Virginia: Rosewell Ruins, Deadrise Charters and the Lighthouse

DAY SEVEN

Rosewell Ruins, Deadrise Charters and the Lighthouse

I was so glad that I looked up Rosewell Plantation Ruins.  I found out that we can visit the skeletal remains of the mansion.  We picked this day to see Rosewell and I am so glad we did.  The remains are haunting and gorgeous.  I took pictures at every angle and close-up shots of interesting features.  There was a gravesite near the structure with a marker.  The lingering walls and chimneys were poignant and made my visit memorable.

After visiting Rosewell, we went to Haven Beach.  We liked this beach because it was small and not-so crowded.  We lay on towels on the sandy beach and swam in the bay.  We relaxed and enjoyed the quietness of the beach.

Our next adventure was to take a boat cruise out to the Newpoint Comfort Lighthouse.  The boat, Mathews Deadrise Charters, was docked at The Inn at Tabbs Creek (B&B).  We met up with our captain, Trey, who was a wonder host pointing out historic sites and buildings while traveling through the bay.  It took about an hour to get out to the lighthouse, but we didn’t mind.  We could see it from the distance getting closer and closer.  Finally, we arrived at the historic lighthouse.  Trey moved the boat as close as he could get, but in some areas it was only three feet.  All of a sudden, dolphins started jumping out of the water and entertaining us.  The entire cruise was magnificent and Trey was a superb captain.

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at Olivia’s in the Village for dinner.  This was an amazing day.

Virginia: Jellystone Park, Little England and Gloucester Beach

DAY SIX

Jellystone Park, Little England and Gloucester Beach

We decided to try Hardee’s for breakfast before heading out this day.  The first thing we wanted to do was to go back to the suicide/ghost/witch house to see if Bigfoot is still there.  We found out that not only was a murder and suicide conducted inside the house, but apparently there were witch rituals preformed as well.  Magic and spells were done in this haunted house.  Nothing exciting happened on this visit.

Afterwards, we headed out to try and find the mansion known as “Little England”.  My three-time great-grandfather once owned it so I was curious to see a bit of my family history.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t get passed the front gate and the house was not visible.  I did take what pictures I could of the grounds from the gate.  Disappointed but happy to see where it was located, we decided to hit a beach.  We found that Gloucester Point Beach Park wasn’t far away.

While driving out of the neighborhood where Little England was located, we got lost.  This was not the first time in Virginia we got lost and found a nice surprise awaiting for us.  This time we ended up at Jellystone Park where Yogi and Booboo live.  The Yogi Bear’s Camp and Resort is a vacation spot in Virginia where you can book a room at the resort, or camp in tents or RV’s.  There is a large lake for boating and fishing.  It looked like a fun place to go for a family vacation.

After our visit to Jellystone Park, we made our way to the beach.  Gloucester Beach was nice but very crowded.  We decided to walk on the pier where many were fishing.  At the end of the pier, I took numerous pictures of the ships and boats on the water.  And then, there it was….. Little England.  The house was so clear from the beach, but a little far out in the bay.  I put on the highest zoom on my camera and was able to get several pictures.  I was so happy to finally see the house in person that I have seen many times on my computer.

After the beach, we decided for dinner we would pick up something and eat in our room.  We found a Ruby Tuesday close by and order their TueGo ribs and veggies.  We bought Champagne to wash down our delicious meal.

Virginia: The Doug, Murder/Suicide House and Ghost Pirates

DAY FIVE

The Doug, Murder/Suicide House and Ghost Pirates

We choose the Courthouse Restaurant for breakfast.  I had their specialty breakfast called “The Doug”.  It was in a long bowl with hash browns on the bottom, next was scrambled eggs, and sausage gravy on top.  WOW!!  It was so good!  We picked this day to urban explore and find a haunted house Sharon heard of in the area.  This house was known as the murder/suicide house and located at the end of a cul-de-sac near the lake.

Before hitting the murder/suicide house, we stopped at Mount Zion United Methodist Church with a cemetery on a hill and took photos.  That places was stunning with green grounds and old headstones.

After that, we went to look for the haunted house while stopping at most of the abandoned houses along the way to take pictures.  Of course, we passed up the street a couple of times, but glad we did.  We wound up on a street to Rosewell Ruins.  We never heard of that place, so I planned to look it up when we got back to the hotel.  We also saw Walter Reed’s birthplace which was a tiny house sitting off the road.  We finally headed back and found the street we needed to turn on.

