Out and About in Historic Abingdon, Virginia

After getting unpacked at Black Fort's Inn

B & B (see previous blog post), Judy and I

set out to see the town. Over our two day stay

we got very familiar with this historic place.

We started with a visit to the town welcome

center, where I got maps and information.

This little side street has a perpetual stream

running across it, with pedestrian bridge.

Abingdon is home to the Barter Theater,

State Theater of Virginia.

Just across the street is their second venue,

Barter Stage II, which offers up-close drama

in an intimate setting with stadium seating.

Not a bad seat in the house.

On the second day of our trip we opted to

go to a 10 a.m. matinee of "Little House on

the Prairie" in its opening performance.

The cast mingled with the audience, largely

school groups, both before and after the show

  Judy and I loved the creative production.

A 20 square block area of downtown

Abingdon is designated as the historic

district.  Virtually every old house and

building has its own story.

In front of the famed Martha Washington

Hotel, someone had erected this giant

LOVE sign.  It set a nice tone for this

welcoming town.

We were delighted to find the town's 

Farmer's Market open on the day we arrived.

What a wonderful site they have for their

local farmers to exhibit their wares.

Let's make a note of those times for

future travels here.

Since our breakfasts were included at

the B & B, dinner was our meal out.  And

we had two delicious meals at local restaurants.

The Wildflour Bakery was more than just a

bakery-- we went back for a great supper

We always like to check out local libraries.

This one was well-stocked and was open

till 8:30 at night.  Very user friendly.

I couldn't resist this cemetery that dates back

more than two centuries-- in fact, all the way

to the Revolutionary War in 1776!

The Cummings House is the restored home

of the very first minister of the Sinking Springs

Presbyterian Church.

I love the unexpected and imaginative settings

of many graves in old cemeteries.

This monument honors unknown 

Confederate soldiers buried here.

This is my kind of cemetery-- not that

I'm in any hurry, of course.

Our other fine dinner out was at 128 Pecan,

on Pecan Street, of course.  At both of these

fine restaurants, regular customers entering

at the same time as us assured us how pleased

we would be with our meals.  How right they

were.  Some of these folks were local, but

others were frequent visitors from out of town.

Besides the eateries I've mentioned, there

are other notable places of fine dining in

Abingdon.  Maybe we'll try them in the future.

Before returning home, we would take

advantage of the comparatively low gas

prices in Virginia.  We saw similar prices

in Tennessee, and closer to home, filled up

in Sanford for a mere $3.19 a gallon.

Now the prices in Southern Pines,

Pinehurst and Aberdeen were another

story, but I shouldn't need gas soon.

My next two blogs will wrap up the trip

by highlighting the outdoor opportunities

of the Virginia Creeper Bike Trail and

Backbone Rock Recreation Area.

Our Abingdon Adventure begins at Black's Fort Inn B & B

Our latest travel adventure took us to the quiet

historic town of Abingdon, Virginia.  It was the

first incorporated town west of the Blue Ridge

in the United States.  Our home away from home

was Black's Fort Inn Bed & Breakfast, where we

were made right at home.

Jimmy and Cindy Patterson were our gracious

innkeepers and did every little thing to make

our stay comfortable and memorable.

Here's our B&B from the road view.

Here is the one acre pond out back, home

to countless waterfowl.

Here are two of Cindy's precious Gypsy

Vanner horses.  More about them a little later.

Chickens were among the Patterson's

other domestic "family."

Judy and I enjoyed quiet mornings on the

patio outside our room.

Each morning at breakfast we headed upstairs.

When I saw the piano, I offered to play while

Cindy made final preparations.  She enjoyed

"My Blue Ridge Mountain Home" and "Take

Me Home, Country Roads."

One of the views from the upstairs balcony.

The breakfasts couldn't have matched my 

tastes better if Cindy had asked me to order it.

Imagine such delights as country ham, special egg

 creations, bacon, pancakes with banana-walnut

sauce, apple-cinnamon danishes, and more.

And it was all you could eat!

The syrup caught my eye because Whitetop

Station is the highest point on the Virginia

Creeper Bike Trail, which was our main

reason for this trip.

Our "room," called the Waterfall Room,

was actually several rooms-- half of the 

downstairs of this large home (built by

Cindy's grandfather!).  Here's the front

room, adjacent to the patio.

This hallway with bookshelf and writing

table accesses the bathroom, kitchen, and

master bedroom.

Cindy's creative fingerprint is everywhere.

As she says, details are everything.

The country kitchen was a dream.

Here's our spacious master bedroom.  Both

bedrooms had television and couches.

We slept very well indeed.  Like royalty!

Here's a glimpse of the waterfall (right end

of the pond) which gave our room its name.

You don't have to be on the premises two

minutes to learn of Cindy's great love (besides

Jimmy).  It's the wonderful Gypsy Vanner

horses that she breeds and nurtures.  On her

website you can learn the fascinating journey

with these gentle, intelligent creatures, a journey

that is still going on.

http://www.gypsyfortunefarm.com/

I asked Cindy to write the names of her

four horses for me to share with my readers.

She provide names and nicknames:

"Queenie":  Royale Queen of Heart (from the upside down white heart she bears on her left side in the black spot, and for her sweet, kindhearted nature)

"Royale":    Her Royale Highness

"Blue":       Out of the Blue

"Princess":  All the Queen's Silver Princess

 Peppy (their blind dog) says,

"What about me?"  He's as gentle and

sweet as the horses.

The morning of our departure we got a real

treat.  Cindy took us out to get to know her

"children" personally.

Cindy has an amazing gift with horses. On

her signal the children will "smile" or give

her a kiss.

Judy gets to know Fred, the gray

and white, and Puddin', the orange

and white.  Loretta, their white cat

didn't make it for the picture.

Here, all four horses graze tranquilly

in their Garden of Eden.

In truth, Jimmy and Cindy have a little 

paradise here.

And for 48 hours, Judy and I were blessed

to claim part of it as our own.

Our Waterfall

You can learn all about this wonderful place at

http://blacksfortinn.com/

I will have three more blogs following this one

in which I'll take you on a tour of historic

Abingdon, The Virginia Creeper Bike Trail,

and the unique Backbone Rock.

Stay Tuned!