Fulton Steamboat Inn- Lancaster Pennsylvania

Sometimes we visit a city, and we find a nice hotel to stay at.  We are impressed, we like it.  Still, the next time we are in town, we will likely stay somewhere else, just to experience something different.

Let me tell you why we will be staying at the Fulton Steamboat Inn AGAIN next time we go through Lancaster.

First off, the place is a riverboat inn- on land!  It reminded me of the Titanic in Gatlinburg...  You kind of see it at a distance at first, and it seems out of place... AND AMAZING!

So yes, it is a novelty kind of hotel, but it is beautiful.  AND they play up the whole steamboat thing.  I noticed a lifeboat, smoke stacks, and touches in our rooms and lobby that truly made you feel like you were on a boat!

I mentioned before in other posts that Lancaster is a vibrant, happening city, but it is on the edge of farmland country.  The Fulton Steamboat Inn is exactly in the middle.  We were a five minute drive from a couple of malls, and at short drive from Amish businesses!


A large duck pond, stocked with koi, is on the property.  We walked to one of the gazebos and watched the ducks as we wrote postcards to our friends in Kentucky.  It was very relaxing.

Oh, speaking of postcards!  I think I have mentioned before, we always send out a bunch of postcards while we are on the road.  I forgot to get postcards stamps before leaving, so I asked at the front if they sold stamps.  The very kind front desk girl kind of looked at me in a curious way.  She then explained to me that if we used the attractive postcards of the Steamboat Inn (they were FREE!) they would actually mail them out, stamped!

Think about that for a moment.  The Fulton Steamboat Inn has free postcards of the Steamboat Inn AND they put stamps on them for you and mail them out!  If you are like us, that's a pretty big value!  Other hotels should take note!

The hotel also offers some things that I loved, as someone who does not travel with children.  The top floor is available to adults only.  The pool is also open to only adults from 10 until midnight.  I did notice that some benefits are offered to kids here to balance things out, but I didn't pay attention to that.

Oh, I wanted to mentioned that we loved the bar here too!  We aren't exactly bar people, but this cozy spot, with all sorts of nautical décor just felt right.  The food was tasty and the bar tender running the show was a lot of fun.

We will be back to Lancaster's Fulton Steamboat Inn!

Mean Cup Coffee- Lancaster Pennsylvania

I mentioned before that Lancaster PA is simply a great town.  Well, all great towns need a great coffee shop.  Mean Cup Coffee is Lancaster's perfect coffee place.

We found this place to be flawless.  It is roomy, with plenty of places to have a seat.  The staff and the locals were friendly and jovial.  Plus, there are GIANT monster paintings hung on the walls!  You can't beat that!

ALSO, they are walking distance from the local minor league ball park!  PLEASE don't tell me there are affordable apartments near by!  I have fantasized about a coffee shop like Mean Cup, located next to a ballpark!

AND, as I mentioned before, Lancaster is a nice city, with malls, a great downtown area, history, restaurants, etc., etc.  JUST on the outside area of town, however, there are large farms, green fields, and authentic country living.  You truly get the very best of both worlds here.

Back to Mean Cup Coffee.  We loved our coffee and pastries we picked up here.  The staff could not be friendlier (I picked up a couple bags of beans to go, and they drew a cartoon on my bag!) and the whole place just felt warm.

We couldn't leave without picking up a logo shirt and coffee mug (both reasonably priced, like their coffee).  Mean Cup Coffee is welcoming and casual.  I look forward to more visits to Lancaster and more coffee from Mean Cup.  They get my highest possible recommendation.

Old photo at Keeneland- Lexington Kentucky

I know Keeneland just started up again a few days ago......

This photo, found with others, simply notes on the back that it is Keeneland 1972.

James Buchanan's Wheatland in Lancaster Pennsylvania

James Buchanan's former home, Wheatland, was the third of five President's houses we would visit on this road trip.

We arrived at the Lancaster Historical Society around 10.  The kind staff there immediately sold us a ticket for a tour about to start.

I wasn't exactly sure how this house tour would work, as I heard that you had to get your tickets at the visitor center, and then go to the house.  I was thinking that Wheatland was several blocks away.  It is literally right next door!  DOH!

Our guide was informative and animated.  She talked a lot about the norms and etiquette of the time.  She talked about how young girls at social evens might send signals to the boys using their fans!

This was a very Civil War directed trip, and the Civil War was brought up a lot at this visit.

We were told that the Confederates had eyes on getting to the former President at Wheatland, and Union officers were stationed here.

AND, a very strange Civil War AND Kentucky connection occurs through Buchanan!  His Vice President, John C. Breckinridge would become the Confederate Secretary of War!

This was a great home tour, in a great town, and I hope we make it back soon!

Lancaster Pennsylvania

Here are just a few VERY random photos from Lancaster PA.  I will have more to say about this interesting area later, but we LOVED this place!

They have a hoppin' downtown area, with lots to see and do.  However, just a short drive out and you are passing Amish buggies!

We did drive over to the neighboring town of Intercourse too, which was a great area.

Chincoteague Ponies and Assateague Island, Virginia

Chincoteague Island is one of those places that has been high on our list for some time.  I found out, after much confusion, that the Chincoteague Ponies are actually on nearby Assateague Island.

We drove to the area and spent time exploring.  I honestly am not sure exactly where we were at times.  I know we crossed a lot of water at various points.  As we drove near the lighthouse, we did see the legendary wild ponies  in the distance.  Even though they appeared small and far away, this was very exciting.

We found several nice little shops.  We all agreed that this area felt more like New England than the Virginia we knew.

