A Getaway to Virginia’s Historic Triangle

Hello! I am back from a much-needed vacation and I’m back and ready to write. We snuck away for three days in Virginia’s Historic Triangle for a number of reasons—to visit friends, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of America’s great experiment in democracy, and to see some really cool places. Here’s what we did, where we stayed, and what I packed…

A/N: You can find my full guide to Colonial Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle here on Rec League for paid Rec League subscribers. This guide is also available for a one-off purchase price of $10. Paid Substack subscribers get a 50% discount—I will share that in the paid Substack chat :)

What we did: Yorktown and Colonial Williamsburg. I’ve been coming here ever since I can remember… yes, I had Felicity as an American Girl doll, how could you tell?1 More recently, in my twenties, I spent a lot of time visiting family and friends in Yorktown, but it’s been a number of years since I was there.

Day 1: We drove down from DC and stopped in Richmond to visit the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, which has an incredibly impressive collection. Most of our time was spent in the Egyptian, Roman, and Ancient Greek galleries. The outdoor sculpture garden was equally compelling despite the heat! and we grabbed lunch at the museum café (the barbecue was top-notch) and ate outdoors.

We stopped in Colonial Williamsburg on the was to check into the Hornsby House Inn in Yorktown, taking a brief stroll through the historic streets before visiting William & Mary. (It’s never too early for college tours!) (I jest. It’s too early.) We continued on the Colonial Parkway, one of my favorite drives in the world, to Yorktown.

I’ve been staying at the Hornsby House Inn for fifteen years, pretty much since they opened, and it is the most charming place to stay in the region. The inn is the original home of the Hornsby family (yes, like Bruce Hornsby), and it still feels like a gracious Virginian home instead of a bed and breakfast. I’ve stayed in every room in the house, and my favorite is the Monument Grand room, which has its own rooftop terrace with a beautiful view of the Yorktown Monument.

If I’m driving and going somewhere beautiful, I am morally obligated to take my vintage Colefax & Fowler duffel bag.

We also took modern and practical luggage, like this Away Everywhere bag. Of course I tag everything with these Maison de Sabre keychains—they hold AirTags so I always know where they are!

Turndown service with some favorite La Ligne pajamas!2 I always bring a nice matching set when I travel because it feels extra-special.

We tried the new-since-my-time sushi place in downtown Yorktown, which we all LOVED—the food is made right in front of you in the small restaurant. Highly recommend. Other old favorites for dinner are the Water Street Grille and the Yorktown Pub.

We had an early night after our long day! Let me tell you that as a traveling parent, the Yoto is a Godsend when you don’t want to read at night… and on road trips. We don’t do screen time (except one movie night/episode of Jeeves & Wooster every other week), so a Yoto is a great way to have the storytelling aspect when we’re not in a reading mood.

Day 2: As it was extremely H O T, we took an early morning walk on the Yorktown Battlefield after watching the sun rise (below) from our room at the Hornsby House Inn, of course with a cup of local coffee from Mobjack!

Hornsby House breakfasts are NOT TO BE MISSED. You can pick up a copy of Mrs. Bowditch’s cookbook, “From the Kitchen at Hornsby House,” at the inn. It’s one of the cookbooks I refer to most frequently.

In the heat of the day, we went to the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg and the new Archaeology Center that just opened a few months earlier. Both are well worth the visit—we spent three hours at the Art Museums and enjoyed seeing some of the earliest exhibits at the Archaeology Center across the street!

We drove back to Yorktown for lunch at Mobjack and took a late afternoon walk through the historic town.

We took a late afternoon walk on the battlefield, then drove across the bridge to Gloucester to visit friends at their lovely house for dinner and a “dessert cruise”!

A perfect sunset! I also highly recommend a sunset cruise on the Alliance.

Day 3: Time to head out! We slept in, packed up, and stopped by a friend’s house for breakfast before heading back by way of Tappahannock and Frederickburg. Next time we need to stop by Urbanna and take advantage of C'est Bien’s excellent recs! (Have you seen her incredible river house? Dying to rent it for a fall getaway…)

In case I haven’t mentioned it, it was super hot, so I leaned on a few tried-and-true favorites. (I also brought a few new outfits down to shoot for upcoming fall posts, so the background will be familiar!)

Travel day: Polo (similar) | Outerknown shorts* | Soludos espadrilles*3

Day 2: Organic Basics tee* | Ann Mashburn track shorts | Bensimon tennis shoes

Day 2 again!: Kule tee (similar) | With Nothing Underneath shorts* | Soludos espadrilles* | Freyrs sunglasses* | Abby Alley bag*4

Dinner outfit take 1: Molly Moorkamp caftan* (I changed when I realized we were going out on the water!)

Dinner outfit take 2: Kule tee (similar) | L’Agence jeans* | Bermuda bag (vintage, similar)

It was an absolutely special trip and a great way to explore some fascinating aspects of American history! I can’t wait until our next trip.

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