Travel to Virginia, a Gift for the Soul

We don’t travel often, but when we do, our goal is a memorable trip that will stay in our hearts forever. In October, Jeff and I flew to Virginia for ten days to visit friends and tour historical sites. Since I’d been there once before in 2009, my imagination was already stoked with all we could see and do. It helps that I love history, genealogy, and historical fiction.

While there I imagined myself as an early settler at Jamestown, and envisioned our family living in Colonial Williamsburg, or being present as battles raged during the Civil War. I gleaned much from the working farms of The Shirley Plantation and The Berkeley Plantation, whose existence has spanned most of our country’s history.

Traveling to faraway places and catching glimpses of our history stirred up my creativity. My imagination wants to fly back to the times I learned about. If only I could be a dinner guest in the home of Thomas Jefferson or spend an afternoon with Robert E. Lee. What kind of conversations would we have? Imagine walking with George Washington, or attending a dance at Benjamin Harrison’s house, or witnessing farm fields becoming a place of battle that could turn the tide of a war.

I heard thought provoking tales, and was given fledgling ideas that could be fanned into the flames of a story or scenes in a novel. To travel away from what’s my routine and embrace a different landscape, history, and culture for even a short time has helped to refresh, renew, and energize me as I’ve returned to my “normal.” Have you found this to be true in your travels?

I’ve written down our adventures to capture and remember the details that made it a special trip. I’m in awe to have been in a part of the country that’s oozing history wherever one steps. Add to that the beautiful rolling hills, the Shenandoah Valley, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the old colonial style houses, and I couldn’t help but experience a glimpse of bygone days and an understanding of a hard fought peace and the enduring culture of the south. That culture is most simply expressed as southern hospitality, where friends become your family, and you’re embraced by their family because you’re their friends. That is the greatest gift of all.