Local Attractions
Shiloh School
Shiloh School is the last unaltered example of the one room school houses that were in Northu
mberland County at the turn of the century. The school was built in 1905 from lumber on the surrounding property by men whose children would go to school there. Opening in 1906, the first teacher would be Miss Jessie Ball duPont who had a long legacy of supporting the people of the Northern Neck and its institutions. Part of the RiverRide is along Rt. 200, Jessie Ball duPont Memorial Highway. Your Shiloh rest stop is presented by Northumberland Preservation Incorporated, a nonprofit whose mission through Shiloh School is to provide living history and environmental education to the community.
Historic Christ Church
Finished in 1735, Christ Church stands as the best preserved and most finely crafted of colonial Virginia's
Anglican parish churches. From the details of its exquisite brickwork to the captivating simplicity of its interior, come discover the unique history that is Historic Christ Church.
Visiting hours are Saturday 8 am to 4 pm and Sunday 2 pm to 5 pm. Docents will be on hand for bike riders and other visitors, and the reception center will be open for them as well.
www.christchurch1735.org
Rice’s Hotel/Hughlett’s Tavern
Since at least 1795, and probably from much earlier, Rice's Hotel/Hughlett's Tavern has been a landmark in the Northumberland County seat at Heathsville. Today it's a rest stop on the Century route.
Over its long history the structure has provided shelter, food, drink, and opportunities to socialize and mingle to generations of Virginians. In the words of one authority, the hotel/tavern's unique importance as a designated site on the Virginia Register and National Register of Historic Places is the fact that again and again this building has been altered to meet the needs of the ordinary Virginians who patronized it.
In 1990 Cecelia Fallin Rice, widow of James G. Rice, Jr., deeded the property and 1.2 acres of land to the Northumberland County Historical Society. By 1992 the Rice's Hotel/Hughlett's Tavern Foundation, Inc., was created by the historical society to oversee restoration of the historic resource.
www.rhhtfoundation.org
Morattico Waterfront Museum
The riverside village of Morattico is located on the northern shore of the Rappahannock River 
in Virginia's Historic Northern Neck. The village consists of a post office, two churches, the Morattico Waterfront Museum, an active though diminishing fleet of fishing vessels, and scores of residential dwellings. The Morattico Waterfront Museum, housed in the 1901 Morattico General Store, is situated in the heart of the watermen's village with commanding views of the river, Lancaster Creek, and Mulberry Bay. The village takes its name from the Moraughtacund Indians presided over by Chief Powhatan, encountered in the area by Captain John Smith in 1608.
Mary Ball Washington, mother of our first president George Washington, was born just up the road at Epping Forest. In 2003 the village residents established the all-volunteer, non-profit museum committed to collecting, preserving, and honoring Morattico's history. On display are artifacts, photos, and documents related to activities in a working watermen's settlement, in addition to general store memorabilia. You’ll enjoy this picturesque rest stop with exceptional water views as you imagine the Northern Neck of another era. Lunch for the Century riders is held here.
www.morattico.org
Mary Ball Washington Museum
The Mary Ball Washington Museum & Library in Lancaster Court House operates to discover, collect,
preserve, understand and interpret the history of Lancaster and surrounding counties of the Commonwealth of Virginia for the enjoyment and educational benefit of all residents, succeeding generations and visitors to the area.
MBWM.ORG maintains a searchable, online database containing many of the research materials located in our Genealogy Library. The database currently references 2750 items with new additions weekly. Visit our Online Database today! As an example:
The national "bicycle craze" struck the Northern Neck in 1893, when countless Lancaster residents took to riding a "wheel," as bicycles were then called, with Irvington being the center of the activity. One of the popular long-distance rides of the day was the trip from Baltimore to White Stone, but a shorter one was the ride from Kilmarnock to Irvington on a course specially laid out for the "wheelmen."
www.mbwm.org
The Tides Inn
Nestled on the banks of the Rappahannock River, the four diamond Tides Inn has been a Chesa
peake Bay Tradition for over 60 years featuring marina, 18-hole golf course, luxury spa and enticing restaurants create a one-of-a-kind resort!
The Tides Inn recalls a gentler more gracious era offering a leisurely, quiet atmosphere rarely found today.
Golden Eagle Golf Club features an 18-hole USGA golf course. While here visit the full service waterfront spa, featuring over 30 treatments from herbal wraps to the "Soothing Stones Massage", your next visit to the Tides Inn is your first step towards relaxation.
Other Attractions
Guided Bald Eagle Tours. View the nations symbol, the bald eagle. Tour offered Sat. & Sun. at 10 am. Reservations required. Caledon Natural Area, King George. 540-663-3861. $
Kayak Below the Cliffs. Wed. & Sun. Four-hour group programs. Basic instruction & Trip below the cliffs. Reservations required. Westmoreland State Park. Montross. 493-8821. $
Charter Boat Fishing. Gypsy Charters - Enjoy a day of fishing or cruising on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Call Captain Ted Curtis at 804-435-2919
Guided Canoe Trips, Belle Isle State Park. Call for schedule 462-5030. $
Locusville Plantation c.1855. "Using Farm Methods of our Heritage" - Tour Wed. - Sun. 9 am to 5 pm. Vegetables, Herbs, Eggs & Folk Art - Just 1/2 mile past Ottoman Ferry Rd. on the Orange Route, left on Slabtown Rd., 1/2 mile on left at 583 Slabtown Rd.804-462-0002
