"Exploring Historic Fredericksburg, VA"

On Tuesday, September 1, 2015, I went on an exploration trip of Fredericksburg, VA. The first stop was the A. Smith Distillery. Erin, the knowledgeable tour guide of only 23 years did an excellent job at giving us the history of how the family-owned distillery came to be, the different types of spirits they produce, the aging process, how the barrels are stored (right side up instead of sideways), the difference between whiskey, scotch and bourbon, etc.

At the end of the hour long tour, we were informed of the liquor laws in Virginia (way too strict for me) and then we were offered the chance to try 4 different types of spirits. We selected Bowman Brothers, John J. Bowman, Abraham Bowman and Mary Bowman (this was my favorite). If we didn't like the taste we couldn't give it to someone else, it had to be dumped.

Overall, it was a very informative tour and I can't wait to try the bottle of Mary Hite Bowman (a caramel creme liqueur) I bought. I want to try it in my coffee, on ice cream, on the rocks...yummy! For more information, you can visit http://www.asmithbowman.com/

Here are some photos from the tour.

After the distillery tour, it was off to another adventure. This time it was the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania Military National Park. This was where the civil war climaxed into a bloody mess. There was a lot of looting and death.

After viewing the 20 minute documentary, I was ready to see some sights. We walked the short trail around the visitor center and then the cemetery -- so much history. I was in awe of the number of unmarked graves (the website said there were more than 85,000 men were wounded and 15,000 were killed - most in unmarked graves). For more information, you can visit http://www.nps.gov/frsp/index.htm

Here are some photos from this tour.

Well, it was quite a day. It was now time to find some good food before heading back to Maryland. And J. Brian's Tap Room fit the bill. It was half burger Tuesday but I wasn't feeling like having one so I settled on having the shrimp and grits - delish! Check out J Brian's Tap Room: http://www.jbrianstaproom.com/

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