ISSUE THREE, April 14, 2011
In this Issue:
America's Largest Open House -- and Garden Month in the Historic Triangle
New Excitement at Busch Gardens Williamsburg & Water Country USA
Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle: Your Civil War Headquarters
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Garden-lovers will recognize the title of "America's Largest Open House" as synonymous with Annual Historic Garden Week in Virginia. Taking place this year from April 16-23, the event opens the garden gates of more than 250 historic landmarks, homes, public and private gardens throughout Virginia on various days for ticketed tours, which benefit historic restoration around the state. On Tuesday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., visitors can tour more than 10 Williamsburg properties -- from colonial to present-day in architectural and landscape design -- thanks to the efforts of the Williamsburg Garden Club. A full-day admission ticket to all homes and gardens on the tour are $30; single-site tickets are $10. For details on the Williamsburg homes and gardens on the April 19 tour, visit http://www.vagardenweek.org/schedule-williamsburg.php.
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Don't worry if April 19 doesn't fit into your travel plans. Mid-April through mid-May is Garden Month in the Historic Triangle, which boasts a wealth and diversity of gardens -- from historic to present-day pleasure gardens, culinary to medicinal, exotic to indigenous, floral to wooded species, and more. The settings are equally abundant, from Colonial Williamsburg and the College of William & Mary to Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center, the meticulous landscaping of Busch Gardens to the natural landscapes along the scenic Colonial Parkway, as well as city and county parks.
A central resource and online portal for information on all things garden-related is the Alliance's www.GardensinWilliamsburg.com. This new site features descriptions and links to the many places and things blooming throughout the Historic Triangle, including ongoing garden tours and programs, special events, bloom charts and suggested itineraries.
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The Alliance's new website, www.GardensinWilliamsburg.com, includes "Bulbs, Blooms & Blossoms Garden Tour," which features four days of suggested garden sites to explore. Visit the restored historic gardens of Colonial Williamsburg, and visit the College of William & Mary's Wren Building to pick up the self-guided Campus Tour of Woody Species. Take in the Williamsburg Botanical Garden in Freedom Park, which highlights native plantings and eco-friendly practices, and Busch Gardens, which has earned the title of "World's Most Beautiful Park" for 20 consecutive years.
Time well spent in Yorktown includes strolling Riverwalk Landing's various perennials and annuals flowering along the waterfront; the recreated 1780s farm gardens of Yorktown Victory Center; and the rich variety of plants within Yorktown Battlefield's forest, wetlands and open fields. A visit to Jamestown Settlement includes seeing and hearing about the herbs, vegetables and field crops grown in the 1600s and 1700s and cultivated in the recreated fort and Powhatan Indian village areas. Within an easy drive is the Virginia Living Museum, which features the largest displays of native plants in the state, spanning 400 years and a range of habitats through exhibit and landscape plantings and display gardens.
The "Bulbs, Blooms & Blossoms Garden Tour" is easy to download and print for an additional convenience: When printed out, it includes QR (Quick Response) codes for each of the garden sites on the itinerary. Using a Smartphone to scan the individual QR codes enables visitors to immediately access additional information and details while they are at the garden site itself!
Music, dance and more comes to Hampton Roads for
the 15th anniversary of the Virginia Arts Festival, which includes the
end-of-May Festival Williamsburg. An early start to the long weekend
begins on Thursday, May 26, as acclaimed pianist Andre-Michel Schub and women of
the Virginia Symphony perform chamber masterworks at the Williamsburg Winery.
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On Friday evening, May 27, the jazz legends Chuck Corea & Gary Burton, who have collaborated to produce some of the most influential music of this and the past century, team up for a jazz concert at the Virginia Room of the Williamsburg Lodge. Pack your dancing shoes for the night of Saturday, May 28 and relive the Big Band era as a high-voltage performance by modern-day swing orchestra Big Bad Voodoo Daddy takes over the Virginia Room.
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Lynda Carter graces that venue's stage for two cabaret performances on Sunday, May 29. While best known for her television career and role of "Wonder Woman," Carter has been singing professionally since age 14. Her albums, including "At Last," have been on Billboard's top ten lists, and she recently finished touring the U.S., playing venues that included New York's Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
The Virginia Arts Festival brings performers from around country and the globe to Hampton Roads throughout April and May. To name just a few: the Virginia International Tattoo rings out April 29-May 1 with 850 performers from seven nations;. the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs May 13-15; and the Tony-award winning play, "Amadeus," is performed May 20-22. A culminating performance by the 300-voice Mormon Tabernacle Choir is scheduled for June 20. For more information on this world-class performing arts festival, visit www.vafest.org or call 757.282.2822.
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Guests entering Busch Gardens' Oktoberfest area won't be able to miss the massive spire known as Mach Tower. Opening in late May, Mach Tower will be the tallest ride in the park, lifting up to 30 riders some 240 feet in the air. After rotating at the top of the tower and getting a few seconds to take in a glorious view clear to the James River, riders are dropped at breath-taking speed! State-of-the-art special effects including enhanced audio and other surprises elevate Mach Tower to new heights in ride design and engineering.
Don't forget to enjoy the newly rejuvenated Oktoberfest area, too. which includes new performance areas, shops, games and rmore. A new shop, called "Beste Brezen und Bier," serves traditional hand twisted pretzels along with pretzel-inspired creations like cinnamon-and-sugar pretzel nuggets and pretzel-wrapped hotdogs. Guests can peak through the windows as bakers hand roll and twist their creations. A foot-stomping, thigh-slapping, strolling :"oompah" band complements the culinary offerings and a new show takes advantage of a recently constructed Bavarian maypole.
