The
off-bike-amenities on this route specialize in historical
sites and attractions.
I’ve described the highlights of the route as you
travel from Richmond to Yorktown:
The
city of Richmond is loaded with history
due to its one time status as the capital of the Confederacy
during the Civil War.
Today, the city has an interesting mix of old and
new buildings and plenty of off-bike
amenities to take advantage of.
If your into museums, check out the following Richmond
museums: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Museum
of the Confederacy, and the Edger
Allan Poe Museum.
The
highlights of this route are the plantations. Checkout
the official James
River Plantation website for more information.
If
you don’t mind driving on a dirt road, you can see the
Shirley
Plantation by taking the Shirley Plantation Road.
It starts out paved but ends up as a dirt road. This historical plantation was
established ONLY 6 YEARS AFTER the first permanent
English Colony (approx 1607).
The
next plantation along the route is birthplace
of President William Henry Harrison and is
known as Berkeley.
The
next plantation is called Westover
and is a classic Georgian-style home constructed by the
founder of the city of Richmond, William Byrd II.
The grounds and garden are open year round, yet
the home is only open during what they call Garden Week
(in April, call (804) 829-2882
for details).
The
Evelynton
plantation is full of history, as it was the
home of the son of the man who fired the first shot of
the civil war (Edmund Ruffin Sr.) and was the
site of some civil war battles.
Late into the war, Union
soldiers, out for revenge, burned the original home down
to the ground. The family built a Georgian Revival mansion in its place.
The
Sherwood
Forest plantation was the
home of the first vice president to become president –
John Tyler.
The homes grounds cover 25 acres of lawns and gardens.
A
must stop if your into history or tourist activities is
the Jamestown
Island. On
it is a major historical
and tourism center
due to its history as the
location of the first English settlement in America.
The
city of Williamsburg
is a major tourist center in this area.
Visitors to Colonial
Williamsburg will get to walk the streets of
an outstanding recreation of an 18th century
capital of Virginia.
Colonial Williamsburg is
the country’s largest living museum. Also,
Williamsburg is the home of one of the nationally famous
Busch
Gardens.
The last stop on this tour is Yorktown.
This was the site of one of the most crucial battles in
the entire Revolutionary War. Here George Washington
forced the surrender of a major British Army and guaranteed
America’s overall victory. You will find many historical
attractions in this area.
