Win a weekend at a historic (gorgeous) Virginia plantation!

If you have followed along on my Flickr stream, you know I am a big fan of the state of Virginia. In my estimation, it’s one of the most beautiful in the nation—to say nothing of all the history present to lure a gal passionate about America’s Revolutionary period

Bucolic; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

and the leaders of that battle. George Washington’s home, Mount Vernon, is my favourite place in the world—so it’s no surprise that I’m always plotting another photo shoot tour of the Old Dominion state of Virginia. (As a matter of fact, I’m very much longing to head back to Virginia—the level is about the same as my longing to return to Route 66 for more photography time!)

If you adore Virginia as I do—or if you’ve never been to this great state and would love to visit—there’s a great opportunity for you to do so, and help preserve a piece of our history and help a fledgeling small business to boot. The folks who’ve just leased historic Belle Grove Plantation, which stands guard along the Rappahannock River in Port Conway, are offering everyone the opportunity to win a weekend at the plantation, which they’re turning into a bed and breakfast!

All they are asking is for a little help—for you to make a donation, one as small as $10, to help them restore three of the home’s original outbuildings, which date to the 1790s (you can read about these wonderful pieces of history here). Each suggested donation amount comes with a number of opportunities to win this weekend trip, so you’ve a very fair chance to win this in my estimation! Besides, it’s such a wonderful opportunity to be a part of preserving history ourselves. The Darnells hope to raise $30,000 to repair the original late 1700s dependencies, protect the foundation from eroded grading, and other general care for this grand early American home—where James Madison was born!—about to be opened to the public for the first time in its long and amazing history. The winner of this lottery of sorts will not only win lodgings for the weekend at Belle Grove, but a gourmet breakfast each morning, a wine and cheese reception, the grand tour of Belle Grove, and a gift certificate for a full tasting at a local vineyard. It sounds like a perfect Virginia weekend to me—or the perfect start to a full week in Virginia!

So, do pop on over to Belle Grove’s donation page and send a few bucks over. You will be helping a wonderful couple preserve another little bit of our history…and you might win a fabulous weekend besides!

I also encourage you to follow the B&B’s blog. The Darnells are sharing all sorts of history and some wonderful photos, too. Not to mention some pretty fun-to-read antiquing scores. 😉