Father's Day Out

Sunday we traveled with friends to Charlottesville. Between us we have four children whose main objective was staying connected from one car to the other via DS Lite. Taking Route 20 from 3 West, through tiny towns and past beautiful farms, everything was green, lush and summery. I was pretty sure a responsible parent would confiscate the electronics and lecture on imagination and enjoying the scenery, but we were on a mission to actually enjoy Father’s Day.

First stop – the vineyards at Barboursville. The children enjoyed petting horses in the field nearby while we waited for the Tasting Room to open. The wine tasting follows a long wooden bar. A nearby table allowed the kids to play quietly out of reach but in sight. We tasted 16 wines. For $4/person, you get to keep your souvenir wineglass, and if you return on a later date with your wineglass the tasting is free.

Afterwards, we wandered around the vineyards, ending up at the historic ruins of Governor Barbour’s mansion. It was designed for Barbour by his friend, Thomas Jefferson, built in 1814, and burned down on Christmas Day in 1884. A wedding photographer was taking shots of a young couple kissing, classic dip your partner pose, framed by the ruins. You could easily take a weekend here. There’s a restaurant, lovely grounds for picnics, the 1804 Inn.

After lunch we visited Veritas Winery. The Veritas tasting room has fancier digs – leather sofas, the staff comes to your sofa to pour (how great is that!), or you can taste wine at the bar. There's a wrap around porch bedecked with rocking chairs. It was even more parent friendly. Window-lined from floor to ceiling, from our comfy sofa, wineglass in hand, we could watch the children as they played outside. Happy Father’s Day to us!

Veritas poured just over a dozen wines. They charged $5/person for the white wine tasting and $5 for the red, and every $5 tasting fee applied as a discount on a wine bottle. Toward afternoon’s end the Veritas staff began decorating for an evening wedding. Beautiful day, elegant setting for a wedding. Perhaps in 10 years or so, the happy couple can return on Father’s Day -- with their children.