Laura Spriggs Gray

The stone bridge is the trailhead for one of the easier and more picturesque hikes at Manassas National Battlefield. The trail hugs the rivers edge and then heads up into the woods, crests a hill overlooking the park and comes back down via steps carved into the hillside to a boardwalk over the marsh and back to the bridge. There is a paved parking lot and the first part of the trail up to the stone bridge is also paved. The trail gets very busy in the Spring when the bluebells are blooming (they are blooming now). Highly recommend this trail for family hikes (no strollers though).

This is the ideal place to begin a visit to Melbourne. There are 360 degree views of the entire city (as you would expect). The really cool bit is that there are mounted telescopes focused on individual buildings and locations of note with labels. So you can easily get a feel for where places are and whether you’d like to visit or not. The elevators are some of the fastest I’ve been on and it doesn’t feel like you’re hardly moving! You’re whisked to the top and back down in what feels like just a few seconds. There’s a small cafe with snacks at the top and a photo op spot that makes it look like you’re standing up top outside. You exit through the gift shop which offers the standard souvenirs but also a cooler full of ice cream and ice cold bottles of water. Very helpful when it’s hot. Staff are very friendly and helpful. A very fun experience.

The shrine of remembrance offers a wonderful war museum as well as stunning views over the botanic garden. There’s an eternal flame in the WWII forecourt. There’s no entrance fee but a donation is recommended. There’s a gift shop, cafe and restrooms in the visitors center. Street parking only.

The premier cooking school in the United States lives up to its rep. The campus is compact, filled with beautiful buildings and perfectly situated above the Hudson River. The students and staff seem genuinely happy to be there and the food, of course, is amazing. The open house is something you don’t want to miss if you or your child is considering attending. It’s a full day of information gathering, touring and being able to speak to students and staff.

Delaplane cellars offers an elegant tasting experience with comfortable leather seating indoors,two levels of outdoor decks, fire pits outdoors and gorgeous sunset views. We tried the wine tasting before deciding on a bottle to pair with the Virginia Sampler - three cheeses, sausage, marcona almonds and pistachios, olives and olive oil plus an outstanding fig chutney to accompany a fresh baked baguette. The sampler truly can substitute for a lunch. All of the wines we sampled were outstanding - their French oak aged Chardonnay was the standout among the whites for us. Just enough oak to smooth out the edges without being over oaked. (We are not fans of the 80s style heavily oaked Chardonnay - this is definitely not that). All of the reds were outstanding- we settled on a bottle of Adjacency to accompany our charcuterie sampler board. Service is excellent, our server checked on us multiple times and even brought out more olives and chutney. There is live music on the weekend. Parking is on the grassy slope below the tasting room although there is a drop off area in front if necessary. There’s an uphill walk to the main entry.