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Virginia Beach - Part 2
Written by: Janet Pope
We woke up to another beautiful day in Virginia Beach, in the most comfortable bed I have remembered sleeping in. We pulled open the curtains, and there laid out before us was the Atlantic Ocean in all its glory. What a great way to start the day.
We headed over to Baker's Crust Bread Market & Restaurant for breakfast in the Hilltop shopping area. The display cases greeted us, filled with fresh breads, cookies and cakes. I definitely had to have a baked good for breakfast. I tried the Riviera French toast made with thick slices of yummy cinnamon bread. The aromas in this place alone could make a person gain 2.75 pounds and kill any intention to diet.
Our first stop today was the Francis Land House, which was an 18th Century plantation home.
The original plantation had 800 acres and currently 5 acres have been preserved.
Though it is one of the few historical treasures of the area, it was a little disappointing, as it had been renovated many times during the years and not much is left from the original structure or the original furnishings. From the 1950s to the 1970s, it was actually used as an upscale ladies dress shop called "Rose Hall," and the city acquired it in the 1970s. In 1986 it opened as an historical home. There are some original artifacts, like slave documents, which are of interest. Slaves were actually "leased" to other homeowners for a fee of only $40 a year. But, even the original cellar, which once was a root cellar and had a dirt floor, now has a brick floor. For true history buffs, unfortunately very little is original to the house.
The next historical home that we saw was the Adam Thoroughgood House, alongside the Lynnhaven River. The original owner was born in England to a wealthy family in 1604. As the seventh son, he came to America to seek his own fortune at the age of 17. Back then, for every servant a person brought with them, the state of Virginia gave the new settler 50 acres of land. Thoruoghgood brought with him a whopping 105 indentured servants-- you do the math. In essence, he quickly became the Donald Trump of 17th century Virginia.
At 36, he died of yellow fever, but he had five children, and his name and his land legacy lived on. The house, reminiscent of an English cottage, is filled with many unique pieces. We were intrigued by the "Posset Pot," which was filled with all kinds of rums and wines and then passed around to the guests to all take a swig from a straw like spout. Not very good for preventing the spread of germs.
We also learned that it was a very patriarchal society, and the younger children actually stood at the dinner table, since they should be grateful to be fed. Nowadays this would be eyed suspiciously as abuse.
Our knowledgeable guide pointed out a number of interesting items. Potpourri jars were used and well needed, since the English only bathed about four times a year. He also noted that there were no closets anywhere in the home, so dressers and bureaus were necessary. This home has a wealth of historical artifacts and period pieces and it preserves a part of history for this area. Even Chris found it interesting-- especially the "Posset Pot," which somehow reminded her of her college days.
For lunch, we picked a local Mexican restaurant. Gudalajara has been run by the Rodriguez family since 1992. Our tour guide Jessica, from the Virginia Beach Visitor's Bureau, claimed this was one of her favorites, so we just had to try it. During the day it has a family feel to the place, but at night it turns into a club atmosphere, with lively music playing. The menu is typically Mexican, and everything we tried was fine. To me, there is not much to say about Mexican food-- it's either good or it's not. This was good.
We spent the afternoon at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Center, ranked among the top ten in the country. There are over 350 interactive exhibits, and we enjoyed them all. We felt like kids exploring the facility. We saw turtles and fish in an open air Virginia habitat, touching tanks with sting rays, wave machines and scuba divers giving talks from inside a tank. We picked up star fish and watched huge sea turtles float around peacefully. This facility has a whole day's worth of activities for every age. There's an Imax movie theater and a Harbor Seal Splash, where one gets to train a seal--though the latter is only during the warmer months.
We headed back to the beach area and stopped at Virginia Legends, which "Honors the past and imagines the future." This is a series of large wall plaques along a pathway, honoring native Virginians like James Monroe, Edgar Allen Poe, Robert E. Lee, Pearl Bailey, Patsy Cline, and the father of our country George Washington.
We also stopped at Forbes Salt Water Taffy, which we were told, has its taffy made in Virginia Beach and is something of a "must try" while one is here. Very fresh and tasty, the taffy reminded me of the days when my mother and father used to take us to Atlantic City-- before there were casinos there. For some reason, I remember getting salt water taffy on the boardwalk. It was a nice memory and a nice treat.
We had a little time before dinner to enjoy the hotel's pool and fitness center before getting ready for dinner. We had reservations at Tautog's on 23rd Street. This eatery is located in Winston's Cottage, an original beach cottage from years ago. It's a casual, but busy restaurant, decorated with green checkered tablecloths and, at this time of year, holiday lights. We ate in the enclosed porch area, which is made comfortable by overhead fans in the summer and heaters in the winter. The indoor bar area bustled with a lively crowd.
It was here that I finally broke down and had fish, since that predominated on the menu. As you might have guessed, fish is not usually one of my favorites. Tautog's serves "fish in a bag," and that sounded so intriguing that I had to try it. It turned out to be flounder with fresh crab and shrimp stuffing, cooked in a brown bag. When I punctured the bag, the smell was wonderful. I took a bite, and the juicy taste of the fish was absolutely delicious. I felt so proud of myself for venturing out past my comfort zone; I wanted to call my husband and say, “I just ate fish!" but I feared someone would overhear me. Another great meal in Virginia Beach.
Another great day here too. Finally, tomorrow Chris gets her massage.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
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