The house was small and boarded up.  It had foliage growing all over it and warning signs posted around the house.  It sat near the lake where several ducks where congregating.  While looking in the forested area next to the house, we both heard heavy footsteps walking near the creek below.  We heard crackling of branches and leaves.  Sharon did a didgerdraoo sound to see what reaction she would get.  The dogs were barking like crazy and the crows were cawing loudly as we moved closer to the woods.  Was there a Bigfoot nearby?  All the signs pointed to one being near.  We then heard what sounded like a “fake” rooster and thought it could be a Bigfoot mimicking the rooster.  Could the crows be warning the big hairy fella that we were near?  We are not sure what was going on, but as quickly as the noise began, it stopped even quicker.

After the excitement there, we vowed to return.  We found a place to have dinner, and headed off to Haven Beach afterwards.  We sat on the beach and soaked in the fresh air and cool breezes.  We snapped some pictures and left to check out the old house in the woods, and waited to see if the ghost pirates will appear to us.  The woods were close to the beach.  We sat on a small road until the sun started going down, and decided to leave.  No pirates on that day.  On the drive back, we were treated to an amazing sunset, and stopped at an old church with a cemetery.  Back at the hotel, we enjoyed cold beer while downloading our photos.

Virginia: Driving, Cemeteries, and Summer Home

DAY FOUR

Driving, Cemeteries, and Summer Home

After packing and eating breakfast, we got on the road to our next destination, Gloucester.  We drove highway I-95 from Fairfax, and then highway 17.  We decided to stop in Fredericksburg for ice coffees at Dunkin Donuts and to pee.  Along the route to Gloucester, we ran into several places to stop and take photos.  There were old churches and cemeteries at Vauter’s Episcopal Church & Cemetery, along with Angel Visit Baptist Church & Cemetery.  We also saw several cool abandoned places such as an old tobacco barn with vines consuming it, and houses.

We enjoyed lunch at Lowery’s Restaurant along the way and arrived at the Comfort Inn later in the afternoon.  We were greeted with warm chocolate chip cookies and cold lemonade.  After resting a bit in our room, we set out to have dinner and locate Sharon’s summer home.

After dinner, we drove the highway towards New Point where her summer house was located.  We didn’t have an address, but Sharon had a general idea of where it was located.  We cruised around the area, and had trouble finding the two-story house.  We took a break from looking and found a wonderful beach and cove.  It was breathtaking and offered us many photo opts.  What a wonder break, but now it's back to looking for the house.  After driving the neighborhood for a while, we just about gave up, and then, there it was.  The house was huge and gorgeous.  While I was taking pictures, the current owners came out to see what was going on.  Sharon introduced herself to the elder couple, and told them that her family used to own this house.  She actually knew about her family because she documented the history of the place.  We had a wonderful conversation with them, and then headed back to the hotel.  I am so glad we found the place because it meant so much to Sharon.  

Virginia: Cemeteries, Museums and Crab House

DAY THREE

Cemeteries, Museums and Crab House

This was our last day in Fairfax and Sharon wanted to see Aspen Grove one more time.  We started the day at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and cemetery.  There were many old graves around the grounds.  The Grotto was hit by lightning and is still standing.  After leaving there and before Aspen Grove, we had breakfast at Bakery Bread & Grill.  I just love it when we find these small and delightful places.

Since we were not able to get inside the house on this day, we did ask the owner if we could wander around the grounds, and she was just fine with that.  We walked around the entire property and Sharon shared many stories of the fun times she had there.  We took tons of photos of the gardens, house and the townhouses in the back.  Even a deer ran in front of us to get his picture taken as well.  He didn’t want to be left out.  One of the townhouses was for sale so we couldn’t resist going inside.  We pretended we were looking to buy for Sharon’s sister.  Aspen Grove was astonishing and an ideal place to raise a family.

It was bittersweet for Sharon leaving her childhood home.  The owner suggested checking out the Fairfax Museum and Visitors Center.  They had a section decade to Aspen Grove with photos, history and artifacts.  It was an awesome museum.  The gal running the gift shop was excited to hear the ghost stories from the house and property.  She grew up wondering if the place was haunted.

That evening we had dinner at Captain Peel’s Crab House.  Of course the electricity was off and it was lit up by candlelight.  Things like this happen to us often, but we always make the best of it.  It was a bit hot, but we didn’t care.  Eventually the air and lights came back on.  We decided to try out their crab cakes.  They were mouth-watering good!