The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (6 page)

 
Berkeley Plantation
. This James River plantation was the seat of one of the foremost U.S. power families. Benjamin Harrison, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born here, as was his son, William Henry Harrison, the ninth President. In addition, the first official Thanksgiving was held here in 1619. Today’s visitors see the 1,000-acre estate’s 1726 Georgian-style mansion and expansive grounds. Daily period tours except on major holidays.
Berkeley Plantation, 12602 Harrison Landing Rd., Charles City, 888-466-6018,
www.berkeleyplantation.com
, $11.

 
Montpelier
. This 2,650-acre estate in the Blue Ridge south of Orange was once the home of James and Dolley Madison. A 24-million-dollar renovation has restored the mansion to its 1809 appearance, when Madison returned from his term as the nation’s fourth President. Tours of the mansion are offered daily.
Montpelier, 11407 Constitution Hwy., Montpelier Station, 540-672-2728,
www.montpelier.org
, $16.

 
Mount Vernon
. Home to the first U.S. President, George Washington’s riverside estate in Northern Virginia near Alexandria offers mansion and garden tours, encounters with costumed interpreters, and interactive and museum exhibitions (including his famous dentures).
Mount Vernon, 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Hwy., Mount Vernon, 703-780-2000,
www.mountvernon.org
, $15.

The countryside around Charlottesville offers numerous attractions as well. Should you cycle or wander the trails of the Thomas Jefferson Parkway? Canoe the nearby James River? Go hiking in Shenandoah National Park, or catch the views from the park’s Skyline Drive on the spine of the Blue Ridge? Maybe visit nearby Ash Lawn–Highland, President James Monroe’s home?

Or should you head for one of the dozens of local wineries (www.monticellowinetrail.com)? At some wineries, including
Mountfair
(4875 Fox Mountain Rd., Mountfair, 434-823-7605,
www.mountfair.com
), tastings are free. At others, such as
Cardinal Point
(9423 Batesville Rd., Afton, 540-456-8400,
www.cardinalpointwinery.com
), if you purchase wine by the bottle, your tasting fee (often as little as $4 per person) is discounted or waived. Three top vineyards—
Keswick Vineyards
(1575 Keswick Winery Dr., Keswick, 888-244-3341 or 434-244-3341,
www.keswickvineyards.com
),
Jefferson Vineyards
(1353 Thomas Jefferson Pkwy., Charlottesville, 800-272-3042 or 434-977-3042,
www.jeffersonvineyards.com
), and
Kluge Estate & Vineyards
(100 Grand Cru Dr., Charlottesville, 434-977-3895,
www.klugeestate.com
)—have joined together to offer a seasonal wine passport. It costs $10 per person and provides complimentary tastings at each vineyard as well as special discounts (savings of $10); it is available for purchase at any of the participating vineyards.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau,
610 E. Main St., Charlottesville, VA 22902, 434-293-6789,
www.pursuecharlottesville.com
.

Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park,
540-999-3500,
www.nps.gov/shen
, $10–$15 per car.

celebrate american folk arts

NATIONWIDE

Well a simple kinda life never did me no harm

A raisin’ me a family and workin’ on a farm

My days are all filled with an easy country charm

Thank God I’m a country boy

—
SONGWRITER JOHN DENVER, “THANK GOD I’M A COUNTRY BOY” (1974)

7 |
In this age of hip-hop, conceptual art, and global economics, it’s fun—and maybe even essential—to nourish the music, storytelling, and art that seem thoroughly American in nature. Here are a few unique festivals where you can stomp your feet, play your fiddle, spin a few yarns, and enjoy the works of down-home, self-taught artists. In the process, you will help keep folk traditions from getting lost–and vacation in places where a dollar still buys more than a pack of gum.

Kentuck Festival, Alabama.
If you’ve got an affection for the soulful works of self-taught artists like the late Jimmie Lee Sudduth and Howard Finster, head to Northport, Alabama, for this annual arts festival held the third week of each October. Along with paintings and other works by contemporary and traditional folk artists, you’ll find crafts demonstrations, folk and gospel music, and of course, Southern food. A two-day pass costs $15; daily tickets are $10.

