Dan and I took a week-long vacation recently to visit family and friends in Maryland and Virginia. Of course, when we travel we try to do as much as possible unchained. On this trip we stayed with friends in Maryland and family in Virginia. When you stay with people who don’t always hold to your unchained values, we can run into some problems. Sort of like a vegetarian who travels. But we did the best we could and had some great unchained experiences.

Once of the best parts about traveling unchained, of course, is the fact that you meet the locals and get to know the flavor of the communities you are visiting. Over the next several posts I will be highlighting some of the towns and experiences we had on our trip – not necessarily in order of our visit.

I’m actually starting with a neat town that we had lunch in on our way from Maryland to family in Virginia – Staunton. The town is conveniently located off Interstate 81 – a major north/south route that many travel. We’d wanted to stop  in Staunton for quite a while, but never had the chance to.

The Beverly Restaurant, Staunton, Virginia

It was lunch time so we headed downtown past the strip malls with row after row of chains to where we knew the good local eateries would be. Wow – were we in for a treat! After parking our car we spotted a local tourism bureau and headed in to get the lay of the land and perhaps directions to a good place to eat in walking distance. The man at the counter was not only a wealth of information, he was a delight and funny to boot! We came away armed with a map leading us to a local restaurant that had been in business for the past 35 years and hadn’t changed, lots of info on Staunton, and huge smiles on our faces from the joke he’d just told. Boy, I hope the tourism bureau knows what a gem they have in this guy!

A view of my meal - catfish, applesauce, coleslaw - yum!

Staunton has a lovely vibrant downtown with lots of neat shops. We were dying to explore, but knew that we only had time for lunch and then a visit to the Frontier Culture Museum, which I’d wanted to see for years. We then had to head on to Dan’s brothers before nightfall. Lunch was at The Beverley Restaurant. If your looking for great Southern food with old fashioned atmosphere this is it! I’m so hungry just writing about it! I had a fried catfish plate with two sides of homemade applesauce which was the best I’ve ever had and homemade coleslaw which was equally good. Dan had the country ham plate (a bit too salty for my taste for lunch) but he loved it. We were dying to try the homemade desserts but were totally stuffed. The lemon meringue was amazing just to look at though – the meringue was a mile high. We rolled out the door totally stuffed and happy and rolled down the street to our car.

Jolly Ole England? Or Staunton, VA? You decide......

The good news was that we were able to walk it all off at the Frontier Culture Museum. What a neat museum! It’s an outdoor historic site with interpretors in historic dress. You visit the European and English homes of different cultures that immigrated to America and settled in the mountain area of Virginia. They include a 17th c. English yeoman’s home, a 17th c. Scotch/Irish tenant’s home, and a 17th c. German peasant’s home. They are in the process of building a home of an African to represent the slaves who were brought to America. On the other side of the museum you can visit an 18th c. cabin, an early 19th. c. home, and a later 19th . c. farmhouse to see the development of life in that area of Virginia.

Dan in front of his ancestral hearth - his family is from England as well!

We had some interesting conversations with the interpretors and learned quite a bit. I was particularly interested in the three homes and how they were interpreted as I have ancestors from all three areas – English Puritans who came over were yeoman farmers in 17th c. England, a 17th c. Scotch/Irish ancestor who was a weaver and came over as an indentured servant, and French/German Huguenot ancestors who came from Palatine Germany to found New Paltz, NY. It was great being able to see how my ancestors might have lived, worked, etc.

Yes, of course at the end of the tour we stopped in the museum store to see what we might purchase. We bought a stuffed duck for Faith our dog who is a lab mix and loves stuffed animals.  They had the usual books about the area, but one thing that did stand out was they sold the hand made items their black smith made in the Scotch-Irish Forge. That was pretty neat. They also sold pottery brought in from Northern Ireland.

While we didn’t spend the night in Staunton, our relatives have spent a weekend there and highly recommend the Stonewall Jackson Hotel in downtown. Built in 1924, this hotel has been recently renovated, and looks quite charming. And so nice to be able to walk to everything downtown! They went to Staunton specifically because of the American Shakespeare Center and their Blackfriar’s Playhouse. This group has recreated an Elizabethan playhouse and preform not only Shakespeare, but many other period plays that are never performed in any other theater. It looks like loads of fun and Dan and I are planning a long weekend soon to Staunton to check it all out more thoroughly.

For a look at all the things to do in Staunton check out their tourism website. Whether your planning a trip, or stopping along the way on the Interstate, Staunton is definitely a good unchained destination.

