Posts Tagged ‘Virginia’

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Veterans Day in Virginia, 2011

Monday, November 7th, 2011

 

November 11 is Veterans Day, Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, commemorating the end of World War I and honoring all the men and women of the armed forces.

Woodrow Wilson was the first to declare a November 11th celebration of Armistice Day, and he did so with the proclamation, “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.”

 

Joseph Ambrose, 86-year old World War I veteran

There will be celebrations, free museum admissions, and military discounts all over the United States on Veterans Day, and Virginia will be no exception:

Mount Vernon, VA- free admission for active duty, former, and retired military personnel; free community concert by The Harmony Heritage Singers.

Grey Swan Inn, Blackstone, VA- 10% discount to military personnel

Montpelier, Orange, VA- free admission to all military personnel

Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum, Staunton, VA- free Veterans Day Program

Besides these specific events, there are a number of national parks that are offering free admission to everyone on Veterans Day:

  •     Colonial National Historical Park
  •     George Washington Memorial Parkway’s Great Falls Park
  •     Manassas National Battlefield Park

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” –John F. Kennedy

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Lung Cancer Awareness, 2011

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

The month of November is both Lung Cancer Awareness Month and Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, and this blog will focus on lung cancer awareness.

Anyone who has fought cancer or known someone with cancer understands how devastating it can be, and the statistics for lung cancer are pretty staggering. In the United States, lung cancer is the “leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States,” and is responsible for one in three cancer deaths. As of 2009, it kills an average of 437 people daily.

Making healthy lifestyle choices such as not smoking can seriously reduce the risk of getting lung cancer, as can regular checkups at the doctor’s office. The Lung Cancer Alliance emphasizes the importance of early detection, which increases the 10-year survival rate to 92%.

Perhaps this seems like nothing but numbers and redundant advice that you’ve heard many times before. But because this is the month for awareness, we here at the BBAV encourage you to support those in the fight against lung cancer. While we are a group that delights in travel and vacation, we cannot forget those who are unable to partake in these activities due to their illness. And so we remember them with our support, our thoughts, and our prayers as they face an uncertain future.

 

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Howl-O-Scream, Williamsburg, VA

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Everywhere you look in Virginia, you will find some sort of Halloween party or harvest festival during this time of year. While you’re making yourself at home at one of our cozy bed and breakfasts, perhaps you will want to attend one of these celebrations. If you have children, there are some spectacular family-friendly opportunities.

One such event is the fabulously scary Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. Traverse through the foggy gloom of the Fear Fair. Explore the vampire-laden “Bitten” house. Rock out to Monster Stomp Revamped. Sneak through the woods of New France while trying to avoid the Widow Makers. If you enjoy that heart-pounding rush of adrenaline brought about by fear, then Howl-O-Scream is certainly the event for you! However, if the kiddies aren’t so keen on monsters popping out at them, you can visit Busch Gardens during the day for plenty of non-scary fall fun. Once 6pm hits, though, the park becomes a haven for horror! *cue thunder sound effects*

Howl-O-Scream is hardly the only Halloween celebration in Virginia, so click here for a lovely little list that highlights different events based on region and city.

Be smart and safe, everyone! (And parents, kindly refrain from adorning yourselves with costumes that would severely embarrass your children…)

Lastly, I feel that no Halloween blog would be complete without this classic tribute to all things that go bump in the night:

 

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Autumn Apple Crisp

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

Besides pumpkins, apples are one of the most used ingredients in autumn recipes, and with all of the orchards around Virginia, we are certainly in no short supply of this delicious fruit. There is a humongous variety of apple-based recipes floating around the world wide web, so perhaps you’re having difficulty in locating the perfect dish. To lessen your stress and shorten your search time, enjoy one particularly delectable recipe (which can be found in Bob Greene’s The Get With the Program! Guide to Good Eating) that we’ve selected for the delight of your taste buds:

 

Ingredients:

2 cups apples (preferably Granny Smiths), peeled, cored, and sliced

2 tbsp sugar or sugar substitute

1/4 cup apple juice

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

Topping Ingredients:

1/2 cup walnuts or almonds, finely chopped

1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 tbsp softened butter

Preheat the oven to 350.  Stir apples, sugar, apple juice, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined.  Set aside.

To make the oatmeal topping, mix together the walnuts or almonds, oats, brown sugar, flour, and butter.

Place the apple mixture in an 8-inch square baking dish.  Sprinkle the topping over the apples and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the apples are cooked through and the topping is browned.  Serve with cool whip or vanilla ice cream.

 

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Virginia Lighthouses, Summer 2011

Monday, July 18th, 2011

“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”
- Anne Lamott

Lighthouses have been a source of fascination for people for many years, and we here in Virginia are lucky to have some of these beautiful structures decorate our coasts. They stand with silent strength, with few frills or ornamentation, and yet the light that shines from them cannot go unnoticed. For many years, these lighthouses kept ships from crashing to shore, ensuring safety to the crew aboard the vessels. Now these structures are sources of history and, as always, symbolic representations of hope and guidance. And, of course, they are a wonderful destination for those on a Virginia vacation.

The lighthouses of Virginia include the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse, built in 1792, the Assateague Lighthouse, built in 1833, the Old Point Comfort Lighthouse, built in 1802, and the New Point Comfort Lighthouse, commissioned by Thomas Jefferson in 1804. As you can imagine, each of these lighthouses possesses a deep history, having survived battles and skirmishes and years of being weathered by ocean waves.

