Fredericksburg Off The Beaten Path

The Hummers got nothing on me.Four and a half tons of fun..... I'm going to scan some of our Motorhome trip photos sooner or later.That Suburban Assault vehicle quote is from Dave Barry

15 years old but running sweet.....and paid for!-life is good!.....

We bought our baby on payments when we were in our 30's and have been across the usa and canada several times.Our longest trip being across Canada to Skagway Alaska-Returning Via the marine highway and then the coast of Oregon and washington with a tour of Utah parks on our way back east-11 weeks and 12,000 miles.Other trips have been to the the Black Hills and Wyoming and there have been a couple to Florida and New England.This is the spare room on wheels that makes possible living in a small home in the city.

These days the price of Gas is up and we have been flying about for our vacations.But it makes traveling with the dogs a pleasure and we need to spend some quality time with ol' Jasper for a change-so don't be surprised if you see me heading down the roadwith a dog sticking his head out the back soon

4 more images

The area has four major Battlefields to offer. All of the battlefields are run by the National Parks Service and for $4.00 a person, you can get a 7 day pass to tour all the parks. The battlefields are all part of the Fredericksburg - Spotsylvania National Military Park which has a separate location on VT. There is a ten mile round trip driving tour will allow you to visit the majority of the Fredericksburg battlefield.

There is a Visitor's Center on Route 3 west of Fredericksburg which is located along the historic Sunken Road portion of the battlefield. Two walking trails will allow you to walk over the same ground that was so hotly contested on December 13, 1862. To help orient you to the battle, there is a 22 minute film. It is shown every thirty minutes. In addition, museum exhibits throughout the building will help you understand our park's story (photos 2 and 3)

There is a small exhibit at Wilderness (photo 4 and 5) on VA Route 20 near the intersection with Route 3.

The Friends of the Rappahannock help to educate people about this river. It's the longest free-flowing river in the entire Chesapeake Bay watershed, running along the eastern side of Fredericksburg. The river offers a wide range of activities. Visit the website listed below.

This is another work by Clydetta Fulmer commissioned by our local newsper the Free Lance Star.I've been told they have taken to calling him Lance now although the intent I believe was to portray Mr Rowe-one of the founders of the paper-as a child hawking newspapers.He stands out in front of the newspaper building on Amelia street.

Crossing over the Rappahannock River from the Falmouth Bridge on Route 1 south into Fredericksburg, instead of going into town, take a right at the stoplight next to the Kentucky Fried Chicken and the gas station there. Take the first right, then a left, and you will be on a road that parallels the river. On the side of the road (across from the church), you can park your car and walk down to the rocks along the river's edge. If you are uncomfortable parking your car on the side of the road, you can also park in the church parking lot. You will see steps to go down to a narrow crossing. Watch your steps here, as it's a narrow walking area and path to get to the river. On summer days, you will see some people in the river itself. I was just there on January 14, which was sunny, but not very warm (about 6-7 degrees celsius), and there were about 5 or 6 people there. On the other side of the bridge, at Old Mill Park, you find more people there generally, and especially in the summer. Also in the summer, on the Stafford side of the river directly across from the park, you will find people pulling up to the river's edge in their cars and sunbathe or go tubing. Don't let the calmness fool you; as I don't need to state, the river can be very dangerous.

Stratford Hall - the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. A 45-minute drive from Fredericksburg, near the George Washington Birthplace National Monument. Well worth the $8 per head admission price. I particularly recommend the restaurant there.