A trip to the Shirley Plantation

Steve, Sam, and I drove to Williamsburg this past Sunday to go eat at Zaxby's (because it's amazing and for some strange reason, no one will build one closer to our house...) and along the way, the ever-so-untrustworthy Garmin got us lost. This is not the first time she's done this. But surprisingly enough, when she leads us astray, we always end up discovering something really interesting. And Sunday was no different. We drove down a road that had at least ten old Southern plantations dotted along the way. We didn't stop on the drive to Williamsburg to look at any of them up close (because a few of us were really ready to eat lunch), but on the drive back, we stopped at the last plantation on the road: the Shirley Plantation. It was closed because we got there as the sun was setting, but it was amazing. I went back to get a closer look yesterday with Sam and this is what we saw:

front of the plantation

back of the plantation (which faces the James River)

We signed up for a tour, and since it was such a slow day there, I got my own personal tour (ooh-la-la). It is a very interesting place, with a really rich history. The land surrounding the plantation is still in use today (approximately 800 acres) and the same family is still living in the house (on the 2nd and 3rd floors). Robert E. Lee's mother grew up here and he spent time here as a young boy. I won't give away all of the details, but the inside was even more grand than the outside. Of course, someone began to get a little bored and fussy...

He passed out as soon as I stuck him back in his carseat. :) He was very good overall and was quite the charmer while we were talking with the people who worked on the plantation. No complaints from this mama!

Overall, it was a VERY interesting day and I can't wait to see a few more of the other plantations that are so close to our house. (Shirley Plantation is literally 10 minutes from our front door!)

Thank you Garmin for yet another hidden gem.