotel accommodation is offered on two quality levels: “standard” typically 2/3 star hotels providing clean and moderate accommodations with several basic facilities, some with a limited dining room and sometimes a swimming pool. “Select” indicates a more superior style of accommodation typically of a 3/4 star quality, in a central location with extended facilities including a dining room and usually a swimming pool. Rooms in both levels of accommodation choice provide private facilities and are based on the hotels standard or lead in room type.