DATE: Sunday, March 9, 1997                 TAG: 9703070065

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E4   EDITION: FINAL 

COLUMN: TRAVELWISE

SOURCE: STEPHEN HARRIMAN

                                            LENGTH:   78 lines

GO BIKING, BIRDING OR KAYAKING ON AN EASTERN SHORE ESCAPE

THE EASTERN SHORE weekend getaway programs I wrote about last year - Bed, Breakfast and Biking - were so successful that they have been expanded both numerically and in scope for this year.

They've changed the name, too, to Eastern Shore Escapes. There will be 21 ecotourism getaway weekends, focusing on biking, birding and kayaking and including the lower, middle and upper peninsula regions.

Each package includes lodging at a quaint bed and breakfast on Friday and Saturday nights, home-cooked breakfast Saturday and Sunday, catered picnic lunch on Saturday, Eastern Shore-style dinner of freshly harvested vegetables and seafood Saturday night, expert local guides and access to some pretty neat places you might never find on your own.

Birding weekends begin in April, biking in May and kayaking in June. Per-person package prices start at $195 for biking, $220 for birding and $225 for kayaking.

For you people who don't already know it, the Eastern Shore of Virginia is a whole 'nother world. It's something you ought to experience. These weekend getaways are a first-class operation. Info: (888) VA SHORE (that's 82-74673). JAMESTOWN REVEILLE

More than 300 re-enactors, veterans and Virginia Army National Guard personnel - the lineal descendants of the Colonial militia - will set up camp and demonstrate the evolution of military power from ancient times to the present during the 14th annual Military Through the Ages program at Jamestown Settlement from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and next Sunday.

Visitors will be able to tour about 30 re-enactment camps - from ancient Rome and the Middle Ages to the American Revolution and the 20th century - and talk to the men and women who portray soldiers and their families. There will be a pass-in-review at 3 on Sunday.

Admission is $9.75 for adults, $4.75 for children 6-12. Jamestown Settlement is at the intersection of Virginia Route 31 and the Colonial Parkway southwest of Williamsburg. Info: (757) 253-4838. FROM HERE TO THERE

The Mariners' Museum in Newport News is sponsoring an all-inclusive, 15-day trip to ``Italy's Enchanting Ports'' May 15-29. Stops include Genoa, Portofino, Venice, Ravenna and Sorrento as well as Florence and Rome. Cost is $3,854 for museum members, $3,954 for non-members, and includes round-trip air from Norfolk. Reservations must be made by April 1 and include a $500 deposit. Info: (800) 581-7245. CULTURAL INSIGHTS

The Virginia Historical Society in Richmond is hosting an exhibit called ``Back of the Big House: The Cultural Landscape of the Plantation,'' which was ousted from the Library of Congress within hours of its opening because of its graphic depiction of slavery. The exhibit closes March 31.

On March 17, the society will open an exhibit called ``Commonwealth and Community: The Jewish Experience in Virginia,'' which traces Jewish life in the Old Dominion from the 1600s to the present. The exhibit runs through Sept. 14.

The museum is at the corner of Boulevard and Kensington (take exit 78 south off I-64). Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-5 Sundays; admission is $4 for adults, $2 children. Info: (804) 358-4901. HONORS LIST

The American Automobile Association recently bestowed its prestigious 1997 Four Diamond Award on the following area establishments:

Lodging - Page House Inn B&B, Norfolk; Founders Inn & Conference Center, Virginia Beach; Kingsmill Resort, Williamsburg; Liberty Roe B&B, Williamsburg; Tides Inn and Tides Lodge Resort and Country Club, Irvington.

Restaurants - Le Chambord, Virginia Beach; Regency Dining Room at Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg. MEMO: Travelwise is compiled from wire-service reports, news releases,

trade journals, books, magazines and the deepest recesses of the

writer's mind. Send comments and questions to Travelwise, The

Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va. 23501-0449; phone (757) 446-2904. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT

Military Through the Ages will be held at Jamestown next weekend.

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