The festival is staged by the
Kentuck Museum
(503 Main Ave.), which showcases American craft artists. Stop in to see the Gallery Shop, artists-in-residence studios, and a new exhibition space.

For home-cooked meals, don’t miss
City Cafe
(408 Main Ave., 205-758-9171). Lodging here is mostly chains, all located in nearby Tuscaloosa. Tip: Beware of football weekends, when lodgings fill up fast and prices can skyrocket.

Kentuck Festival,
Kentucky Museum, 503 Main Ave., Northport, 205-758-1257,
www.kentuck.org/festival
;
Tuscaloosa Convention & Visitors Bureau
(including Northport), 800-538-8696,
www.tcvb.org
.

National Hollerin’ Contest, North Carolina.
Antique farm equipment, cars, and Carolina beach music are all part of the scene at the 40-plus-year-old National Hollerin’ Contest held in Spivey’s Corner, North Carolina. But the big attraction at this one-day event, held on the third Saturday of each June, is the hollerin’ contests, held in several categories: whistlin’, conch shell blowin’, junior hollerin’, teen hollerin’, lady’s callin’, and finishing with the grand National Hollerin’ Contest. Use ’em to call the kids, call your spouse, or call the critters—and keep this traditional 17th-century form of pre-cell communication alive. Admission is $5; to enter the contest, it’ll cost you $10. The town itself is not much more than a crossroads (pop. 450) a little more than an hour northeast of Fayetteville and south of Raleigh. The closest lodgings are in Dunn, where you’ll find a couple chain hotels, as well as the
Barrington House B&B
(800-719-1674,
www.barringtonhousenc.com
, rooms from $80) and the
Simply Divine B&B
(910-892 2296,
www.simplydivinebedandbreakfast.com
, rooms from $99).

National Hollerin’ Contest,
www.hollerincontest.com
;
Dunn Area Tourism Authority,
910-892-3282,
www.dunntourism.org
.

National Storytelling Festival, Tennessee.
Whether they’re the family tales from your granny or the ghost stories from Scout camping trips, everybody loves a good yarn delivered with drama and flair. “It’s something basic—in our bones,” says Jimmy Neil Smith, founder of the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Spoken stories can have even greater power than film because they allow you to fill in images from your own experience and imagination, he says.

That’s the idea behind the National Storytelling Festival, staged by the center and held over a weekend early each October. From its early days in the 1970s when 100 people pulled up chairs around a wagon, the festival has grown to a tradition drawing 10,000 people to events over three days under five circus-like tents, with dozens of performances—from family friendly to bawdy. Tickets for the full festival start at $160 per adult; one-day tickets are also available starting at $50 for Sunday only.

A MOVEABLE CELEBRATION

Since the 1930s, the
National Folk Festival
(www.nationalfolkfestival.com)—organized by the National Council for Traditional Arts (www.ncta.net)—has wandered the nation, showcasing the nation’s diverse cultural heritage via music, workshops, dance, and storytelling. The free three-day outdoor festival spends three years in each city before it moves on—often generating ongoing celebrations in its wake, including the
American Folk Festival
(207-992-2630,
www.americanfolkfestival.com
), held late each August in Bangor, Maine; and the
Richmond Folk Festival
(804-788-6466,
www.richmondfolkfestival.org
), held in Richmond, Virginia, in October. Beginning in 2011, the National Folk Festival will start a three-year run in Nashville, Tennessee (www.nashvillenff.org). Expect plenty of barbecue, country music, and multiethnic performances.

If October doesn’t fit your schedule, time your trip for special events and summer weekly performances by storytellers-in-residence, starting at $10 per ticket.

Once the stomping grounds of Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, and Andrew Johnson, Jonesborough is Tennessee’s oldest town. As you would expect, there is plenty of lodging available in historic inns and bed-and-breakfasts. Among those establishments recommended are the 1793
Hawley House B&B
(800-753-8869,
www.hawleyhouse.com
, rooms from $105) and the
AmericInn Lodge
(423-753-3100,
www.americinn.com
, rooms from $85), dating from the ripe old year of 2006.