Virginia Vacation Help Needed - Budget idea?

[phamy76]

We're taking the kids to Virginia for a few days this summer.
Going to visit Luray Caverns, Natural Bridge, Monticello and Montpelier.

The hotels seem very inexpensive there, but the historical sites seem very expensive.

Anyone have any restaurant ideas? Budget friendly?
We're going to hit Richie Tavern. Sounds neat!

 

[Swimalie]

We went to Luray this past August and then decided to go in to town for lunch. Big mistake. The restaurants were either closed or not serving lunch (it was around 1pm). We ended up having to drive back to the caverns and eating there.

At Monticello, I highly recommend the cafe they have on site. They use some of the locally grown food and it is excellent. Well worth the price.

I haven't been to the other sites yet so I can't speak as for food there.

 

[Green Tea]

The Pink Cadillac while at Natural Bridge http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrid=31765

http://www.pinkcadillacdineronline.com/home.html

 

[arieltoo]

Couple suggestions:

in Orange, near Montpellier is a mexican restaurant, El Vaquero;
near Staunton, when you are in the valley, Mrs. Rowe's family restaurant;
Klines ice cream is quite yummy and there are some here and there in the valley--I think one is in/near Charlottesville;
check out restaurant.com for some great discounts in the larger cities;
might check to see if Charlottesville has an edition of the entertainment book, as our local one has discounts for some local sites (I think the books are about half price this time of year)
many of these sites are so pretty it might be a budget help to consider stopping at a market/grocery and purchasing picnic supplies

if you have kids, the drive thru zoo near Lexington is a fun couple of hours

Enjoy! PS if you have time, I will give a plug for my hometown Fredericksburg VA.

 

[wtpntigger2]

The Pink Cadillac while at Natural Bridge http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrid=31765

http://www.pinkcadillacdineronline.com/home.html

Oh, yes! The Pink Cadillac is good.

 

[laurafergie]

At Monticello, I highly recommend the cafe they have on site. They use some of the locally grown food and it is excellent. Well worth the price.

I agree with highly and I didn't think the prices were out of line.

Speaking of Monticello, it is great, you can easily spend most of a day there if you do everything.

Now on the other hand, I think Michie Tavern is over priced. The food is not that good, but I guess you're paying for the atmosphere.

While you're in the area, stop at Carter's Mountain Orchard. (You'll pass the entrance going to Monticello) They have stuff to eat, a really cute store and fresh fruit in season.

If you are in Charlottesville in a Saturday morning, The Charlottesville City Market (it's like a Farmer's Market) is awesome, look for the Mennonites selling their fresh baked goods.

In Waynesboro, Scottos Italian Restaurant has wonderful food and is VERY affordable and has huge portions.

In Staunton, The Depot Grille is a fun place, good food and won't break the bank. Also Kline's Dairy Bar & Hog Wild BBQ has THE BEST ICE CREAM ever!!!

Okay, that's all I can think of right now - I'll post most if they come to me. That part of Virginia is beautiful, have fun!