Best Of America: Virginia
Two of suburban Virginia's biggest draws - presidential history and wine making - just happen to be areas of expertise for CBS White House Correspondent Bill Plante. He traveled to Virginia to show another location in the Best Of America series.
In the beautiful, historic, heart of Virginia, travel destinations are plentiful, tourism is big business, and lines for the most famous attractions can be very long.
Everybody's heard of Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, and if you've never been here, by all means make it a stop. But you should also know that within just a few miles, there are the homes of two other American presidents.
Ashlawn-Highland is the modest home of America's fifth president, James Monroe. It's still a working farm - with a touch of the exotic.
"It's nice that it's a little bit smaller, a little bit more intimate," said a tourist.
And just a short drive down Virginia's country roads, you'll find Montpelier, the home of the fourth president, James Madison.
And there, you just might run into James Madison himself....
"I'm pleased to welcome you in this June of 1802 to Montpelier, to my home," he said.
In fact, Plante ran into two of them.
"I'm descended from William Madison, I believe, James Madison's oldest brother," said James Malone Madison.
The best way to see this part of Virginia is definitely by car. Start in the morning with a visit to one of the lesser known historical sites, like Ashlawn or Montpelier, and then in the afternoon enjoy a drive on beautiful back roads to a winery.
It was Thomas Jefferson's dream to grow grapes and make wine in Virginia, but he failed. Today, the dream is a reality. Next to the ruins of a mansion designed by Jefferson, Barboursville Vineyards is one of many successful Virginia wineries. Wine maker Luca Paschina welcomes visitors.
"If they come for the wine tour, they find a lot of very nice wine for tasting, nice setting, the right kind of glasses. Barboursville is not only about wine it is about history; it is about beautiful hillsides,” says Paschina. "To have scenery like this, the closest place to go is a few thousand miles east from here in Tuscany!"
And if you thought the Virginia wine industry was small, she has some statistics.
"Today we have 80 wineries in Virginia," says Paschina. "And 100 plus growers.
And how do the wines measure up? Plante spoke to Bill Curtis, the owner/chef of Tastings, a Charlottesville wine shop and restaurant.
"There are very, very fine Virginia wines that are the equal, if not superior to, anything the West Coast has to offer in the same price range," said Curtis.
There really is no limit to what you can see on this kind of Virginia vacation or how you can see it. Bonaire charters in Troy, Va., provides aerial tours - weather permitting - of some of the most beautiful scenery in the East.
And at dawn or dusk, if you really want a different perspective on the history and vineyards of Virginia, there's nothing like a ride in a hot air balloon.