If you’re planning to visit one of these lighthouses, be sure to check out their schedules. Some allow tours during most of the years, but others have set times that the outside public is allowed to see the inside. (Also, toughen up those leg muscles if you plan to climb up the inside of the lighthouse. Those stairs give you a good workout!) Be sure to check out our list of bed and breakfasts to find the perfect inn for you to relax at during your trip to visit the lighthouses.

© 2011 http://www.virginia.org/lighthouses/

© 2011 http://www.virginia.org/lighthouses/

© 2011 http://www.virginia.org/lighthouses/

 Facts courtesy of Virginia Tourism Corporation, © 2011.

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Places to Get Married in Virginia

Sunday, November 28th, 2010

Many Virginia bed and breakfast are ideal locations for weddings. They’re warm and inviting, in lovely historic or new buildings. They’re in the heart of town, by the sea, or out in the country. In short, you are sure to find a bed and breakfast Virginia to fulfill your wedding dream.

good-places-to-get-married-virginia

Make your wedding unique: host it at a Virginia bed and breakfast.

Some innkeepers cater weddings themselves, while others have good relationships with local photographers, caterers, and officiants. This may be your first wedding, but it probably isn’t their first wedding, and you will find them both helpful and reassuring.

One of the best reasons to have your wedding at a Virginia bed and breakfast is that the wedding party can lodge at the wedding venue. The entire wedding party can sleep under the same roof the nights before and after the wedding. Host your rehearsal dinner at the inn, as well as the reception, and don’t worry if you toast the nuptials often – you just need to walk to your room at the end of the evening.

A few good places to get married in Central Virginia: Mayhurst Inn, a 1859 Italianiate Victorian Manor in Orange, VA; Winterham Plantation, an antebellum manor on 14 acres near Richmond, VA; and Longacre Bed and Breakfast, a lovely brick Tudor home in Appomattox.

A few good places to get married in Southern Virginia: Maysville Manor. a federal manor in Buckingham, VA; The Three Angels Inn at the historic Sherwood Plantation, near Lawrenceville, VA; and Cooper’s Landing Inn in historic Clarksville on the Lake.

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Fine Dining in Virginia

Monday, November 15th, 2010
Squash blossom with goat cheese, thyme, raw hazelnut, compressed peach and saba

Elegance on a plate.

If you were to ask five of your closest friends to define “fine dining”, what would they say? Details may vary from person to person: one might say a crisp, white, linen table cloth is essential; another may insist the waitstaff wear clean, subtle, uniforms. But most would agree that fine dining involves outstanding food served in an attractive, pleasant setting.

There is plenty of fine dining in Virginia. It isn’t possible to write an exhaustive list of Virginia fine dining restaurants here, but read on for a few outstanding examples.
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Virginia Bed and Breakfast Weddings

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
love

Host your special day at a Virginia bed and breakfast.

Do you dream of being married in the ornate gardens of a historic home? Do you dream of walking down a long, elegant staircase to join your beloved? Are you looking forward to hosting you wedding in the same place you and closest friends and family are staying, so you don’t have to worry about traveling anywhere after the reception?

Consider the benefits of being married at a bed and breakfast Virginia:

They are found throughout the state, in small towns and large cities, in the mountains and by the sea, in historic buildings and modern structures.

Virginia bed and breakfast specialize in romance.

They can accommodate large, lavish ceremonies and receptions, and small, intimate events; not every inn can do both, of course, but there is an inn for every event.

Virginia bed and breakfast innkeepers have experience hosting weddings. Many have close working relationships with local caterers, florists, photographers and officiants.

Hosting your rehearsal dinner, ceremony and reception where you stay minimizes travel time. It is also safer, since there is no need to get behind the wheel after numerous toasts.

Breakfast will be delicious.

Many of our member inns offer Virginia wedding specials. These may include two nights’ lodging for the wedding party, a rehearsal dinner, and champagne. See specific inns for details.
Take advantage of the fact that bed and breakfasts Virginia are popular locations for weddings, and tap-into the innkeepers’ experience. That way, you and your beloved, and your friends and families, can focus on each other.

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Virginia’s Blue Ridge Parkway

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
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Wonderful views from the Blue Ridge ParkwayThe Blue Ride Parkway runs almost the entire length of Virginia. It joins the Skyline Drive just east of Waynesboro, VA, in the Shenandoah Mountains, and it slowly meanders its way for nearly 475 miles to Cherokee, Tennessee, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Virginia’s Blue Ridge Parkway is the type of road that requires a leisurely pace. Time slows down on the Blue Ridge Parkway if you let it. The views will take your breath away, whether they span valleys and mountains or reveal a small, almost hidden waterfall. As you travel, plan on staying at a number of Virginia bed and breakfasts near the Blue Ridge Parkway – that way, you’ll have plenty of time to fully enjoy each leg of your journey.

Virginia bed and breakfasts near the Blue Ridge Parkway have much to offer. Aside from being a place to sit and enjoy great views, they are great bases for exploring the area. The innkeepers can be your local insiders – people who know the area well and who can provide priceless travel tips.

Take advantage of your stay by heading out to listen to mountain music; opportunities for this include the Floyd Country Store Friday Night Jamboree, Pickin’ Porch, and several festivals throughout the year. Spend a day or two visiting Blue Ridge Parkway area wineries, sampling wines produced in the fertile valleys. Vow to stop at every antique shop you see.

Travel the Blue Ridge Parkway when flowers are in bloom. the parkway website handily provides a Bloom Schedule, so you’ll know when your favorite trees, flowers and shrubs are at their most beautiful. These times can be ideal for hiking the trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Ask bed and breakfast Virginia innkeepers about favorite hikes near their inns.

You are sure to enjoy your time traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway, especially if you treat yourself to lodging in Virginia bed and breakfasts.

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