I am going to D.C. over Labor Day weekend with my wife to visit my brother and sister. Our group has already been to all the sights in the city and are looking for a day trip that would be different and fun. We have been to Anapolis and Charlottesville already. Thank you for any suugestions.

The Annapolis waterfront is nice to walk around and have dinner, but there's not a lot else to do there. I've only been to Charlottesville once and what I remember about it was that there were a lot of used book stores and shops. Have you considered Old Town Alexandria? Or Baltimore? If you like baseball you could even take in a game if the Orioles are in town that weekend.

If you want to splurge you could go to dinner at The Inn at Little Washington. Expect to pay about $100 per person, though. I wish I could say I have been there, but I haven't. If I was your brother I would love it! It's also definitely different--- It's not everynight you pay $100 for dinner.

Ooops, misread your post--- I thought you were asking about going to Charlottesville and Annapolis. Sorry 'bout that.

How far are you willing to drive? Have you ever been to the Williamsburg area? My husband and I recently had lunch at The Trellis restaurant (fantastic food!) and within a few blocks' walk from the restaurant are lots of shops (candy shops, clothing, local wines/food) - all classy. You could also spend a few hours at Jamestown, which is close by. Colonial Williamsburg is an option, too. Enjoy your weekend, whatever you decide to do.

Richmond, Va; Fredericksburg, Va; Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia; Gettysburg, PA; Frederick, MD; St Michaels, MD. All these places have attractions that would appeal to visitors and seem to be within your distance range.

Hello,
We took the rolling Virginia foothill routes (193/7/9) from DC to Harper's Ferry WVa.
Beautiful trip and HF is an interesting little bit of history in a beautiful setting.

Another day trip suggestion is a bike ride down the C&O Canal out to the Great Falls of the Potomac park. About 25 mile round trip. Pretty flat, tree lined with a few nice places to stop and take it all in. Rent bikes in Georgetown and you're right there.

Good luck.
Kal

I agree with the Frederick MD and Harpers Ferry suggestions. A weekend isn't that long to spend part of it elsewhere. If you really want to spend the money, you could easily do a day trip to Philadelphia by train. Baltimore would probably be an idea, also, they have a very good art museum there, and the aquarium.

Thanks for all the ideas. I will have to discuss with the others and we'll take it from there.

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Our favourite day trips are (apart from Annapolis and Charlottesville!) St Michael's MD and Harpers Ferry. Both lovely days out.

I agree with Harper's Ferry. It's only about 1 hour from DC. If you like to hike, the Appalachian Trail runs through there, or you can bike on the C&O canal (miles 60-70 are the best on the entire route).

Hi! We were just in DC last week and did a day trip to Gettyburg. Very quaint and fun town, not as "touristy" as I thought and had heard. The battlefields were amazing. We bought a CD for $20 that led us through all the battlefields, complete with canons in the background. We really enjoyed it. It was an easy 1.5 hour trip. Have fun.

There are some surprisingly good wineries in the area of Middleburg, VA (about an hour away), and the Ashby Inn in Paris, VA is right nearby as well and has great food - not sure if they're open for lunch, but an early dinner there might be a nice way to end your day in horse country, and then you're a very easy drive back to the city.

And I absolutely second the suggestion of Inn at Little Washington - heaven on earth, but VERY expensive, and the drive home isn't so much fun after a 5-course meal and several glasses of wine.

Deb-where did you get the CD? Is there a visitors' center?

I'd have to second Gettysburg. It's an easy day trip however you can also spend a lot more time if you're interested in the Civil War. Rather than get a CD, I'd strongly recommend hiring a Licensed Battlefield Guide. For $35 (plus tip), they drive your car around the battlefields and give you a personal 2 hour tour. Money very well spent!! You sign up at the Visitor's Center.

When we were in the area a couple of weeks ago, we took a day to go up to Baltimore. Went to Ft. McHenry & then over to the Inner Harbor area. There, as mentioned before, is the National Aquarium - they have an outdoor seal pool you can observe without going into the aquarium. You can tour the USS Constellation - a civil war era sailing warship, the USS Torsk - a world war II submarine, & the Chesapeake - a lighthouse ship. The area is great for people watching. There is also a Hard Rock Cafe & ESPN Zone there. Also sometimes concerts are setup outside. & there are a couple of buildings with shops & restaurants in them, with one of the buildings having some seafood places(having Maryland blue crabs - steamed, softshell, crabcakes, crab imperial, I miss it already). Camden Yards is just a few blocks up the road from the inner harbor. This is 1 of my favorite areas to visit for a day from DC, have been there many times. There are also paddle boats for rent in the Inner Harbor, & if you so desire, there are water taxis that will go between there & Ft. McHenry. Then there is always the Little Italy area for fantastic food for dinner.

My husband is a submarine nut. Besides Baltimore, are there other submarines located near Washington DC open for public viewing? Thanks.

Ann, you buy the CD at the visitor center. E-mail me if you have any more questions. We had a great time!

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