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Ingleside Vineyards welcomes canine companions on its grounds. (Photo by Courtney Sisson)
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Pups are welcome to accompany you on the grounds of Mount Vernon. (Photo courtesy Mount Vernon)
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You’ll find presidential artifacts at the Port Royal Museum of American History. (Photo courtesy Port Royal Museum of American History)
I adore the dog days of summer! No, I’m not talking August scorchers, but the time of year when weekends mean civilizing with my fur baby at Fido-friendly museums, wineries and patios. Getaways that go beyond mere acceptance of my canine companion and provide delightful hospitality, commanding us to sit and stay.
This Chesapeake Bay/Northern Virginia Wine and Whiskey jaunt roams two vineyards and a distillery, with antiquing and eats in-between.
Take U.S. 301 north to avoid the stressful parking lot that’s peak season Interstate 95, and, unlike that concrete serpent, this route is primed for pit stops and play. You and pooch could go alone, but you’ll see, and do, more if you bring a partner who can hold the leash while you tour the “human-only” areas (health departments have pesky rules about mixing taverns and animals, as do historical residences).
Saturday begins in Ashland, with a stop at Taylor Dog Park (12471 Taylor Complex Lane) to introduce my boxer, Dodger, to agility equipment inside the fenced dog park. Dodger is shaky on the ramps, preferring the 5 kilometers of adjacent walking trails to the trickier sloped pallets. After burning off some energy, we take a break in Hanover for hand-cut fries and softshell crabs on the front porch of Liliana’s Italian Restaurant and Houndstooth Cafe (13271 Hanover Courthouse Road), at the intersection of Virginia Highway 54 and U.S. 301, where polite dogs are welcome.
Back on the road, we roll by Horne’s Restaurant and Gift Shop (25532 A.P. Hill Blvd.) in Port Royal. The diner is the last operating location of Bob Horne’s Midcentury, Southeast restaurant chain, known for its iconic pitched roof, red trim and neon accents. Behind the counter, shakes whir on 1960s milkshake machines.
Collectors of vintage Fire King and Pyrex should stop at the Port Royal Trading Post (25638 A.P. Hill Blvd.). The former car dealership houses more than 70 antique dealers. Purse-sized dogs are permitted inside. Nearby attractions are an extended fishing pier and the Port Royal Museum of American History (506 Main St., open Saturday only), which contains presidential relics.
Twenty-minutes further and we’re riding down the Chesapeake Bay Wine Trail, home to Ingleside Vineyards (5872 Leedstown Road, Colonial Beach, inglesidevineyards.com), one of the oldest wineries in Virginia. Dogs are allowed on Ingleside’s grounds and in the European courtyard.
I taste through eight wines inside while my friend walks Dodger, then select a crisp albarino for us to sip al fresco. Dodger cools his belly on the stonework by the fountain as we shop online for tickets to tomorrow’s outing via the winery’s free wifi.
From Ingleside, it’s a quick detour to Colonial Beach or Westmoreland State Park, but we opt instead to see Oakcrest Vineyard & Winery (8215 Oak Crest Drive, King George, oakcrestwinery.com), a few miles away.
Rhine-style whites and red Bordeaux blends dominate Oakcrest’s list, with cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc cuttings culled from Gabriele Rausse, Barboursville Winery’s original winemaker. A member of the Northern Neck Artisan Trail, Oakcrest stocks its gift shop with artisanal stained glass, decorative gourds and pottery. Dodger is welcome inside the tasting room while we sample a wine flight, and on the landscaped patio. Most of the winery experience is outdoors. Bringing both picnics and dogs is encouraged.
We end the day behind the wheel, eye surfing the scattered, time-worn businesses and roadside motels still dotting U.S. 301. A castle-shaped campground entrance glows creep-tastically kitschy as the sunlight fades over the Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge traversing the Potomac River into Maryland.
Pets are gratis at our hotel, the Westin Washington National Harbor (171 Waterfront St., Fort Washington), and so is the water view. Dodger dreams of chasing rabbits while we explore the waterfront, and Sauciety, its seafood-focused grill downstairs. Sunday, we wake refreshed for the 6-mile hop to Mount Vernon (3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, mountvernon.org).
George Washington, an avid dog lover, raised every group of dog registered by today’s American Kennel Club, including a hound named Sweetlips. We confirm our tickets for the All the President’s Pups Walking Tour (10 a.m. Saturdays, September-October) as Dodger paces by the door.
Dogs are allowed on Mount Vernon’s grounds, where you’ll find 12 outbuildings and upper and lower gardens. Water bowls stand filled by the entrances. Leashes — and poop scooping — are required for the hour-long traipse, where we learn of other favorite presidential pups, including a ham-stealing canine called Vulcan.
Afterwards, we take turns touring George Washington’s Distillery and purchase a bottle of George Washington’s Rye Whiskey, the only place you can buy the state spirit of the Virginia Commonwealth. Someday we’ll uncork it and toast to the day that left us begging for more.
