TRAVELOGUE

TRAVELOGUE
Story and Photos by Melissa Wolcott and Al Martino
V
isiting the Washington area environs is a wonderful experience
with being able to relive so much of our nation’s early history
which is preserved for all time. Getting there from Florida is
another story. Driving the I95 north/south corridor is scenic in a few spots,
but mostly a tedious and tiring ride. By the time you drive there, you just
want to sleep for a few days — precious time you may not have.
Flying is good, but then you have to deal with the airport hassles and
renting a car — which is pretty pricey around Washington.
The bus is, well, the bus.
After pondering this dilemma, we decided we would try another alternative — Amtrak’s Auto Train. It turned out to be a wise decision and a
really fun time.
he Amtrak Auto Train is nonstop from Sanford, FL (north
of Orlando) to Lorton, VA (near Washington, DC). We left
in the afternoon, and woke up the next morning at our destination. In the meantime, the cars were loaded onto the train while
we enjoyed a little “happy hour” in the lounge car. We watched
the sun set over interesting rural Florida scenery, while enjoying
a nice dinner in the dining car. After dinner, there was a movie
being shown in the lounge car, but we opted for using the very
cool “digEplayer” which we rented at the Sanford station. The
digEplayers are similar to dvd players, but already have movies,
TV shows, and music loaded up. We went to our sleeper car and
watched a few movies before retiring for the night. The next
morning, we woke up in Lorton, had a nice continental breakfast
in the dining car, and were refreshed and ready for sightseeing.
A
l t h o u g h
Amtrak has
500 stops in 48
states, the Sanford/
Lorton route is the
only Auto Train in
the country. It has been mostly popular with snowbirds, who
bring their cars south for the winter months and return north n the
spring, but many families are discovering that it brings another
dimension to their vacation plans, and kids especially love the
experience. The Auto Train handles around 100,000 autos annually, and you might be surprised, as we were, that they take all
manner of vehicles including SUVs, motorcycles, boats (up to 24
feet), U-Haul trailers, and Hummers. They can carry 300 autos
Photo courtesy of Amtrak
T
on Tampa Bay
Auto Train dining car.
simple logo. Many of the buildings are original to the time and
have been turned into galleries and restaurants. The town’s
Farmer’s Market is the longest continually running in the country,
and Washington himself used to
sell produce from his farm there.
Prince Street (“Sea Captain’s
Row”) is the only original cobblestone street left from colonial
times, and is utterly charming.
There has been a slight increase
in home values since the colonial
times, as the average homes are
now worth between $2-3M in the
old town section. Even a home in
the section that was once consid- Considered low-income housing
in colonial times, now worth
per train, and 600 passengers in coach. It is the largest passenger ered low income housing is close to $1M.
train in the world. Although the train is rated for 125 mph, it only worth about $900,000.
One interesting home still standing is the 1753 Carlyle
goes 70 mph for these trips. Not surprising is that fact that pasHouse
(from a prominent colonial family). Apparently, Mrs.
senger numbers have increased yearly starting with 9/11.
Carlyle
didn’t want the house to be haunted, so it was rumored
You can choose different levels of comfort for your journey,
she
had
a dead cat mummified, placed in a little coffin, and bursuch
as
coach
seats,
ied in a wall. When the house was restored in 1976, they
Roomettes (share a bathroom
discovered the dead cat in
with others), sleepers (beda wall near the front door.
room with bathroom and
It is also reputed that the
shower), family rooms, and
battle cry “No taxation
larger bedrooms the width of
without
representation”
the train. All meals are
began
in
the
living room
included with the trip, no matof
this
house.
ter which passage you choose.
Speaking of haunting
The Auto Train is the only
(a
colonial problem?)
train in U.S. that has a smokGadsby’s
Tavern Museum
ing section, but it has a good
is
reputed
to have a resifiltration system, so you don’t
dent ghost that appears in
smell anything outside that
Off-loading a car from the Auto Train.
the upper left window. The
section. You cannot ride the
tavern/hotel
was often visited by
Auto Train if you don’t have a vehicle with you, and you don’t
the
first
three
presidents, and
have access to your car once the train is in motion.
has been restored and furnished
The Carlyle House
hen we arrived at Lorton, we disembarked at a sleek new to it’s 18th century appearance.
A delightful restaurant is
train station with a gift and coffee shop. We turned in our
established
in an old sea captain’s warehouse, called Union Street
digEplayer and were on our
way to Alexandria, which is Public House. Charming gas lamps flicker against the old bricks,
only a 20 minute ride from and decor combines the 18th and 19th century feel. We had some
the station. We started out at unique food combinations that
the Visitor’s Center, located were very tasty. The “Surf n’
in the oldest house in Turf Club” was a triple decker
Alexandria (1724) and sandwich with sliced sirloin,
picked up some literature. spiced shrimp, bacon, lettuce,
In his late teenage years as tomato, and Remoulade Sauce.
a
surveyor,
George The “My Bar, My Rules” Steak
Washington laid out the city was grilled filet mignon, sautéed
of Alexandria, so a Colonial onions, melted cheddar on an
English muffin.
W
1724 Home now the Visitor’s Center.
Walking tour seemed in order. The
town was originally inhabited
mostly by farmers and sea captains.