Oktoberfest isn't the only area to boast something new. Italy's Il Teatro di San Marco comes to life as crazy chefs and waiters (actually amazing musicians!) compete to serve up a musical menu in the just-introduced "Mix It Up!" show. And there are wonderful new additions to the Busch Gardens' animal family at Highland Stables in the park's Scottish Village.
In the wee hours of April 5, the park welcomed a 150-pound foal into its Clydesdale family. The yet-unnamed colt is the first Clydesdale ever born at this or any other SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment park. He and his mother, Panola, are doing fine and can be seen in the pasture of the Highland Stables, which was redesigned last year to more reflect a working Scottish farm. The park's Clydesdales are black with a white blaze and feature other markings common to the breed of Scottish draft horses, who are gentle giants that are great with children and other animals, as well as adults. A pair of lambs born in mid-March expanded the stables' herd of Scottish Blackface Sheep. Guests can see these friendly and inquisitive sheep, the Clydesdales and the Border Collies at the Highland Stables. Behind-the-scenes tours are available to get up-close with these animals, and learn more about them and traditional Scotland farms.
Busch Gardens Williamsburg will be open every day beginning May 27 through Sept. 6. During April and May, it is open every Friday/Saturday/Sunday, plus daily during the week of April 17. For more information on hours, rides, shows and tours, visit www.bushgardens.com/va.
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Guests are in for the slide of their lives at Water Country USA's epic new drop slide, Vanish Point. Inspired by the point on a wave where water and gravity form a perfect partnership, The crest of this 75-foot tower challenges guests with two wave paths -- two wicked-wet ways to drop out of sight. They can step into a skybox and take the plunge when the floor drops out beneath their feet, or they can get horizontal on a 300-foot speed slide that drops them straight down as soon as they enter. Either way, it's pure liquid adrenaline. Water Country USA opens on May 21 for the weekend, and will be open daily from May 27 through Sept. 6. For complete information, visit www.watercountryusa.com.
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The Historic Triangle of Williamsburg-Yorktown-Jamestown, Virginia may be best-known for its Colonial history, but it was a pivotal part of the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, which was the largest combined land and water offensive of the Civil War. The month-long siege of Yorktown and subsequent Battle of Williamsburg helped delay the Union Army's advance and ensure the successful defense of Richmond and the Confederate government for three more years. The Alliance's newest publication introduces visitors to the Civil War sites, events and stories of the Historic Triangle -- and its close proximity to some of that long and tragic war's most famous historic sites and battlefields.
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"Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle: Your Civil War Headquarters" is a compact, six-fold brochure. One side is dedicated to the key role played by the Historic Triangle in the Peninsula Campaign of 1862 , including the April 4th -May 3rd Siege of Yorktown and May 5th Battle of Williamsburg. Contemporary and historical illustrations of sites guide visitors and lead them to envision the actions of the opposing armies surrounding those battles. The inclusion of little-known facts and stories -- such as the Confederate officer's wartime wedding here attended by Union Lt. George Custer as the best man; the earthen forts constructed on the site of the original 1607 Jamestown colony; the use of artillery shells as "landmines;" the orders by President Lincoln that spared the plantation home of deceased U.S. President John Tyler; and more -- provide insight into the impact that these battles and the subsequent Union occupation had on so many lives and places in the Historic Triangle.
The brochure's reverse side illustrates why the Historic Triangle is a perfect overnight staging area for touring famous sites and battlefields of the Civil War, which surrounded the Williamsburg area for four years. From the Hampton Roads Battle of the Ironclads in early March 1862 through the fight for and fall of Petersburg and Richmond in early April 1865, the sites of major battles, as well as everyday struggles, triumphs and defeats are all within easy driving distance of Williamsburg. Websites are provided for more details, such as the Alliance's www.CivilWarWilliamsburg.com and that of the Virginia Civil War Trails. A QR (Quick Response) code enables Smartphone users to have direct, one-click access to additional Civil War information, as well as area lodging, dining, and other services for their travel needs.
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All new Alliance publications now feature QR, or Quick Response, codes. These QR codes appear as black modules arranged within a square pattern on a white background. Smartphone owners can use their mobile devices to scan the QR images to quickly access websites, webpages or text specified by the data embedded in the various codes. (A compatible reader application is required but can be downloaded free if not already on the Smartphone.) The benefit of QR codes? They provide quick access to and display of more information and links to additional resources of interest.
Scanning QR codes included on the Alliance's "Bulbs, Blooms & Blossoms Garden Tour" printout, for example, connects Smartphone users to information about the garden area they are visiting, rather like an online sign or interpretive marker.
Scanning QR codes on the new Historic Triangle brochure and Williamsburg Vacation Planner connect Smartphone users to the Alliance's new mobile site, wmsbg.mobi. providing easy navigation to attractions, dining, lodging, maps, services, community and business events, plus coupons and seasonal offerings. Each listing includes one-click links to a map of the individual location, its website and automatic dialing to its telephone number.
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In addition to its new mobile site, the Alliance
also has created new specialty sites dedicated to specific subjects, such as
www.GardensinWilliamsburg.com,
www.CivilWarWilliamsburg.com,
as well as seasons, such as
www.ChristmasinWilliamsburg.com. These sites make it even easier for
visitors to find places, programs, events, activities, special offers and
information of related interest. For a year-round guide to the vacation
experiences offered by the Historic Triangle, visit
www.ExploreWilliamsburg.com,
and to get the latest information on what's happening in our area, sign up for
our monthly or weekly e-newsletter, Williamsburg Weekends.