Not ready to go abroad just yet? Not a problem. Whether you're craving small town Americana or big city culture, we've put together two very different ways to scratch your travel itch without crossing a border. So pack up: we're off to tranquil Chesapeake Bay and the beating heart of Manhattan.
The Tides Inn - Virginia
To visit Irvington, Virginia is to almost travel back in time. Back to an era when our grandparents took holidays that could easily be described as "wholesome," and kids spent afternoons fishing in the pond before chasing fireflies at dusk.
This is the kind of holiday still possible at The Tides Inn, a historic hotel resting between the creek and the sea just outside of Irvington. It was opened in 1947 by businessman E.A Stephens (known as "Big Steve") and his wife "Miss Anne," and was intended as "the finest thing that could be developed and still keep the rural atmosphere." More than seven decades later, it's clear they succeeded.
No matter their age, every guest of The Tides Inn will have an abundance of daily activities to choose from. Tap into your artistic side with watercolor or pottery classes taught by the resort's artists-in-residence; fish for bass in the pond, or get out on the water with sailing lessons; golf the 18 holes at Golden Eagle Golf Course; creek kayak with The Tides Inn ecologist; become a bivalve expert with the Oyster Academy; or much, much more.
Midway through these adventures, you'll want to stop for lunch at the Fish Hawk Oyster Bar, where dishes like shrimp ceviche, fried oysters and fried pickles with buttermilk dip are served up daily. For dinner, there's the Chesapeake Restaurant & Terrace, where you'll dine on east coast favorites before retiring to the beach for s'mores over a campfire - does it get any more wholesome than that?
