Stratford Hall Day Trip

We were there about forty years ago on one of the many trips we took to the DC area. Since we moved to DC sixteen years ago, we have exhausted most of the attractions in the city and surrounding areas. We have been wanting to take some short day trips to places that are within about two hours from our house. We needed a change of scenery after two plus years stuck in the house. One of those places to visit was Stratford Hall. I prefer not having to get tickets beforehand, but we did. At least they weren’t timed passes. So yesterday we headed out after putting some water, crackers and oranges in a cooler and a quick breakfast at McDonalds’s - just like in the old days when we’re actually taking a trip somewhere. We took a different route through DC, then Maryland and back to Virginia’s northern neck. Gas prices were $3.99 in some spots! When we arrived at Stratford Hall we didn’t remember anything about it except that it was an H shaped house and was home to the many Lee’s of Virginia. We tried to use our phones for a narrative guide but my phone connects to my hearing aids and my husband didn’t have his earphones. So we just meandered about the main house and then took a walk about the grounds. After that we sat in the car under the tree and relished the oranges. The ride home was on I95 through the horrendous Fredericksburg traffic.l and back to northern Virginia. It was always the worst stretch of traffic when we returned home from our Florida trips. The trouble with doing day trips to points outside of the city is that you need to return to the dreadful traffic. So you go from almost completely uninhabited dead space to parking lot freeways. By the time we got home we were discombobulated because we were so outside of our routine. Maybe we need to stick with things just an hour away? Regardless, the places we visited forty years ago just don’t have the same attraction that they once did. So now I need to get another list together of options around us - and there are a lot of them. As much as we like to travel away even for a short period of time we are always happier when we get back home.