Dan and I spent a long weekend in Ticonderoga, New York visiting my former place of employment, Fort Ticonderoga, for their annual Grand Encampment of the French & Indian War. This annual two-day event is the largest French & Indian War reenactment in the country and usually draws around 1,000 reenactors for the weekend and well over 2,000 visitors to the site.

We really miss the encampment so we thought it would be fun to go back, especially since I wouldn’t have to work it! So we loaded up our car with our 18th-century clothes and gear and headed north for the 1,000-mile drive. If you want to read about where we ate along the way check out Dan’s blog.

I’m going to tell you instead about a non-chain shopping experience with a twist. A way you can support local craftspeople and mom and pop vendors while shopping 18th-century style!

The new Magasin du Roi

If you’ve never been to a reenactment, a typical day for a 21st-century visitor to Fort Ticonderoga can consist of any of the following: touring the Fort and its museum, touring the military camp and talking to the men, women, and children as they do their daily activities,

British forces firing on the French

watching a battle between the French and their Native American allies vs the British and their American Colonial forces, eating in the Fort’s Log House restaurant, or shopping among the perhaps 50 or so sutlers in what is called “Sutlers’ Row.”

Sutlers are vendors who come with 18th-century style tents that they set up and fill with all sorts of period-correct goodies you can purchase to take home with you. Some of the vendors sell things only a reenactor might want. These people tend to be the clothing vendors, but it’s fun to go in and look! Whether you watch an 18th-century lady get fitted for her stays (modestly of course wearing them over her chemise!) or for her newest frock, or a man trying on his new britches ,it can be quite spectacular.

Goodwife Spikerman makes the final adjustment

Here’s a photo of Dan getting some final touches on his green silk waist coat made by Goodwife Spickerman. Dan waited several years for her to complete this magnificent coat — and it was well worth the wait. He received many compliments on the coat and many people stopped us for photos!

However, anyone can make awesome purchases in Sutlers’ Row. Here’s some neat finds you might find enjoyable. Smiling Fox Forge is always at the Encampment and this is a lovely pewter Chocolate Pot that would look lovely in a dining room.

Or if you love copper, check out Westminster Forge, where for 25 years they have been making their own beautiful copperware that anyone would be proud to have in their home. We have several of their pieces and they are exquisite! These works of art are heirlooms you will want to pass down in the family!

Three of our favorite sutlers were not at the Fort – in fact two of them don’t travel any more. But you can still purchase their exquisite items on-line so I wanted to mention these vendors. We became friendly with all three, which is what happens when you shop non-chains. And let’s face it, shopping in a canvas tent with someone wearing 18th-century clothing is about as non-chain as you’re going to get!

The Trunk Shoppe is owned by Katie and Steve Freede, and they make, of course, trunks. Oh my, the most beautiful trunks! Trunks you just want to curl up inside and take naps in (except they are kind of small). Here’s a lovely carriage trunk so wonderfully made.

Talk about heirloom! We loved when Katie and Steve came to the encampment too. They were tons of fun. Here’s the Goodwife introducing her Mastercraftsman husband.

Goodwife Katie and Mastercraftsman Steve

Deb's Reverse Glass Painting of a Highlander!

Debi and Cleon Grover own Historical Reproductions. They are wonderful people who share their love of 18th-century history, art, and swordsmanship with everyone. Deb is a wonderful folk artist and has been frequently named to the Early American Life artisan directory. You can see her painting’s better here. She is known for her reverse painting on glass which is a technique that is very hard to accomplish. Cleon makes reproduction swords and they both demo sword fighting and fencing, which is fascinating to watch if you are lucky enough to get to see it.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not include my dressmakers, who, alas, do not travel much anymore. And again, unless you are a reenactor, it’s doubtful you would make a purchase in their establishment. But The Silly Sisters have been too good to me to not include them. Their clothing is carefully researched and documented and beautifully sewn. I am always dressed head to toe in Silly Sisters clothing.

Goodwife Anne and Goodwife Lisa at Fort Ticonderoga

Here I am at Fort Ti with my good friend Mistress Anne (I’m in the black hat). I’m sporting a Silly Sister short gown, petticoat (no that’s not my undergarment), shift (yes, that’s my undergarment) apron, modesty piece, mob cap, and stays. New black hat from Williamsburg. (Here’s a great link that illustrates a woman getting dressed step by step 18th-century style that shows all these layers of cloths and how they should be worn. )

So next time you see a reenactment advertised in your neck of the woods, whether it be a Revolutionary War, Civil War, or French & Indian War one, go check it out and shop Sutlers’ Row for some unusual non-chain purchases while supporting mom and pop vendors and crafters.

Please let me know if you already are a reenactment shopper. Tell us about your experiences – we want to know!