Field Trips and Excursions Field Trips and Excursions
CHRISTMAS IN NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA
December 3-4, 2008 (Wednesday and Thursday)
Leave Surratt House: 6:00 a.m. (Dec. 3, 2008)
Return Surratt House: 8:00 p.m. (Dec. 4, 2008)
Price per person:
$360 Single
$310 Double
|
|
Price covers: transportation, 1 night in hotel, 1 breakfast, 1 dinner, 1 lunch, 5 museum visits, 1 planetarium holiday show, Celebration of Lights Tour
A deposit of $100 is due upon registration. Final payment due by November 3, 2008. No-refunds after November 3, 2008. |
On December 3, we will leave Surratt House bright and early (6:00 a.m.) and head to Newport News, Virginia. It is about a four-hour ride.
Our first tour of the day will be at Endview Plantation. Col. William Harwood, Jr., signer of the Virginia Resolves, built his home in 1769. The house has experienced the ordeal of three wars. The Revolutionary War brought 3000 militia to its fresh water spring, the War of 1812 saw it used as a training ground, while the Civil War found Endview serving as a Confederate Captain’s home and a hospital for both sides.
When we leave Endview, we will head to nearby Lee Hall Mansion. Built in 1859, it was home to affluent planter Richard Decauter Lee and his family. Confederate Generals Joseph E. Johnson and John B. Magruder used Lee Hall Mansion as headquarters during April and May of 1862. On display here are hundreds of artifacts, one being a tablecloth from the USS Monitor.
Next on our agenda is a visit to the Mariners’ Museum. We will be here from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. to allow time for lunch on your own in their café. Explore the museum on your own and don’t miss the USS Monitor Center. The Mariners’ Museum is one of the largest and most comprehensive maritime history museums in the world. Here you will see a diverse collection of maritime artifacts. In the USS Monitor Center, you will see and explore a full-sized replica of the Monitor which will enable you to imagine what the sailors felt when they served on the ship. On display is the actual gun turret from the Monitor, being conserved in a 90,000-gallon tank. A visit to the Monitor will be akin to a “you are there” experience.
When we leave the Mariners’ Museum, we head to our home for the night, The Hampton Inn and Suites (757-249-0001). There will be a little time to relax but don’t retire yet! We will leave the hotel to see the Celebration of Lights at Newport News Park. Here we will see a leaping reindeer, multi-colored snowflakes and more, after which we will enjoy a delicious meal at the Deer Run Restaurant located in the midst of all this glitter. Now you can rest for the night.
In the morning, we will have a hot breakfast at the hotel and head out to the Virginia Living Museum for a visit with red wolves, bald eagles and more. You will see a replica of a Cypress Swamp and an Appalachian mountain cove. This is an indoor-outdoor museum. Take your pick. While here, we will have an extra treat. We are going to see the Holiday Planetarium show in their planetarium building, of course.
Next we will head to shopping at Hilton Village. You have an hour here to spend money and time.
From the Village, we go to lunch at the famous Crab Shack. All their fod is homemade and with no preservatives—all delicious.
After lunch, we head to the Newsome Museum, our farthest point south. This 1899 home was the residence of the African-American attorney, J. Thomas Newsome and his family. His home served as the hub of the local Black community from which he led the fight for social justice within Virginia.
Now it will be time to say Goodbye to Virginia and head home. We will make a fast food stop (on your own) on the way back and arrive back at about 8:00 p.m.
with meal selections. Send the form with your check made payable to “Surratt Society” to:
Return to Surratt House Museum Homepage