When we planned our anniversary weekend getaway, we looked for a place that would be close by so we wouldn’t have a long drive, but we also wanted to try someplace new. We found just the thing: the Tides Inn in Irvington, VA. It’s only a few hours from our house and, best of all, it’s on the water (Chesapeake Bay).
We stayed on the 3rd floor of the Garden House.
And since our main goal was to relax, we paid extra for a balcony room so that we could sit outside and enjoy the view.
Overall, we were pretty pleased with the accomodations. The room included a separate den area where we were able to sit and read or watch a movie.
And the bedroom had queen beds that were actually quite comfortable.
Both the sitting room and the bedroom had entrances to the balcony, which we utilized many times. The only problem we had was with Oscar. Since the hotel was pet-friendly, we were able to bring him along. He was definitely excited to be with us, but wasn’t so excited to sit with us on the balcony.
We gave him some time and let him get used to the idea and slowly, but surely
He never would go sit and look at the view, poor little guy. We sure enjoyed it though.
While we didn’t spend a ton of time playing outside (what can I say, the South is hot in the summer) we did walk around the grounds a bit. We enjoyed an appetizer from one of the outside restaurants,
before making our way to the marina.
There’s something about the water and boats that is just so relaxing.
One of these days, I’ll actually ride in one of them. But until then, I’ll just enjoy the occasional view.
And enjoy it is exactly what we did. We sat on the balcony and watched the boats on the water. Then we took naps in the luxurious bed and we even watched a movie after eating a fantastic dinner in town.
Sunday morning, we sat outside and indulged in a tasty room-service breakfast before getting ready for the day. When we finally left, we were rested and relaxed, which was exactly what we wanted.
We drove country roads on our way back so we could see more of the area. The drive was full of corn fields, deer, and lots of farm land. And since we were close by, we had to make a stop at the Westmoreland Berry Farm.
We’ve visited before there, but it’s been a long time. I had forgotten just how pretty it is.
It is a berry farm which allows you to pick your own produce. But since it was at least 90 degrees and we weren’t dressed for manual labor, we settled on buying produce that someone else had picked.
Personally, I didn’t mind.
Before we left, we visited the goats in their nearby pen. Granted, they don’t do much other than graze on grass, but you can pay a quarter for a handful of feed to give them.
And sometimes, if they’re feeling adventurous, they’ll use the goat walk.
At the end of the goat walk is another feeder where you can use a pulley system to give them more feed.
They seem to really like it, but what goat wouldn’t?
After eating lunch and picking up some fruit, we hit the road once again.
A few short hours later we were home. Tired, hot, but happy.
It was the perfect anniversary weekend getaway.
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