Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mount Vernon is 16 miles south of DC off the Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy. By pub-
lic transportation, take the Metro to Huntington, then switch to Fairfax Connector bus
$55/20)
tours depart daily from DC's Union Station year-round.
Several companies offer seasonal boat trips from DC and Alexandria; the cheapest is
Potomac Riverboat Company
( 703-684-0580;
www.potomacriverboatco.com
; adult/child
incl Mt Vernon admission $40/20)
. A healthy alternative is to take a lovely bike ride along
the Potomac River from DC (18 miles from Roosevelt Island).
Manassas
On July 21, 1861, Union and Confederate soldiers clashed in the first major land battle of
the Civil War. Expecting a quick victory, DC residents flocked here to picnic and watch
the First Battle of Bull Run (known in the South as First Manassas). The surprise South-
ern victory erased any hopes of a quick end to the war. Union and Confederate soldiers
again met on the same ground for the larger Second Battle of Manassas in August 1862;
again the South was victorious. Today,
Manassas National Battlefield Park
is a curving
green hillscape, sectioned into fuzzy fields of tall grass and wildflowers by split-rail
wood fences. Start your tour at the
Henry Hill Visitor Center
(
703-361-1339;
8:30am-5pm)
to watch the orientation film and
www.nps.gov/mana
;
adult/child $3/free;
pick up park and trail maps.
www.vre.org
;
one way $9.10; Mon-Fri)
trains make the 50-minute journey between DC's
Union Station and the historic Old Town Manassas Railroad Station on 9451 West St;
from there it's a 6-mile taxi ride to the park. There are several restaurants and bars
around the Manassas train station, but the rest of the city is a mess of strip malls and sub-
urban sprawl.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg is a pretty town with a historical district that is almost a cliché of small-
town Americana. George Washington grew up here, and the Civil War exploded in the
streets and surrounding fields. Today the main street is a pleasant amble of bookstores,
gastropubs and cafes.
