Hampton Roads Club Mini

Hey Gang,
Looking for some input for the Tour of the Bay. I have a few concerns and looking for your thoughts. The ride up to Kent Island, MD will take about 5-6 hours. That's IF traffic is decent and lunch goes smoothly. If we leave Hampton Roads around 9AM we'd get to the hotel around 3 PM-ish. We can do dinner on our own at one of several great seafood eateries on the island, or one restaurant if we have a smaller turn out. Of course I hope we have a ton of MINI's but that will have to wait to be seen. The trip back down the Eastern Shore will also run about 5+ hours. Big question- Is that too long? of couse we'd stop at least once for eating lunch.

That's the biggest question I have. Well that and the fact the hotel will run about a hundred bucks for the night. BUT, there is an indoor pool, if that helps.

Here's the original post for some background.

 2009 Tour of the BAY

 
Here's my intent, so how it fits y'alls ideas

1. Leave Gloucester/Yorktown Saturday 9 AM (ish)
2. First stop, Short Lane for Ice Cream (early I know, but I also know y'all)
3. Wind our way up Route 17 and several back roads. Planning on some picturesque/interesting roads
4. Find lunch somewhere either before or after crossing the Potomac
5. Cross the Potomac River on the Rte. 301 bridge (toll)
6. Drive through southern Maryland and through Annapolis. Stopping maybe.
7. Hop on Rte. 50 and cross the Bay Bridge and continue onto Kent Island.
8. Spend the night on Kent Island
9. Dinner together at a restaurant
10. Night club on the Island for drinks/hang out at Hotel for general BS'ing.
11. Breakfast on the Island
12. Head back down the eastern shore.
13. Lunch somewhere
14. Ice Cream somewhere (again, I know y'all)
15. Cross the CBBT.
16. Maybe stop at the overlook on the CBBT for a group pic.

Where ever we stop and eat will be:
A) Family friendly, including pricing.
B) Independent/NOT chain related eatery
C) Must be Seafood related, it is about the BAY after all! I will make sure other options are available

Hotel will be as affordable as possible. Kent Island is nice, but it can be pricey. We'll have to avoid their bu$y $ea$on! It seems everything on Kent Island maritime related. Not to mention some really NICE boats! We'll have to make a rule no one can trade their MINI/Mini for a boat while on the tour.

I think I'll also have the event open to owners that don't want to follow our directions either going up or coming back. While the journey should be as much fun as the destination, I know how family things can make that difficult. Taking the Interstate would definitely be faster, but where's the fun in that?

I'd also invite some of the DC and maybe other MINI groups to join in. If for nothing else, just to hang out at the hotel

Some of the Hotels on the Island have indoor pools, anyone interested in that? If anyone has any other info feel free to shoot me an email/PM or post here.

I'll have to check that out on the test run in a week or two. Do ya remember the name?

One thing I left out is the date!

Looking at the end of March to the first weekend of April. After that the hotel rates go UP!

It's the Twin Kiss restaurant.  Just before it on the right is a Johnny's Ribs (not sure why I did not stop there, as I love ribs).

Twin Kiss
7415 Crain Hwy
La Plata, MD 20646
(301) 934-4025

Johnny Boy Ribs
7540 Crain Hwy
La Plata, MD 20646
(301) 870-2526

Sounds like fun!

Anything after March 20th would be perfect!

March 28/29 would work best for me. April's track schedule is booked solid. I need to find a friend near Danville so I can just crash at their house when I go to VIR.

Yeah what ever he said. I will be so burried at work he will have to drag me out for some fun.