Fodor's Virginia and Maryland [Lingua Inglese] - Brossura

Fodor's

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0679006206 ISBN 13: 9780679006206

Casa editrice: Fodor's Travel Publications Inc.,U.S., 2001

Riassunto

"Fodor's guides cover culture authoritatively and rarely miss a sight or museum." - National Geographic Traveler "The king of guidebooks." - Newsweek No matter what your budget or whether it's your first trip or fifteenth, Fodor's Gold Guides get you where you want to go. Insider info that's totally up to date. Every year our local experts give you the inside track, showing you all the things to see and do -- from must-see sights to off-the-beaten-path adventures, from shopping to outdoor fun. Hundreds of hotel and restaurant choices in all price ranges -- from budget-friendly B&Bs to luxury hotels, from casual eateries to the hottest new restaurants, complete with thorough reviews showing what makes each place special. Smart Travel Tips A to Z section helps you take care of the nitty gritty with essential local contacts and great advice -- from how to take your mountain bike with you to what to do in an emergency. Full-size, foldout map keeps you on course.

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Destination: Virginia Maryland

The planter and the waterman are two curious human species -- one long extinct, the other now endangered. Standing side by side, they evoke the histories and express the personalities of the bordering states of Virginia and Maryland, respectively.

The Virginia planter was very much connected to the land, at least to his own plantation. Many plantations in various stages of restoration, some of them still going concerns, can be toured today throughout the northern, eastern, and central parts of the state -- Washington's august Mount Vernon, Jefferson's ingenious Monticello, and others less well known but also memorable. The heirloom silver in their grand dining rooms and the dirt floors of their slave quarters are eloquent evocations of antebellum Virginia.

Maryland teeters between the cultures of North and South; it has been called the northernmost southern state and the southernmost northern state, with the efficiency of the North and the graciousness of the South. Virginia, by contrast, is quintessentially southern. It is tempting to draw further distinctions: Virginians are gracious, Marylanders fractious; Virginians are tragic, Marylanders sassy; Virginians are stalwart, Marylanders mercurial. There is plenty of evidence to disprove all such generalizations. Nevertheless, such comparisons help us to understand both states. Virginia and Maryland are best visited in tandem.

American History

As two of our nation's original Colonies, Virginia and Maryland offer a treasure trove of historical attractions, from entire re-created Colonial towns to Civil War battlefields to remnants of routes that the early pioneers followed on their westward treks. You can explore Colonial beginnings in Virginia's Williamsburg or Maryland's Historic St. Mary's City; amble through neighborhoods that look virtually unchanged from the 18th and 19th centuries in Richmond, Fredericksburg, Baltimore, and Frederick; stroll tiny Eastern Shore harbors where the waterman's way of life is now supplemented by pleasure tours on old fishing boats; or stand on the battlefields of Yorktown, Antietam, or Manassas, where Americans gave their lives for their country. At Mount Vernon and Monticello you can step into the homes -- and the minds -- of two of the country's most important former presidents; in Maryland, you can follow the region's former trade route by walking a portion of the historic C?O Canal, now a national park.

Biking and Hiking

The three regions of Maryland and Virginia -- coastal plain (or Tidewater), Piedmont, and mountains -- present cyclists and hikers with an abundance of choices. National and regional trails such as the famed Appalachian Trail cross both states. In Virginia, the 500-mi section of the Trans-America Bicycle Trail extends from Breaks Interstate Park at the western fringe of the state to Yorktown on the coast; in addition, a 280-mi segment of the Maine-Richmond and Richmond-Florida coastal tracks crosses the state. In Maryland, trails, canal towpaths, and even old railroad routes are popular biking and hiking routes.

National Parks and Forests

From the mountains to the seashore, Virginia and Maryland are home to many scenic and historical national parks. In Virginia's Shenandoah Mountains lies the lovely Skyline Drive, a popular 105-mi route that winds through Shenandoah National Park. In Maryland's smaller Catoctin Mountains sits Catoctin Mountain Park, home of Camp David, the presidential retreat. Virginia's massive George Washington National Forest is easily accessible from Washington, D.C. Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, southeast of Annapolis, is one of the East Coast's premier spots for viewing migratory waterfowl, bald eagles, and ospreys. The Potomac River, the waterway that divides Maryland and Virginia, is the route of the 185-mi linear park, the C?O Canal National Historical Park, popular with hikers and bicyclists.

Seafood

The Chesapeake Bay, the estuary that separates mainland Maryland and Virginia from their respective Eastern Shores, provides a cornucopia of seafood. Steamed hard-shell crabs cracked with a mallet on paper-covered tables, to the accompaniment of plenty of beer, are as traditional as crab cakes seasoned with Old Bay spices or garlic. Cream-of-crab soup, Maryland crab soup, crab balls, crab dip, and crab imperial are just a few of the other odes to this six-leg creature. Also on the menu, in season, are bluefish, rockfish, oysters, and mussels.

Wineries

The rolling landscape of the Piedmont plateau, which stretches from central Virginia through central Maryland, is dotted with small, family-owned wineries that offer tours and tastings. Both states celebrate autumn with wine festivals in which guests -- with paid admission -- receive a wine glass to sample wines.

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Su questa edizione

• Editore: Fodor's Travel Publications Inc.,U.S.
• Data di pubblicazione: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0679006206
• ISBN 13: 9780679006206
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero edizione: 6
• Numero di pagine: 324