Virginia's Lower Peninsula is a 400-square-mile finger of land sandwiched between the James and York Rivers and jutting into the Chesapeake Bay. It has the oldest continuous European settlements in the original 13 colonies.

Overview
Route 5, from Richmond, capital of Virginia, to Yorktown, where the Brits surrendered to U.S. and French forces in 1781, is a lovely two-laner skirting the James. Each bend in the road takes you deeper into American history. The drive is short, only 63 miles, but it spans centuries.

Start in Richmond
Get acclimated at Richmond's American Civil War Center (490 Tredegar St.; +1 804 780 1865; www.tredegar.org), housed in a former Confederate foundry. Stoke up on the corn bread and fried fish smothered in Vidalia onions at Croaker's Spot (119 E. Leigh St., Richmond; +1 804 421 0560; www.croakersspot.com), just up the street from the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site (600 N. 2nd St.; +1 804 771 2017; www.nps.gov/mawa), devoted to a noted African-American businesswoman. Stay at the Berkeley Hotel (1200 E. Cary St., Richmond; 888 780 4422; www.berkeleyhotel.com), an upscale boutique hotel close to the capitol.

Leaving Richmond, capital of the Confederacy, drive east past Tobacco Row, where the mighty tobacco companies used to store their bales. Now the old brick warehouses lining the James house young professionals in "live-work" lofts. As you follow the James River downstream, you'll next encounter a series of glorious colonial-era plantations, each with spectacular grounds overlooking the river and each offering tours to visitors.

Shirley Plantation
The Shirley Plantation (501 Shirley Plantation Rd., Charles City; +1 804 829 6322; www.shirleyplantation.com), privately owned since 1638, maintains a busy calendar of events listed on its website. Today there's a polo match. Dozens of spectators in crisp khakis or seersucker suits tramp the playing field in rubber-and-leather duck boots. Bare-shouldered women in hats sip drinks under big tents, their laughter as light as a summer breeze. Swing music floats on the air. If it weren't for the trilling cell phones, this scene could be set in the 1940s. Take a guided tour of the main house, then show yourself around the gardens and original 18th-century outbuildings, which have their own exhibits.