Charlottesville to Lynchburg VA via Monticello and Appomattox

This is Tuesday, the rain has passed and we are clear to go.  First stop was to gas up. 

It is always fun to see eight Morgan's hit a gas station

at one time. 

We like smooth roads and reasonable speed limits.

Our first stop was Monticello...  Wikipedia says:

Monticello was the primary plantation of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, who began designing and building Monticello at age 26 after inheriting land from his father. Located just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, in the Piedmont region, the plantation was originally 5,000 acres (20 km²), with Jefferson using slaves for extensive cultivation of tobacco and mixed crops, later shifting from tobacco cultivation to wheat in response to changing markets.

Monticello

Coxcomb, a favorite of Thomas Jefferson

Our tour guide, Horace, had an answer for every question.

The West side of Monticello, which overlooks the gardens

The vegetable garden recreated as if for the 200 residents of Monticello

back in the day of Jefferson   Today they sell or use the crops for

the benefit of the museum.

Some members of our group finishing the garden tour of

Monticello   

Then lunch at MICHIE TAVERN, located ½ mile below  Monticello, accommodating travelers with food, drink and lodging more than 200 years ago. Today, visitors experience the Tavern’s past through an historical journey which recreates 18th-century tavern life.  Servers in period attire offer bountiful Colonial Midday Fare.  The rustic restaurant setting renders a lunch dining experience rich in southern culture and hospitality for families to enjoy.  Get a taste of the 18th-century as we feature a buffet of southern fried chicken, marinated baked chicken, hickory-smoked pork barbecue, stewed tomatoes, black-eyed peas, buttermilk biscuits and so much more.

Mnchie Tavern, the social center of the community..the restaurant is called

the Ordinary, and is on the right wing of the building.

The chow line.... vegitables, baked or broiled chicken, biscuits or corn bread etc.

Lunch by candle light, very nice.

After lunch and answering many questions from bystanders about our cars, we were off for Appomattox. 

The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, one of the last battles of the American Civil War. It was the final engagement of Confederate Army general Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia before it surrendered to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.

Arrival at the National Park, senior pass in hand.  They parked all of the Morgan's

in a special place.

As we walked in the movie crew was just ending their shoot for the day

doing an episode of a Fox TV special

The Movie Crew mess.

Actor playing General Lee moving to another location,

An actor playing a southern sympathizer doctor gave us a lecture

of why slavery was a good idea. 

Lynchburg is our destination.  It was first settled in 1757, named for its founder John Lynch who at age 17 started a ferry service across the James river.  A city of seven hills, Thomas Jefferson called it the most interesting spot in the state.   In the 1850's it was considered one of the richest towns per capita in the U. S.  Lynchburg is the only major city in Virginia that was not captured by the Union before the end of the Civil War. 

We filled up the arrival lane at the hotel when we all pulled in together.

Even though we didn't drive that far today, it was an exhausting day with lots of sun and experiences.  Our Morgan Pub Crawl is living up to its expectations as a great outing with many avenues of interest.

Tomorrow, our last day of touring, we venture further west toward the Blue Ridge mountains.