Visiting Colonial Beach (or being in two places at once!)

. . .  because sometimes a girl just needs a day off to go to the beach! Back in May, I had the chance to visit Colonial Beach, a beach town in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Colonial Beach is home to the second-largest beachfront in Virginia, but - as soon as you step into the water - you will find yourself in Maryland! That's right, folks, two places at once (well, sort of). A long time ago, people would take advantage of this since gambling was legal in Maryland, but not so legal in Virginia. Gamblers took delight in casinos lining the piers, which is how Colonial Beach became known as the "Playground on the Potomac".

For those of you not the least bit interested in gambling (myself included!), there is an actual playground at Colonial Beach . . . and quite the fun one, I might add. The town is also home to the Alexander Graham Bell house (now a bed and breakfast) as the inventor of the telephone kept a summer home here.  Other notable residents of Westmoreland Country include US Presidents George Washington and James Monroe.

While I didn't think to bring my bathing suit, I contented myself with roaming the shoreline. The sand here is really rather course and covered in shells . . . not at all like the soft, warm sand I'm used to. I actually fell over once or twice because the shoreline slopes downward. Oops!

I spent the morning looking for interesting shells, dipping my feet into the Potomac River, and playing on some large rocks. It was great to get outside and explore, having been cooped up inside for far too long! 

Have you been to the beach this summer? What did you do there?


Ton amie,
Sophie