Visit Virginia: Paisano's Pizza

We drove from New Jersey to Virginia, stopping along the way at Royal Farms to pick up some of the "Best Gas Station Fried Chicken" for the road.  One of my kids didn't eat much of the food, however, and by the time we got to Virginia, it was quite late, but he was still hungry.  So we decided to get pizza at Paisano's Pizza.

We ordered a medium pepperoni - just enough for 2 people to share.

Paisano's is a very popular chain restaurant throughout VA, MD, and TN, so if you're in one of those states craving pizza, head to Paisano's!

Paisano's Pizza
2012 Eisenhower Ave
Alexandria, VA 22314

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Visit Alexandria: The Creamery

Another day in Virginia...another ice cream stop!  This time it was to The Creamery.

Creators of small-batch, handcrafted ice cream, The Creamery is the oldest continually operated ice-cream shop in downtown Alexandria, according to their website.

OREO

Coffee OREO

Small scoops are $5 and quite generous.

With over 20 flavors to choose from, my kids stuck to OREO ones.

They enjoyed the ice cream, and it was the perfect way to end a warm evening in Alexandria!

The Creamery
110 King St

Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 549-4527

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Visit Alexandria: Hen Quarter

I love Southern food, so I was very eager to try out Hen Quarter while we were in Alexandria, VA.

Belly Pops

Southern Fried Pickles

Fried Green Tomatoes

HQ Burger

I enjoyed all the starters, with my fave being the Southern Fried Pickles. Some of the best I've ever tried!

The Fried Green Tomatoes were topped with a smoked mozzarella, and a vibrant Sea Island pea salsa.

The Belly Pops - skewered smoked pork belly bruleed in rosemary sugar and served in a fig gastrique - were pretty tasty.

My husband loved the HQ Burger - a beef patty consisting of short rib, brisket and chuck, topped with crispy onions, pimento cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes.

Kids meals are all $6.95 or less, and come with a drink.

Kids MAC

Fried Cracklin and Fries

For dessert, we opted for the Bourbon Pecan Pie.

Bourbon Pecan Pie

They forgot to put the whipped cream on, which was fine, because the pie was already sweet enough as is.

The food and service were both great.  Definitely visit if you love Southern food!

Hen Quarter
801 King St,
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-684-8969

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Visit Alexandria: Pop's Old Fashioned Ice Cream

One of my favorite spots for ice cream that we visited while in Virginia was Pop's Old Fashioned Ice Cream.

This charming ice cream shop offered over 60 flavors!  That's right - more than 60!

Cleveland Brownie

Cookie Dough

Bubble Gum

Pop's Old Fashioned Ice Cream also offers some amazing-sounding sundaes, but it's hard to go wrong with any one of their creamy, delicious homemade ice creams!

Be sure to stop in if you love ice cream as much as our family does!

Pop's Old Fashioned Ice Cream
109 King St

Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 518-5374

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Visit Virginia: Residence Inn Alexandria Old Town / Duke Street

While in Virginia, our family stayed at the Residence Inn Alexandria Old Town / Duke Street.

I'm a huge fan of Residence Inn and the large suites, complimentary breakfast, and Residence Inn Mix, and the Residence Inn Alexandria Old Town / Duke Street delivered on all of those facets.

Our family stayed in a 2-Bedroom Suite, which was perfect for our family.

The suite included a living room with a pull-out sofa bed, a full kitchen, three flat screen TVs, 2 bathrooms, and 2 rooms each with a queen bed.

The 240-suite hotel renovated their rooms in 2016, and the lobby and public space has been completely refreshed.

This space is where guests can enjoy their complimentary breakfast, as well as drinks and bites from the Residence Inn Mix.

Every morning we'd get our fill of eggs, meats, pastries, cereals, and fruit, and on select evenings we were able to try out different wines, beers, and tasty eats!

One of my favorite things about the Residence Inn Alexandria Old Town / Duke Street is the location.  It's just a short walk away to historic King Street, which is at the heart of Old Town Alexandria and is lined with an abundance of shops and restaurants.

