In just a couple of weeks, school will be out and families will be considering taking a little time off with the kids. There are a number of breaks from the ol’ grind you must sort out, though.  Linda and I just returned from what we called a workation. We traveled to Kentucky to help ready her father’s house for sale.

Some of you may be looking at workations or even volunteercations, during which you volunteer your time off to help Habitat for Humanity or even clean the oil sludge from the beaches in Florida or Alabama. Some of you may consider what became popular a couple of years ago when the economy crashed – the staycation. Take a break from work, but don’t leave town; work on your yard, take some day trips or just chill out and relax on your deck.

In Chesterfield, the staycation could be a very viable and enjoyable option. If you have a little disposable income, spend it in your own community. Maybe we as a community should, with tongue in cheek, put a tariff on vacations to keep people at home where they can prop up our local economy.

According to Super Freakanomics, by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, French economist Fredrick Bastiat wrote The Candlemakers’ Petition more than 150 years ago. Just as we should represent the interests of local tourist sites, Bastiat parodied the needs of the manufacturers of candles, lanterns, candlesticks, streetlamps and the like, as well as the producers of tallow, oil, alcohol and anything connected with lighting.

He wanted to protect these industries from a “foreign rival (like faraway vacation spots) who apparently works under conditions far superior to our own for the production of light that he is flooding the domestic market with it at an incredibly low price.” Who was the insidious foreign rival? “None other than the sun,” wrote Bastiat. He begged the French government, according to Levitt and Dubner, to forbid all citizens to allow sunlight to enter their homes.

Bastiat’s premise was satire, but for us it brings to light (pun intended) the idea that maybe we should look a little closer to home for our summer tourist endeavors. Chesterfield has a plethora of tourist opportunities available. Some folks have been touting these locations as tourist destinations and promoting the premise that we should be working to enhance efforts to bring more tourists, and their money, right here.

But I submit that there are many local residents who have not visited the fantastic tourist locations that are right in their own backyard, so to speak. Consider some of these potential local tourist hotspots:

Henricus Historical Park – Probably the most obvious, but many of you have never been there. It has begun to rival Jamestown (it’s only four years younger) in its representation of the first settlements in America. Henricus features spot-on recreations of colonial architecture and re-enactors that interpret the lives of our first English inhabitants, as well as those of Native Americans.

Dutch Gap Conservation Area – Although the 810 acres bears the scars of four centuries of human manipulation, nature persists undaunted, and the eight miles of trail provides you the chance to escape civilization into a marsh teeming with wildlife.  

Drewry’s Bluff – As far as Civil War history is concerned, this is the best site in the county to get a feeling of what the battle for the Confederacy was like.

R. Garland Dodd at Point of Rocks Park – A great day trip hike down the bluff and to a boardwalk through a freshwater tidal marsh. It also includes picnic shelters, play equipment, tennis and basketball courts and fields for football, soccer and baseball.

Presquile National Wildlife Refuge – The refuge, on a 1329-acre island in the James River, was established to protect habitat for wintering waterfowl and other migratory birds. The refuge is also home to nesting and roosting bald eagles. It’s only open by appointment; contact cyrus_brame@fws.gov for access.

Chesterfield Courthouse – Sure you pass the Courthouse all the time, but take some time to tour the museum, jail and Magnolia Grange just across the road.

Appomattox River – There are several ways to access the river to walk the trails, kayak or canoe. Or, travel farther west and launch your boat for a day on Lake Chesdin. The newly dedicated trail at the John J. Radcliffe Appomattox River Conservation Area grows longer with each volunteer effort. This is a volunteercation opportunity, as well.

Pocahontas State Park – Yeah, it’s right there in the middle of Chesterfield just waiting for a visit. You can even pitch you tent there or rent a cabin for a staycation that takes advantage of the park’s access to kayaking, canoeing, a swimming pool and even an amphitheater featuring local, regional and national performers.

Mid-lothian Mines Park – If you decide to travel to “the other side,” Midlothian has a number of historical sites, including the first coal mine in America. The park has walking trails around a pond and through the wooded areas in and around the Grove Shaft Ruins, the railbeds and coal mines of the old Mid-Lothian Mines.

Historical sites – There are numerous historical sites throughout the county that warrant a tour, including Battery Dantzler, Parker's Battery, Howellet Line and Fort Weed. Take a day and visit Civil War history and learn its impact on the area.