The season of summer vacations is, mercifully, almost here. If you aren’t able to escape D.C. (and your job) for an entire week, perhaps a two- or three-day trip can be arranged. Last year, DCist highlighted Shenandoah National Park, Rehoboth Beach, Baltimore, Harpers Ferry, Gettysburg, and Atlantic City, N.J. as some of the best quick trips away from the city. Below are six more places where Washingtonians can escape to for a weekend trip.
Photo by Sarah Anne Hughes.
ASSATEAGUE ISLAND: Camping on the beach, beautiful trails to hike and bike, and wild horses on the roads: What more do you want from a trip away from the city? The Maryland side of Assateague Island, which is partially located in Virginia, is about as far from D.C. as the popular Ocean City, Md., but boy is it a world apart. Peaceful and inexpensive, it offers a day at the beach with nature as your boardwalk. Camp sites are $25 per night and dogs are welcome. Make your reservations now for this summer. They go fast. —Sarah Anne Hughes
The Maryland side of Assateague Island is 138 miles from Washington, D.C.
EASTERN SHORE: As someone who went to college on the Eastern Shore, I have a lot of bad things to say about it. But I’ll also be the first person to defend it, because, well, parts of it are absolutely gorgeous and make for a fine weekend away. Obviously, there’s the string of beaches stretching from Maryland to Virginia, each of which has its own distinct culture (Ocean City for a trashy good time circa your early twenties, Rehoboth for a cultured-but-trashy good time, circa your late twenties and beyond.) But their are other parts of the shore that also offer vastly different experiences: Assateague and Chincoteague both offer a kind of nature-centric, quiet weekend escape, without the boozy raucousness of Ocean City. And there’s Salisbury, where I went to school. You should avoid it. — Matt Cohen
Courtesy The Treehouse Camp.
MAPLE TREE CAMPGROUND: With its proximity to Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, there are no shortages of places to camp near D.C. But, as I’m a sucker for novelty, I’d recommend the Maple Tree Campground in Rohrersville, Md. There, for $43 a night, you can rent a tree house in the woods. Or for $138 a night, you can rent — wait for it — the Hobbit Cottage, seen above. The campground is ten minutes away from Harpers Ferry and the Antietam Battlefield, as well as places to hike, swim, tube and raft. —Sarah Anne Hughes
Maple Tree Campground is 66 miles from Washington, D.C.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA: While I’ve had friends in the Charlottesville area for some time, a college lacrosse game finally gave me the impetus to make the drive down for a visit. The colonnaded lawn and Thomas Jefferson-designed rotunda at the heart of the University of Virginia’s campus makes for one of America’s best college strolls. See some of the coolest upper classmen dorm rooms you’ll find anywhere, or join students and locals alike on the historic downtown pedestrian mall for a range of local and international cuisine, a live band, and a local beer or fine cocktail. There’s lots of presidential history outside of the city limits in Jefferson’s Monticello and James Madison’s Montpelier. But if you’re not so museum inclined, take the country roads to the towns and vineyards in between. Drive out to Gordonsville’s Barbeque Exchange to sample a slew of sauces including several ghost pepper varieties or just revel in the pulled pork on its own. Vegetarians can even enjoy a smoked tofu sandwich. There’s a cidery and many wineries to choose from. Be sure to include the not-so-glitzy Burnley Vineyards on your tour, an all-in-the-family run operation out of what looks like a ’50s era rec room from the outside. —Josh Novikoff
Charlottesville is 117 miles from Washington, D.C.
Photo by Jeremy Thompson.
KNOEBELS AMUSEMENT RESORT: This destination just squeaks in at under 200 miles from D.C., but it’s worth the trip to Elysburg, Pa. Why am I telling you to go to a small town in coal country? Knobels Amusement Resort, America’s best free admission amusement park that just happens to be stuck in the middle of some very beautiful nature. Come for the haunted house, stay for the gorgeous view from the ferris wheel. Camp sites are $44 a night, while cabins are $130. If you get sick of riding ride and eating pierogies and pizza, Centralia — the site of a coal seam fire that’s been burning since the 1960s — is just a 30 minute drive. Who doesn’t want to see that? —Sarah Anne Hughes
Knoebels is 192 miles from Washington, D.C.
OLD RAG MOUNTAIN: When a friend casually solicits suggestions—whether it be in person or via social media—for good weekend getaway, one of the more popular answers is the Shenandoah Valley. Sure, the Shenandoah Valley is gorgeous, but it’s also damn big. Writing “go to the Shenandoah Valley” when a friend on Facebook asks for weekend getaways isn’t exactly helpful. You might as well be saying “go to Virginia.” So, I’d like to point out a specific part of the vast valley area that’s worth your time: Old Rag Mountain. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, a mere two-and-a-half hour drive from D.C. (depending on traffic), hiking up the 3,284-foot mountain is about six miles—some of it quite rocky terrain. Not only does the top of the mountain have some of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen, but there’s a few camping sites prime for an overnight stay atop Old Rag. — Matt Cohen
Old Rag Mountain is 92 miles from Washington, D.C.
