3 day vacation near Washington, D.C.
 

We are going to spend a week in Washington in October for the first time and then would like to spend a weekend outside of the city. We are unfamiliar with the area and would like some suggestions.

How far do you want to travel? I'm biased, but I think that Charlottesville would make a great three-day trip (it's about 2 1/2 hours from DC). You can visit Monticello, tour the University of Virginia (designed by Jefferson), visit vineyards, drive up to Shenandoah National Park, walk around the outdoor downtown mall, or catch a UVA football game. It's a beautiful area to visit in the fall. One warning: if you come in October you should check the UVa home football schedule and check to see if UVA has any major events such as parents' weekend. There are many hotels and inns in the areas, but they can fill up at those key times. Good luck!

It really depends on what you're looking for. You can to to the ocean, Rehoboth in Delaware or Ocean City Maryland, which can be nice in October. Charlottesville, as suggested by Lisa18, is good option. If you're into Civil War history, Gettysburg is close as well as other battlefields. Annapolis is a nice town on the water. And there's Baltimore if you want to see another city.

All good suggestions. What time of October are you visiting? I have been to Gettysburg and the Shenandoah in October, and both were nice then. However, when we went to the Shenandoah in mid-October this year, it was a about a week or so too early for good leaf color.

Harper's Ferry is less than an hour by train or auto. Spend one of the day's in nearby Shepardstown. Even better, rent bikes one day and ride along the C&O canal to Shepardstown from Harper's Ferry (about 1 hr by bike): gorgeous!! There are great places to eat and shop there before the return ride.

http://www.nps.gov/hafe/home.htm

http://www.shepherdstownvisitorscenter.com/

Alexandria, VA is across the Potomac from DC. Plenty of good restaurants and shopping around King Street to the Waterfront. Also the arts center at the Torpedo Factory. You'll drive through it on your way to Mount Vernon, so stop and walk around for a while. The GW Parkway is a nice drive and will take you up to Great Falls Park.

If you have time, drive about 40 minutes outside of DC to the Middleburg, VA area. You can visit wineries, some of which are good (such as Chyrsalis, Naked Mountain, Linden), or the shops in Middleburg. The Shenandoah National Park and surrounding area is also pretty that time of year.

Or drive into Maryland and visit Annapolis.

It really does depend what you are looking for -- city vs. country. It also depends on what kind of transportation you hve. I think the idea of Harpers Ferry/Shepherdstown is good (it is not less than an hour, I've driven there several times--it's hard to get across town in less than an hour), and you could easily go to Philadelphia for the weekend, also, by train. I sure wouldn't go to the beach in October myself. The leaves are beautiful in October, so something in Virginia or W. Virginia might be nice. Baltimore is an option, of course.

I would go to Annapolis, Md. It's not that far away, and it's a beautiful town. Couldn't go wrong there.

You could backpack down the Maryland portion of the Appalachian Trail.... I don't know how adventurous you are, but if you are looking for an EXPERIENCE, that sure would be tops!

Depends on what you want, beach or historical sites. Rehoboth is a great place to visit, the place has nice outlets and no taxes on anything. I love visiting the Sea Shell Shop on Route 1 as it has neat nautical items.

I'd second Lisa's recommendation if you want historical.

Charlottesville and Annapolis are my top choices - great towns with attractions and restaurants and also fun to "chill" in. Middleburg doesn't deserve more than a day (it's cute, but not that much to see/do).

Annapolis is a really great little city. It was the capitol of the United States at one time and was home to four signers of the Declaration of Independence. We have cobble stone street, a magnificient state house, the United States Naval Academy, and some of the best seafood around. There's good hotels like Marriott waterfront, Loews, O'Callaghans, Sheraton Barcelo, plus lots of neat B & B's.

Good luck choosing!

2 questions: How far is Annapolis from Washington? Is there public transportation? I read on another post that there is no public transportation on the weekends?

Hi again

Annapolis is approximately 30 miles east of Downtown DC. You can take the Metro from downtown to New carrollton and there are buses that will then go on to Annapolis.

As to public transportation from DC to Annapolis on weekends - I'm not sure of that - you could check on the Metro internet site. There are buses and cabs that operate between Washington and Annapolis.

Are you flying into Washington cause you would need transportation to get to any of these weekend destinations?

Good luck with your choice.