Way back When-esday, NYE 09-10

I planned a surprise vacation for us (minus Maddox) over the New Year's Eve weekend last year.  I started planning it while Marshall was deployed, and asked a few friends for recommendations.  Our friends Steven and Heidi had taken a vacation in the mountains of Virginia, staying in a B&B and going to vineyards- which seemed like a great idea!  Mom came up to stay with Mdx for the long weekend.  I didn't tell Marshall where we were going, just what kind of clothes to pack.

Our first stop was at Monticello.  Neither of us had been there before.  We really enjoyed the tour of the house and the historical information there, but would love to go back in warmer weather.

On our way down the mountain we ate at Mitchie's Tavern.  The food was delicious and plentiful!

We arrived at our destination in Harrisonburg, called By the Side of the Road Bed & Breakfast.  It was a larger house with a few smaller cabins you could rent.  We rented this 2 story cabin that had a great big hot tub next to a fireplace.  The heat went out the first night we were there and we were FREEZING!!  Finally it was fixed late in the night, but not until after I made Marshall drive to the nearest Walmart and buy us a space heater.  :)

We walked around the square in downtown Harrisonburg.  They were preparing for NYE activities the next night.

This sign told us this was the place we should go to eat/drink dinner!

Marshall had the beer sampler and I had a glass of water.  One of the beers tasted like banana nut bread, it was a very strange taste!

The next day we went to a handful of vineyards.  This one is called Barren Ridge.  It had the cutest little dog that just sat in front of the fire and charmed customers.

This one is called Crosskeys Vineyard.  It was right across from a ginormous mansion.

While we were there we had a beautiful picnic basket of cheese and crackers, that was a surprise gift from our friends Steven and Heidi.  You guys rock!!

We went to a great Italian place for NYE dinner.

This is a great tree topper.  We may try that next year.

 The next night we took in a show at the American Shakespeare Center- designed to be a replica of Shakespeare's original theater.

We also took a trip to the Luray Caverns, which were really cool!  We got headsets that guided us on a walking tour through the cavern.

Underground lake reflecting the stalactites and stalagmites.

Us enjoying our far-too-rare vacation time!  :)

It was a fabulous trip and I'm so glad we did it.  I don't think it was what Marshall was expecting (he probably thought we would go someplace warm and sunny), but it was just the right length, and just the right distance away that we could pull it off.  Next time we'll hit up a Sandal's okay honey??  But YOU plan it, not me.  LOL!