The Northern Neck, including the Counties of King George, Westmoreland, Lancaster, Northumberland and Richmond, boasts the birthplaces of three of the first five presidents: George Washington, James Monroe, and James Madison. Stratford Hall, home of the Lees of Virginia, offers hiking trails, a working grist mill, culinary and outdoor events, and tours of the Georgian-style Great House. For special occasions or gatherings, the Inn at Stratford Hall has lodging and catering on the grounds. Historic Christ Church in Weems affords the visitor a glance into Colonial-era architecture and culture.
Both the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula are loaded with charming waterfront and town museums, and historical societies that interpret the illustrious past of the area from its earliest Native American inhabitants through the fishing and farming industries and the military presence established in 1918 in Dahlgren. The Pamunkey and Mattaponi Indian Reservations are located in the Middle Peninsula.
Bed & breakfasts, small country inns, and hotels give a range of lodging options to explore the Northern Neck Artisan Trail and Virginia Oyster Trail. The Tides Inn in Irvington has golfing, sailing, stand-up paddleboarding and spa facilities. Area campgrounds and state parks offer camping facilities for the outdoors enthusiast. Great eateries featuring local seafood and produce complement the local wine, along with local beer and cider.
Both peninsulas host several loops of the Coastal Trail of the Virginia Birding & Wildlife Trail, and bald eagles abound in the area near many tracts of the Rappahannock River National Wildlife Refuge and Caledon State Park. Colonial Beach on the Potomac River is the second-longest public beach in Virginia, and for boaters, marinas abound there, and in Weems, Irvington, Kilmarnock, Reedville, Wicomico Church, Kinsale, Deltaville and Urbanna.
