Best Places in us to Visit at Thanksgiving
The essence of thanksgiving is feasting and celebrating the harvest, but it is also about our country's history, and what was life immediately after the Pilgrims got off of the Mayflower in this new and as yet, undiscovered country. It seems only fitting that some of the best places in the United States to visit over the Thanksgiving holiday would be some places that are steeped in history.Here is a look at some very interesting places to visit at Thanksgiving.*Plimoth Plantationat Plymouth Massachusetts.Edward Winslowwrote a letter in which he described much of what took place during the three day "Harvest Celebration" that the Pilgrims hosted for themselves and the Wampanoag in 1621.The plantation is a museum that allows visitors to get a personal account of what life was like for the English colonists and the Wampanoag people. The plantation is a recreation of the 17th century life, and painstaking attention was paid to every detail of life, whether it be the dialect of the time, the costumes, the buildings, the artifacts, and even a demonstration of how a 17th century ship would have been constructed .It is also possible to experiencepilgrim foodat various places on the plantation. The plantation has planned some specialThanksgiving dining programs, and these afford visitors a chance to eat in the style of the pilgrims and to experience the food and cooking practices in the manner they might have been cooked in the 17th century.*Mount Vernon-Mountain Vernon was George Washington's estate home, along with a farm and gardens. It is open 365 days of the year and has been dubbed the most popular historic estate in America. Mount Vernon is located 8 miles south of Old Town Alexandria in Virginia and 16 miles south of Washington D.C.Visitors can tour the mansion and out buildings, including the greenhouse, the kitchen, slave quarters and the stables. There is a 4 acre working Pioneer Farmer site farm that even includes a recreation of Washington's 16 sided treading barn. There is enough to do at Mount Vernon to fill an entire day.Visitors can stop at the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant to have a fabulous dinner. Appetizers include Peanut and Chestnut soup (which is made with fresh peanuts and water chestnuts,) or Colonial Hoe Cake (so called because the slaves who cooked it did so in the fields on break from their work, and they had nothing to cook it on, so they used an ordinary garden hoe.) The hoe cake is like a cake like version of corn bread that is topped with Smithfield ham and sauteed crab meat.Entrees include Roast Duck which is served with George Washington's favorite apricot sauce, or a Roast Turkey dinner that consists of sliced turkey breast, peanut and cornbread stuffing and cranberry sauce. Other possible entrees include seafood, fish, steak, chicken and a Venison mixed grill (which consists of a venison medallion, venison sausage and a braised short rib with a peppercorn sauce.*Monticello -Monticello is located in Charlottesville Virginia right near the University of Virginia campus. It was Thomas Jefferson's home. Between November and February, the house and grounds are open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. every day except for Christmas day. Scheduled tours are not available after September or October, but visitors can still tour the house and grounds independently. There is a cafe, but it is just a regular cafe with typical lunch items. There is a lot to see at Monticello, especially in the gardens, but there are no guided tours that are available after the end of summer.These are important places in our country's history. They are all associated with important colonists, two of whom ultimately went on to become our nation's presidents. For a different spin on Thanksgiving, or a Thanksgiving that will be packed with some great opportunities to learn about our nation's history, these are three great places to visit over the Thanksgiving weekend holiday.
