Sunday, October 19, 2014

Hampton VA Hospitality

Hampton Hospitality
From Solomons MD, we hustled south with a couple long days to avoid the bay in windy weather and holed up in Chisman Creek for a few nights on the hook.  This gave us some time to catch up on chores without the distraction of WIFI before we visited Hampton VA for their Snow Bird Rendezvous.  This second annual event was a treat with special emphasis on good food, great seminars, and cruiser fun all at a bargain price. The town of Hampton hosts this event to show case their lovely downtown and waterfront. They pulled out the red carpet and made 80 or so cruisers heading south feel welcome with great food, prizes, and seminars. Our sessions included everything from essential electronics to the best frugal stops on the ICW and how to navigate the biggest trouble spots. Although we would not have stopped here but for this event, we have now become converted fans. 
Our Snow Bird program also included a trip to the National Maritime Museum in nearby Newport News which showcases the story of the Civil War battle of the ironsides – USS Merrimack/Virginia and USS Monitor. It seems only appropriate since this battle was fought in the waters of Hampton Roads at this strategic lower end of the Chesapeake Bay. The replicas of these historic armored battleships included crew cabins and the gun turrets plus artifacts from the Monitor archeology site.
The exhibit titled “Abandon Ship” was also interesting for those who live on the water – including the stories of ship wreck survivors and the best equipment and tools for improving the odds of surviving a disaster at sea.

From Hampton VA we will head south for warmer weather – wind permitting – with a stop next weekend in the outer banks.







































No comments:

Post a Comment