Glorious Garden Paths and Civil War Trails
Bea foster

We have just returned from our annual 4 day spring mystery weekend. This year, our adventure took us to the Richmond, Virginia area where we started our weekend with a tour of the Agecroft Hall & Gardens.(www.agecrofthall.com/index) Agecroft Hall sits on 23 acres overlooking the James River and is a 15th century English manor house that was dismantled & brought to Richmond in 1926. The house features original 16th century paneling, armor, a magnificent window bearing the ancient coat of arms, period furniture, paintings and unique musical instruments. Agecroft’s grounds reflect the order and opulence of English gardens. After our afternoon at Agecroft, the group check into the Hampton Inn and Suites Richmond/Glenside. (www.swiftcreekmill.com) What a great hotel, comfortable bedding, included breakfast and not to be forgotten great staff. Our evening event took us to the Swiftcreek Mill Playhouse in Colonial Heights, Virginia for a buffet dinner and their evening presentation of the "Church Basement Ladies." The playhouse makes its home in a 350 year old grist mill which is believed to be our nation’s oldest.

The morning of day two was spent at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens. (www.lewisginter.org) The gardens boast of their year-round beauty with over 40 acres of spectacular gardens and a classical domed Conservatory housing more than 200 orchids. Our group had the pleasure of hearing the knowledge of two well versed guides as we toured the gardens with peonies, camellias both in bloom and roses about to bloom. The Garden Café was a nice dining area for lunch on our own as we sat and talked about the beauty of the gardens.

The afternoon began with our visit to the Museum of the Confederacy which houses the history and artifacts of the Confederate States of America. (www.moc.org) On this self guided tour, we saw exhibits featuring the personal effects of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and other Confederate figures of the Civil War. Our next stop took us to the Virginia State Capitol which was designed by Thomas Jefferson. (www.virginiacapitol.gov). Our one hour guided tour took us through the rooms of the Capitol which has re-opened after a $104.5 million restoration and expansion project that has brought the Capitol’s appearance back to its look of the early 1900’s era. The group had dinner following our day of touring at the Sine Irish Pub where we relaxed and talked of the day’s adventure. (www.sineirishpub.com)

Our day three of touring began with a 2 hour motorcoach narrated tour of the city of Richmond alive with history which included St. John’s Church, Monument Avenue and Hollywood Cemetery. Time for lunch on our own in the Shockoe Slip area of the city before our visit to the Edgar Allan Poe Museum. (www.poemuseum.org) The museum which opened in 1922 in the Old Stone House is Richmond’s oldest standing structure which houses the world’s largest collection of Poe artifacts. Our afternoon continued at the Pamplin Historical Park & National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg, VA. where we had a guided tour of this national historic landmark. (www.pamplinpark.org) This complex is recognized as one of America’s finest Civil War attractions with its hands on experiences and is being called " the new crown jewel of Civil War History destination in America". Following our buffet dinner in the dining area we were given a demonstration of field medicine.

The fourth and final day of our mystery weekend took us to the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar on the banks of the James River. (www.tredegar.org) Our visit began with a rifle and musket demonstration followed by a self guided tour of both the local and national levels through the perspectives of Union, Confederate, and African American participants of the war.

We returned home in the late afternoon with a greater appreciation of what everyone had experienced during the time of the Civil War. Of course, not to be forgotten was the beauty of the gardens, the fellowship of the travelers and all those people that we had met that helped to make our weekend one of the best. So take some time and travel to Richmond, Virginia area where the sightseeing is among the greatest.

Travel is the Perfect Freedom that we have all been given in this great country of ours and we wish to THANK the men and women that protect us so that we may have this right!

As a tour operator, C and Bea Tours & Cruises, Inc. have the tools and knowledge to assist you in group travel needs whether it be a tour that we have planned or with any of the tour operators that we work with. Travel with us and leave your cares at home!

C and Bea Tours & Cruises, Inc.
185 Marlton Road, Pilesgrove, NJ 08098-2723 
Phone: 1-856-769-2816
Fax: 1-856-769-4896
Cell phone: (24/7) 1-609-420-4995
email: bea.foster@verizon.net
website: www.candbeatours.com