The hotel is also very close to the King Street Station, making it simple to catch the Metro to Washington, DC.

I would definitely choose to stay at Residence Inn Alexandria Old Town / Duke Street again - the spacious suites are great for large families; the complimentary breakfast and Residence Inn Mix, along with the full kitchen, enables families to save money on dining out; the location is ideal!

Residence Inn Alexandria Old Town / Duke Street
1456 Duke St

Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 548-5474

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Visit Virginia: George Washington's Mount Vernon

Just a short drive from Alexandria, Virginia is George Washington's Mount Vernon.

The former home of George and Martha Washington is currently owned and maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, the oldest national historic preservation organization in the United States.

When you buy a ticket to Mount Vernon, you are given a ticket designated with the time your mansion tour starts.  Before or after your tour, you are free to roam the vast grounds of the area.

We decided to explore the property before our tour, so we walked through the gardens, a farm, and even went to the wharf along the Potomac River.

We also visited the Slave Memorial & Burial Ground, Washington's Tomb, and a Slave Cabin.

My kids loved seeing all the different animals on the property!

As I mentioned, the property is vast, and it was a bit of a challenge to walk such far distances on a very hot summer's day.  We were up for the challenge, however, and even strolled along the Forest Trail, which offered a few fun interactive stations the kids enjoyed.

Fortunately, there is a shuttle that stops at a couple of points throughout the property for those who choose not to walk.

When it was close to our designated tour time, we lined up, and waited for entry into the first part of the tour (no photos are allowed in the mansion).

The tour is approximately 15-25 minutes long, and we were allowed access into certain areas of the mansion, while different guides explained what the various rooms were.

We got to see ornately decorated bedrooms, a bright-colored dining room, and a fabulous "New Room," which served multiple functions (dining room, receiving room, etc.).

Throughout the mansion we saw the Key to Bastille, a fan chair Washington used to keep cool in his study, and other neat artifacts.

I especially enjoyed seeing the different styles of decor and architecture throughout the rooms.

Outside of the mansion are several outbuildings.  The tour ends in one of them, the kitchen, and this is the only area of the tour we could take photos.

Other outbuildings include a spinning house, barn, smokehouse, and wash house.

A visit to George Washington's Mount Vernon was an intriguing and educational look back at history and life during that era.  

For tickets or more information, click here.

George Washington's Mount Vernon
3200 Mount Vernon Hwy

Mt Vernon, VA 22121

Mahalo to the sponsor for the complimentary tickets.

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Visit Virginia: Joe Theismann's Restaurant

On our first full day in Virginia, we dined at Joe Theismann's Restaurant for dinner since it was just across the street from the Metro Station, on the way back to our hotel.

This family-friendly restaurant, owned by the popular Washington Redskins quarterback, was always busy whenever we passed by during dining hours.

Complimentary Dinner Rolls

Chesapeake Crab Dip

French Onion Soup

Duck Spring Rolls

BBQ-Bacon Bison Burger

The Chesapeake Crab Dip was served with pita bread, and was quite tasty!

It was a very, very chilly day in VA (low 60s!), so I opted for French Onion Soup for my dinner.  It was good!

The BBQ-Bacon Bison Burger was topped with Wisconsin cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, fried onion straws, lettuce, and tomato.

Kids meals come with a side and are reasonably-priced with nothing more than $7.95

Chicken Fingers with Apple Sauce

Cheeseburger with Mashed Potatoes

The family shared two desserts:

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

Peanut Butter Pie

The Peanut Butter Pie had chunks of Reese's peanut butter cups and was drizzled with a chocolate ganache.

The Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding was my fave of the two desserts - so dense and chocolaty, and fantastic with the vanilla ice cream and drizzle of almond butter!

Service was great, and I could see why Thesimann's is such a popular restaurant!

Joe Theismann's Restaurant
1800 Diagonal Road A
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 739-0777

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