Chincoteague, VA sounds like the place for you. It's about 160 miles from DC, so 3 hrs or so, maybe a bit more. (Do not try to head out that way on Friday PM or Sat AM) The beaches in MD and DE will be very crowded in August. Chincoteague will have people as well, but it can only accomodate so many to begin with. You haved miles of deserted beach and dunes to roam there. Getting a house/cottage for less than a full week will be all but impossible anywhere in August. There are not loads of lodging options there, and some may be a bit too, let's just call it weathered, for you, but you can find something that suits you. Try the Refuge Inn in Chincoteague.

Depending on how important the beach is, you might also think about St. Michaels. I have not been there in years so can't make current lodging recommendations, except to agree with weimarer that a house for just a few days will likely not be an option in August. You wouldn't be on a beach, exactly, but the beach would be within day trip distance, as would Annapolis and some other little towns.

St. Michaels pops up in trip reports every once in a while - if you search you should find some relatively recent reports/suggestions.

P.S. I meant to add - don't underestimate how much time you can easily spend right in Washington, especially if you include Mt. Vernon/Arlington on your itinerary. I'm not disagreeing with getting out of DC, because it can be beastly in August, just saying that "a few days" will fill quickly.

Thanks for the recommendations, I will definitely check them out. Last time we went to DC, we were there for about 3 days and definitely didn't see everything we would have liked - could have easily stayed three times as long, but you know how it is - we use the time we have.

NM, now that I think of it, one spot that may work for only a few days is Lake Anna, in Central Virginia, so about 2 hrs from DC. It is a beautiful clear-watered lake, great for swimming, canoeing/kayaking along the shore. (manmade, yes, there is a nuclear plant on one end of it). Not that wide, but long, with lots of coves and inlets. A mixture of houses along the shore (but nicely done, not ugly) and much undeveloped wooded shoreline and open grassy pastures. Blue herons and bald eagles. You can also rent a power boat or a pontoon boat, although they probably run a couple hundred a day (plus gas, but you would not need to make any major expedition with it, just enough to get around a bit, maybe do some tubing). What I love about that lake is that it is dotted with many, many areas of small sandy beaches that you can just pull the boat up to and hang out on, even though it is on private property. Nobody cares, as long as you are not in front of their house, and there are so many areas to do that it is never a problem. Or just anchor in a secluded cove for a bit and hang out and swim.

It gets crowded on weekends in summer, but not during the week.

You are also right in the heart of the Piedmont, close to Charlottesville, Monticello, Montpelier, Civil War battlefields, many wineries in the area, beautiful countryside, etc.

Anyway, another possibility that sounds like it would fit with what you describe to some extent, although it is not the coast. Can't say for sure, but I would bet that a nice lakeside place here for only a few days can be done.

A couple of things to think about. The Eastern shore on the Chesapeake Bay is very humid and buggy in the summer. It is much more bearable to be on the ocean because of the breeze (still very humid). So if you decide to leave DC and head to the water, I would recommend that you go to Rehoboth Beach (see the Delaware board for more in depth info about all the positive reasons) if you want interesting shops, day trips to historical towns (including a ferry ride from Lewes, DE to Cape May, NJ) discount outlet no-tax shopping, and great restaurants. Avoid Rehoboth if you can't handle crowds and traffic because it is at its very worst in August.

I'd second the suggestion of beaching at Chincoteague, VA if you want an August ocean experience without crowds and traffic. It won't be nearly as crowded. But you cannot stay directly on the ocean. You stay on the bayside and drive to the ocean from your lodging.

There is a ton of stuff to do in the DC area. You could easily have a fine time spending most of your week in town and maybe take a two-day trip out into the Virginia countryside to see Shenandoah National Park, the Skyline Drive, Charlottesville, Luray Caverns, and the many Civil War and historic sites located within a few hours drive of DC. Visit the Virginia board for more info.

Wherever you stay in or right outside of DC, park your car at your hotel and take the metro. Since it will be hot and humid you will want to take the metro as close as possible to each destination. We have a great metro system and it is supplemented by metrobus. It will be a much more stressful vacation if you try to drive in DC.

When driving away from DC to either the beach or the Virginia countryside, please be sure to time your departure for either the middle of the day (after 10 and before 3 pm) or late at night (after 8 pm) or early in the morning (around 5 to 6 am) to increase your chances of avoiding potential gridlock on the highways. If you are from California you are probably very familiar with traffic jams but I imagine you'd like to avoid them on vacation.

Agreeing with everything above. Especially watch drive time on a Friday afternoon. Also, Chesapeake Bay bridge can get backed up on Saturday mornings as well. Listen to WTOP (103.5 FM) for traffic reports on the "8's".

Solomon's Island might be out of your way for the rest of your travels but it's something to look at for water sports.

Closer to DC is Annapolis, Md. St. Michael's and even Easton.

Have you been to Cape May?

Thanks for all the responses - this is really great. I am putting the list of possibilities together for the family to look at. If anybody has any other ideas, let me know.

We are ready for the humidity. We plan to take it slow for those in the group who aren't accustomed to the humidity. My husband and I went to Singapore and Bali last year and to Louisiana in the summer the year before that - we are pretty good in the humidity.

The traffic pattern info is definitely helpful - I live in the SF Bay Area and am always advising people on this board about traffic patterns.

Lake Anna is someplace I never would have thought of for a vacation, but it looks really neat. The nuclear plant doesn't bother me - I work in the power generation industry and my company does work for that plant The only downside of vacationing near the plant is that my family will ask me work-related questions during my vacation. Or perhaps I can stop in for a few hours, chat with some folks at the plant, call it business development, and get the company to pay for my airfare. Hmmmm...now there's an idea.

Doing more research...

Chincoteague, VA looks like it might be just up our alley. It is a little further from DC than we were originally thinking, but still within range. My husband is very much into photography and the wildlife refuge there and national seashore would be perfect for him. And my mom pretty much just wants to relax - I think she could be perfectly content to sit on some sand dune with a book and a cool drink and watch the tide change.

weimarer - I see what you mean about the lodging being a bit weathered, but fortunately we don't need luxury, so that's fine. As long as places are clean and reasonably comfy, we don't mind if they are outdated.

I went to Cape May with a friend in November and thought it was great - the weather didn't cooperate with us that day though. It rained like crazy, the waves were very large, part of the town flooded... But - we had a terrific time and I would love to go back when the weather is better. The town was absolutely darling - I am a sucker for Victorians.