Admission to Garden Tours is to be paid by individuals wanting to go on these tours.

Day one:    4:00 pm arrival time at Barboursville’s Flutterby Fields.  You will have the opportunity to do a short ride at around 5 pm, if you choose, getting you acquainted with the other riders, your abilities with others, and basic knowledge of the Garmin GPS.  When you return, appetizers will be served, and dinner will follow at 7:30, allowing time for late arrivals.  Enjoy sitting in the gazebo surrounded by the mesmerizing Koi pond.

Day two:  This is a layover day at Flutterby Fields.  We will have a wonderful ride out to Madison County which lies at the base of the Shenandoah National Park.  Here you will have a beautiful ride in the valley with a mixture of flats and roller coaster type hills, continue to Sperryville, up to Skyline Drive, taking Skyline Drive from Thornton Gap to Swift Run Gap.  Including the beautiful ride through Madison County, thirty-two miles on Skyline Drive and back to Barboursville, this is a wonderful Century Ride.  OR, you may choose a short morning ride, so you can enjoy a day full of historical homes and gardens throughout Orange County today.  We will all gather back to have a wonderful dinner at Flutterby Fields.  (If you are celebrating a special occasion, you may choose the dining experience of a lifetime at Palladio’s of Barboursville Winery, almost walking distance from Flutterby)

Day Three:    Transfer day to Morningside Guest House near Afton Mountain.  This is a beautiful ride through the most popular riding areas of Thomas Jefferson’s Charlottesville area.  You will experience rolling hills following the Eastern boundary to the Shenandoah National Park.  This will be a fun, rural Virginia Tour where you will quickly realize why the Charlottesville area consistently ranks as one of the top places to live, raise families, and bicycle in America.  Again, those needing to climb, you will have the option to ride up to Swift Run Gap to Rockfish Gap on Skyline Drive (40 of 80 miles on Skyline Drive) and take the wonderful descent to Morningside Guest House.  Enjoy a great dinner tonight as we relax by the outdoor fire or the hot tub.  

Day Four:    Layover at Morningside Guest Cottage.  We will have a wonderful ride planned in the foothills of Afton and Wintergreen mountains.  Or, this is your opportunity to really push yourself if you haven’t yet; climb Wintergreen Mountain and ride the Blue Ridge Parkway back up to Afton Mountain.  Today’s Virginia Historic Garden Tour Homes are just a few minutes from Morningside.  If you chose the longer ride today, we will meet up with those going on the home tours and spend the evening on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall, which provides great boutique shops, outdoor entertainers, and top notch coffee, wine and food shops.  Dinner will be at Siips, where they have planned a wonderful meal with wine pairings at every course.

Day Five:    Transfer day to Crimora Mine Retreat.  This is our easiest transfer ride, with the exception of climbing up Wintergreen Mountain.  You may choose to start your ride at the top of Wintergreen Mountain.  Then it is a wonderful downhill and easy ride to Crimora.  Crossing the covered bridge to get to the retreat is the first glimpse at why this is a favorite stop on all our tours.

Day Six:  A ride in the Shenandoah Valley today will have you coming back year after year to ride with us.  However, this may be the day you take off riding for one last opportunity to tour the homes and gardens of Shenandoah Valley’s portion of the Historic Garden Week Tour.  Whichever you choose, you will see some of the most beautiful views of mountains and farm land in America.   Leave time to just sit out and enjoy the view, the hot tub, a canoe ride on the pond, and the stone fire ring.  We love this place.

Day Seven:  We will take you to Rockfish Gap on Skyline Drive where you can choose between a ride to either Swift Run Gap or double the distance to Thornton Gap, then loop back to Crimora through the valley.  We will take a drive to Staunton for the afternoon and evening, with a wonderful downtown area to browse, choose the dining experience of your choice, before we gather back together at The American Shakespeare Center to catch “All’s Well That Ends Well.”  What a fitting end.

Day Eight: By bicycle or by van, we will get you back the sixty miles to your vehicles.  You will have the opportunity to shower up before getting back in your car.