No real plans today, Blake and I had talked about doing something we just didn’t know what. We did have it narrowed down to a hike in the mountains or Westmoreland State Park and visit a couple of wineries. As soon as Taylor woke up we headed out. Stopping at the West Point, VA McDonald’s on the way. McDonald’s was under new management and on the slower side.
We arrived at Westmoreland State Park https://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/westmoreland around 11:50. As we were driving down the main road we came across a fountain and we pulled over to check it out. We love to read signs that talk about the history of the locations we visit. I also noticed a 2×2 sticking out of the ground with a sign attached to it. The sign was a marker for a time capsule that was buried June 15, 2016 for the 80th anniversary of the park and is to be opened June 15, 2036.
While we sat here we mapped out our hike. We decided to hike the Big Meadow Trail down to Fossil Beach then connect to the Beaver Dam Trail to Turkey Neck Trail and back to the parking lot.
Our next stop was at the Discovery Center. Taylor loved touching the different animal furs. The Discovery Center offered lots of activities and events for kids to participate in both at the discovery center and around the park. Next we went to the visitors center and it was actually open. Visitor centers have been spotty with being opened or closed due to COVID. We looked around the visitor center for a few and purchased our state park pin to add to our board. The visitor center only had 1 pin and we needed 2. We each have a board and collect pins from hikes we do and places we have been. Blake and I share a board and the kids have their own. Virginia State parks also does a state park trail quest. You can get a pin for hiking in 1 state park, then when you hit 5 parks, 10 parks, 20 parks and all VA State Parks. We were directed to go to the camp store near the front of the park as they possibly had another pin. The employee was right and we were able to get the 2nd pin.
We get to the trailhead sign to head to Fossil Beach. Attached to the trailhead sign was a notice that the Boardwalk and Turkey Neck Trail were closed and the Big Meadow trail no longer connects to form a loop, making the trail an out an back. Most of the trail was through sand with a little bit of dirt. We had our dog Gander with us and he was having a blast running back and forth along the trail. The nice thing about Gander is he never leaves the trail.
After hiking the 0.7 miles to fossil beach, Gander sees the water and heads straight for it. He was in his happy place. He stayed in the water almost the entire time. We walked down the beach to a spot that didn’t have as many people and began to sift for Sharks Teeth.
Westmoreland State Park is known for Fossil Beach and sifting in the sand for Shark Teeth. You can purchase for 2.99 or rent the sifters (spaghetti strainer) from the visitor center or bring your own. Blake and I both began looking for Shark Teeth. Taylor hung out on her Daddy’s back most of the time until it was her lunchtime. Taylor ate and Gander stayed by her side in case she dropped something. Taylor did not want to go back in her carrier and wanted to play in the water. She got to play in the water for about 30 minutes while Blake and I kept looking for Shark Teeth. I ended up finding 2 and a piece of another one. Blake did not find any. This was my first time finding Shark teeth (finding them on the shelf at a beach store doesn’t count).
We hike 0.7 miles back to the parking lot and return the sifters to the visitor center. We also take our obligatory trailhead selfies and Taylor picture.
I stopped on the way back from the visitor center to take some sign pictures to read on the way back. The signs talk about the history of the area.
After we leave the park we head to our first of three wineries. The first Winery we visited was Hague Winery. https://thehaguewinery.com Hague winery grows all of their own grapes onsite. We enjoyed a wine tasting with the manager of the winery. We were very happy they had a tasting vs a tasting flight. We love doing tasting because you get to interact with staff, learn more history about the winery and learn more about the wine and food pairings for each wine. We write on the bottles we purchase with a Chalk Marker what the wine pairs well with so when we grab a bottle for dinner we don’t have to guess. We also mark more expensive bottles for special occasions and not accidentally grab it for a quick chicken nugget dinner with the kids . We enjoyed all 6 wines Hague had to offer. We purchased 3 of the bottles to enjoy later.
The next Winery we went to was Triple V Farms
The winery was not listed on our 2020-2021 wineries of Virginia map. I did a Google search on the way from Hague Winery to Kilmarnock and the winery came up. We arrived at Triple V Farms. It was a very pretty location and the tasting room was quaint and filled with art items for sale from local crafters. The owners were very pleasant and didn’t mind having Taylor there. The wines were very tasty and we were able to do an actual tasting. We purchased 2 bottles.
Our last winery stop was at Good Luck Cellars
https://www.goodluckcellars.com › wines
Good Luck Cellars has tasting flights and have not gone back to traditional tastings. We got a red and white tasting flight. The wines were okay but nothing that made us want to purchase any bottles.
Nic of Time - Travel 
Great write up! The McDonalds at West Point has always been painfully slow.
I’ve been going to WMSP since the 80’s. The fountain has a ghost story, as I was told, growing up.
Check out Ingleside Winery near there on a future trip. We belong to their “Estate Club” and get quite a bit of wine through them. Nice folks.
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