After exploring on our own, we did do a cruise with the Daisey's Island Cruises.  We were happy about this choice.

The guys at Daisey's told us about the ponies, how they are tracked, managed, and provided for.  Though they are technically wild, the Chincoteague ponies are monitored closely.  In a lot of ways, the ponies kind of live the life.


Check out my photos!

Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Virginia

As we left the Charlottesville and Richmond Virginia areas, we made our way to Chincoteague Island.  I made sure that we travelled over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.  I wanted to do this just so I could say that I drove under water!

This was a fascinating and fun part of our trip- here are some photos!

Leonardo's Pizza in Glen Allen Virginia

I MUST give a very sincere and appreciative thanks to an amazing pizza place we stumbled on to near Richmond Virginia.

Leonardo's Pizza in Glen Allen is perfect.  We came here from a recommendation that a local gave us, and we fell in love!

I got a bowl of leek soup that was overflowing.  It was hot and so good. 

We each had individual pizzas that we loved.  I know a lot of the pizza chains have a flavor.  I think there is a flavor that only good, independent chains ever get right- and Leonardo's nailed it.

After our meal, we did order ice cream.  A generous portion came out, smothered in whipped cream.  Our waitress told us that they use a popular local brand (I forget the specific name) that uses free range cows and all.

On their web site, Leonardo's states that they make world class food from the freshest ingredients.  I can vouch for that.  You can tell when a place uses quality stuff in their food, and Leonardo's absolutely does.

If I lived in Glen Allen Virginia, I would be at Leonardo's all the time!  They get my highest possible recommendation!

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello near Charlottesville, Virginia

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello is one of those places you have to visit in a lifetime.  As I mentioned earlier, we visited Monticello right after visiting James Monroe's Ash Lawn-Highland.  It is always exciting visiting a President's home, but make no mistake, Ash Lawn-Highland was a minor opening act for Thomas Jefferson's rockstar home.

A friend of mine who used to live in Charlottesville Virginia described Monticello as the "Disneyland of President's Homes."  That sounds accurate to me.  There is a lot to see and do here.

We arrived after our visit to James Monroe's home, and we ended up spending the rest of the day at Monticello.  We could have spent more time here easily.

A $25 ticket actually covers a lot.  There is much to do at the main visitor center area.  You can see a film about Jefferson.  There is a great café on site, where food is made utilizing vegetables grown at Monticello.  AND there is a huge gift shop.

From this main visitor center, you can catch a bus for a short drive up hill to the actual home.  A hiking path is also available for those people wanting to walk.

Your ticket does have a time on it.  That is the time that you need to be at the home for your guided tour.  As you get in line for your tour, you are politely briefed by the staff about the home.  When we were there, a house tour went in every five minutes!  We heard that about 400,000 visitors come by yearly!

The Jefferson designed home is amazing.  Like at Ash Lawn-Highland, photos are not allowed inside, but they are fine just about everywhere else.  I personally get excited when I see the libraries, books, furniture and other relics used by historic figures.  The first room at Monticello had trophies from the Lewis and Clark Expedition!

After the house tour, you are free to explore the gardens and other buildings at Monticello.  It is an amazing place.  AND, you can take additional tours for free!  There is one you can take on the gardens, and one on slavery at Monticello.

After the tour, you can take the bus back to the visitor center, or walk.  On the way down, you can see the grave of Thomas Jefferson and his family members.  He is buried on site at Monticello!

Before we left, we did drop some coin at the huge gift shop.  Here, you could buy collectible coins, books, postcards and MANY other items.  We HAD to buy some seeds that came from the gardens at Monticello!

The Thomas Jefferson site is dealing with the controversy relating to Jefferson's relationship with his slave, Sally Hemings.  The relationship was acknowledged in the film shown at the visitor center.  This is a fascinating part of Jefferson's life that is getting a LOT of deserved attention.  As a side note, I did read on findagrave that Sally Hemings was buried at a site that is now a Hampton Inn parking lot.

Original Law Office of James Monroe, Fredericksburg, Va.

While I am mentioning James Monroe, here is an old postcard I found relating to him!

"Original Law Office of James Monroe, Fifth President of the USA, Fredericksburg, VA."

Ash Lawn-Highland- Home of James Monroe, Charlottesville, Virginia

James Monroe, President number 5, spent over 20 years living at Ash Lawn-Highland (called only Highland when he owned it).  He sold it later in life due to personal debt.

The College of William and Mary owns the home now, and they open it for tours.

The actual home where Monroe lived is a pretty humble structure, for a President.  More was built on to it later (in the photo, the white part of the structure was he, the yellow part was added on later).

We had a nice, short tour from one of the guides, and then we were allowed to explore the grounds on our own.

James Monroe's friend Thomas Jefferson lived close by at Monticello.  Ash Lawn-Highland's closeness to Monticello is a bit of a blessing and a curse.

The home does benefit from the many visitors who visit the more popular Monticello, and also take the time to stop by and see James Monroe's former home.  I would say that many visitors (like us) spend a couple of hours at the Monroe site, and then spend the rest of a day or weekend at the Jefferson home.

However, I could see many people coming to see both, but then deciding to dedicate all of their time to the more grand Monticello.  In fact, one friend I have from the area suggested that we might want to devote all of our time in this area to Monticello only.  Also, we kind of felt that one guide at Ash Lawn-Highland made a half hearted argument that Monroe and his home were just as significant as the Thomas Jefferson site.  We admired her efforts, but the argument came across as almost apologetic.


There is a great opportunity here though to see two great President's homes in one visit.  We noticed others from our tour at James Monroe's home later at Monticello.