There is something glorious about wandering in the Fall. Maybe it’s the light, or the color creeping into the trees. Maybe it’s the cooler temperatures, making outdoors bearable again. Maybe it’s because our anniversary is the end of September. Maybe it’s all of those things, and more. Regardless of the why, the truth remains that we have been on a few adventures recently. Today’s post is photo heavy, featuring a taste of the sights and experiences we’ve enjoyed.

If you click on the smaller images in their “galleries,” you can see them full-size and with captions.

The Carl Sandburg Home, “Connemara” | NC
Fun fact: the Sandburgs moved to this location in North Carolina to expand the goat farm operation. Another fun fact: when Carl Sandburg died in 1967, and as his widow began the process of handing the property over to the National Park Service, they left nearly everything in place. So walking into the home today is very similar to what you’d have walked into during their residence.

Blue Ride Parkway | VA
We are very familiar with the North Carolina end of the Parkway, but this was the first time for both of us to see the Virginia end. As expected: gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.

Dixie Caverns | VA
Continuing our under-the-mountain explorations, we visited these caverns outside Roanoke. Instead of going down into the mountain, we climbed up the inside – at one point reaching 8 stories above the parking lot outside. This was such a cool cavern, and the history was fun to learn as well. We were also lucky enough to spot the Dixie Caverns Salamander, native to the Caverns.

Natural Bridge | VA
After walking inside a mountain, we went and walked through one. Thomas Jefferson once owned this land, and there’s a cave where they mined saltpeter during the Revolution, which was a nice tie-in to our upcoming Monticello visit.

Frontier Culture Museum | VA
This was a spontaneous addition to our itinerary, and well worth the time! The weather was drizzly and grey, very atmospheric, which fit the “time traveling” vibes of this living history museum.

Monticello | VA
At last, we arrived at Monticello. We splurged on the guided “behind the scenes” tour, and had a very engaging and knowledgeable guide. The house itself was shockingly … plain. Very utilitarian, aside from the frivolous Dome Room. It was still incredible to walk through, and know that so much history passed through the halls before us. The gardens and grounds though? Magic. That view. The placement of the gardens. It’s no wonder Jefferson fell in love with the spot. {Two other pictures made it to the first October Walking Challenge post}.

In case you haven’t noticed, the mountains are our favorite. As are historical homes and gardens. We’ve enjoyed exploring the unique housing options available through Airbnb {a hobbit hole! a grain bin!} and are fine-tuning our road trip packing necessities. {That may be a future post, actually.} Our little wanderings may not be flashy or exotic, but they are thoroughly enjoyed and perfectly suited to our tastes.

What fallish adventures have you been on?
Have you ever visited any of these locations?
What is your favorite historical home and/or garden?