Lexington

Ah, Lexington, Virginia.  There is something about this town that we love.  We stop here often.  Back before we had kids we used to stay at a Hampton Inn that's been converted from and old farm house.  We also stayed there on our 'moving back to South Carolina' trip.  We've visited Stonewall Jackson's grave.  Ethan's gotten cut on the decrepit fence that surrounds it.  Ah, the memories!

This trip was no exception.  We stopped there both on the way up to Pennsylvania and on the way back.  On the way up it was purely for geocaching reasons (yeah, I'm getting to that post soon).  On the way back we decided to have some fun there.  We've been through many times, but we've never been able to stop at VMI (Virginia Military Institute) or Washington and Lee University.  So, this was the time.

We stopped at the visitor center, picked up a travel bug (oh yeah, geocaching...I'm getting to it), and set off for our lunch destination.  Just after passing Stonewall Jackson's house was a nice home with the following inscription:

I'm not sure who paid to put that there, but it is hilarious!  We laughed about that one for a while.  Lunch was at Macado's (Mack'-ah-dues).  This was one of our favorites from my time in Salem with GE.  It has a tremendous list of sandwiches to choose from.  It's definitely worth stopping should you ever find one.  Granted, if you have a spouse who takes forever to figure out what they want, you may want to reconsider going to this restaurant.  I am serious in that they have at least 50 different sandwiches to choose from, so it is not a restaurant for the indecisive.  

After lunch we found our way onto VMI's campus.  The fortress was quite impressive.  (Granted, architecturally I like West Point better.)  Below are the parade grounds.

This is the inside of the Jackson Memorial Hall.  In the front is a huge mural depicting the VMI cadets in the Battle of New Market.  The flags lining the hall represent the states of the Union at the time of VMI's establishment.

If you want to learn more (like we usually do), feel free to click on the next picture for a larger version:

And here's a portrait of the general himself hanging in the hall:

Below the hall is the VMI Museum.  Memorabilia from wars and alumni are kept and displayed for public viewing.  Many Medals of Honor were there from cadets who had gone on to receive them.  Perhaps the oddest item of the collection is the stuffed horse of Stonewall Jackson.  "Little Sorrel" is there for anyone who'd like to see him...150 years after he died!

Here were are enjoying the day out in front of the barracks.  VMI cannon had red wheels.

After VMI we had a short visit to Washington & Lee University.  The universities literally sit right next to each other.  Robert E. Lee is buried beneath the Lee Chapel, shown below.

Overall, it was another great visit to a little town with a lot of character!