Walking down King Street, we
were pleased to note that even
though there were a few fast food
shops, they blended in with the colonial theme, so you only knew what
it was by a small hanging flag with a
on Tampa Bay
Fast food restaurants
blend into Alexandria’s
colonial theme.
W
e
drove
over
to
Fredericksburg
and Gadsby’s Tavern Museum
checked in to the Hilton Garden visited by the first 3 presidents.
Inn, which is a new hotel in a
developing area of hotels, shops, and a museum. The Hilton has a
24 hour business center, indoor pool and hot tub, and the rooms
have microwaves, refrigerators and free internet access. The
complimentary breakfast is deluxe continental, with bacon, eggs,
waffles, fruit and cereal.
Fredericksburg was the site of some major battles in the
A most interesting stop we
made was at the Rising Sun
Tavern,
built
by
George
Washington’s youngest brother in
1760 as his private residence. It
became a tavern in 1792 until
1827 when it was turned back
into a private residence. It
remained with that family for 150
years. Restorations were made to
turn it back to it’s tavern days,
and it is now a fascinating
glimpse into what life was like for
travelers in colonial times. We
learned that: Upper classes came
in through the front door, lower
classes in the back; There was one Rising Sun Tavern was once the
dining room for the men, and one residence of George Washington’s
for the ladies; Five men—strang- younger brother
ers no less—slept in one bed, sitting up; A “necessary chair” was delivered to ladies on request;
Checkout time was 4:00 AM, and at 3:00 AM, ladies were gotten
up, dressed and sent off with a picnic basket for the day; cost per
Serene Sunken Road was once the scene
of tragic battles during the Civil War.
Historian Greg Metz
describes the battle on
Sunken Road.
Civil War, and also where
George Washington spent
his boyhood. There are 40
blocks of a national historic
district with shops, homes
and museums in the area.
The 1862 battle is known as
“Lee’s most one-sided victory”, and is focused on
Sunken Road and the Stone
Wall at Marye’s Heights.
The Innis House still stands
on the site of the battle,
riddled with bullet holes.
On site, Historian
Greg Metz colorfully
took us through the
battle pointing out
significant points of
interest.
Docent on the Rising Sun Tavern tour.
night was 1 1/2 shillings (25¢), and consider that $200 per year
was the average income for upper class. The tavern used indentured servants who worked for 4 years, and were then free to go
their way. Most were young women age 15-25 who came to this
country to find husbands. The tavern owner paid $10 per head for
passage for the servants, mostly from the British Isles. It was
considered the best hotel for 50 miles around. Fifty miles equals
14-15 hours in a carriage. It all makes you kind of glad to be
traveling in the 21st century.
on Tampa Bay
Photo courtesy of Half Moon Bay Brewing Co.
Fredericksburg is housed in a 1910
train station, and puts an elegant spin
on traditional Southern regional food
(low country cuisine), along with fine
steaks and chops. The fried green
tomato appetizer was the best we’d
ever had, followed by tender
Chesapeake Crab Cakes, pan roasted
and flavored with spices.
M
Udvar Hazy Museum
oving up in time, a visit to the area
would not be complete without a
Gari Melchers home and studio.
trip to the Udvar Hazy Museum, which is
mpressionist artist Gari Melchers near the Washington Dulles International
Home and Studio is located in Airport. The incredible museum houses
Fredericksburg, and is a wonderful 18th thousands of the Smithsonian’s aviation
century estate named Belmont, which and space artifacts, the centerpiece being
houses the largest collection of his works the space shuttle Enterprise. Among the
in the world. Melchers purchased the aircraft on display are the Lockheed SR71 Blackbird (the fastest jet in the
house in 1916, and
world) the Boeing Dash 80 (propainted there until
totype of the 707) and the B-29
he died in 1932. All
Enola Gay. The hangar museum
furnishings and arthas 750,000 square feet of space, is
work are original to
3 football fields long, and measures
the Melters family.
103 feet from floor to ceiling. One
The grounds are
hundred twenty eight aircraft are
beautiful, and visicurrently on display, which will
tors are welcome to
expand to 220 as they add on.
stroll around.
Twenty-five of the aircraft are oneC l a i b o r n e ’ s Claiborne’s “Fried Green
of-a-kind left in the world. When
Restaurant
in Tomato Tower”
I
queried, the one thing they don’t have that
they really want is a B-24.
A
nother twenty mile ride and we were
back at the Lorton Station for our
relaxing trip on the Auto Train back home.
The sleeper provides comfortable private
seating by day, and in the evening an
attendant converts the seat into a bed, with
an upper bed folding down from the wall.
It took a clever bit of engineering to get a
toilet, sink, shower and two beds into the
compact area.
F
olks traveling from Florida without a
car use the services of Amtrak’s
Silver Meteor or Silver Star. Amtrak even
has a guest rewards program (similar to
frequent flyers). They also have vacation
packages available with rail/cruise and
rail/fly, and work closely with travel
agents. Rail passes are available, and a
Florida rail pass gives you one year of
unlimited travel for $249 for Florida residents. There are also attraction discounts
for rail riders.
W
hen you’re thinking about heading
north with your car — especially
with the family in tow — consider the
advantages of taking the Auto Train, and
become an “easy rider.” You’ll never hear
the words “Are we there yet?”
on Tampa Bay