I will be moving to DC and will miss living near the shore. I have been wondering where DC natives go for short beach vacations or have weekend beach houses as I may have to find a beach cottage for a regular escape from the city. Are there sandy beaches on Chesapeake Bay or should I keep driving to DE/MD Atlantic shore? I don't go for boardwalk amusements or rowdy crowds although I do like good restaurants and art galleries. I would like to find a quiet, quaint beach town (few or no condo/strip malls) with history and a few restaurants and shops for convenience. Kind of like Annapolis or St. Michael's with a sandy beach. What about north or south of DC? Would like to keep the drive to about 3 1/2 hours at most. Any advice is appreciated.

Chesapeake beaches aren't going to be your idea of a beach. First, there aren't that many, and what there are have to have sand brought in. Otherwise, it's pretty much like a muddy riverside in most places. We go out to the Atlantic beaches in Delaware, such as Rehoboth or Bethany, or down to Maryland (Ocean City is board-walky honky tonk) on Assategue Island, which is lovely but a longer drive (4hrs?).

During the summer, Washingtonians divide along north-south lines: some head in a herd up to Cape Cod an the Islands; the others head in a herd down to the Outer Banks (about 6 hrs.). Both are lovely, of course.

You probably won't find exactly what you 'd like (Annapolis w/beach), but try Bethany or Duck.

Coming from the Northeast, I know the Cape and islands well, also the Hamptons on Long Island, and was surprised that Washingtonians would go that far although I can understand why. Ok,ok, I can go for a longer drive than 3 1/2 hours if necessary for a beach breather. Where would be a nice place to purchase a weekend beach cottage? I like the beaches no matter what time of year and will probably go as many weekends as I can from DC. Thanks for your ideas.

It seems like most people I know go to Reheboth or Ocean City. The Washington Post seems to routinely do a special issue (in the Weekend section on Fridays) on the various beaches, comparing them. It comes out once a year, I think, you should be able to get it for a few bucks from their archives. Last year I believe it was on 5/26/00 and was titled "The Beach Index".

If I had the money for a cottage, I'd get something on the Outer Banks, either north of Nags Head (Southern Shores, Duck, Corolla) or south of the seashore (Avon, Waves, Rodanthe, Hatteras). It may take a little longer to get here, but the beaches are spectacular.

Bethany, etc. are nice and much closer, but before you buy anything, I'd check out the possibilities.

In Balamer we go downeyoshun in the summers, hon. Oshuncity is Balamer Beach. You got steamed crabs, Natty Boh, the boardwalk, and the Oh's on the radio.

Washingtonians go to Rehoboth Beach, rent a house, and work on their laptops/cell phones, and read serious books all week. If they are snobbish Washingtonians (Hmmm...may be an oxymoron) they go to Nags Head and do the same.

We have always enjoyed Chincoteague Island, Virginia. Over the past 25+ years we've stayed in everything from luxury B&Bs to cottages, motels, and trailers (there are also campsites, but we don't camp). The beach is Assateague National Seashore. You can't live right on the beach, but the wildlife refuge between the island town and the seashore is well worth the "inconvenience." We've rented boats, gone crabbing, biking and hiking. It is a charming little place, just perfect for a weekend out of the city.

When I moved here (8 years ago) I came with the perception that DC was an adequete beach town...maybe a couple of hour drive.

Unfortuantely, it can be a big hastle as the beach traffic can turn a 3 hour drive into a 4-5 hour hike.

All things being equal...

I like the quiet beaches of Duck, NC.

-Tony

Wow, thanks everyone for your ideas. There seems to be alot of variety. I had never even thought about the Outer Banks because I thought it was too far away. How long of a drive is it from DC to Duck or Corolla? Tony, can you describe the Duck town/neighborhood - I too like quiet. I read a few previous posts on beaches and I wonder what kind of beaches there are in Delaware, MD, and NC. When I went to Hilton Head, SC,the beach was wide with sand that was flat and hard enough to ride a bike on. Will I find more loose dry sand more north? I like that kind of sand much better probably because that is what I grew up with in the Northeast. Maybe I should start by renting a cottage first. Bethany, Rehoboth, or Duck to start? Can you rent a cottage on Assateague shore or is there a hotel? Will mosquitoes/flies/jellyfish be more of a problem in the warmer more humid midatlantic region? Again, thanks for your help everyone. As you can see, I can't wait for the warm weather to return.

Getting to the beach from D.C. is a project. I rarely go because of the traffic. Friends who are braver than I often avoid the Sunday night traffic jams by leaving very early on Monday morning, and just going straight to work (of course, then you hit rush hour traffic in D.C.).

I'm not sure how long the trip is to the Outer Banks. As a rough guideline, I just drove to Chapel Hill, and that took 4.5 hours at top speed on highways with no traffic.

There just isn't a good choice nearby. Most people I know head to Rehoboth, but I'm not sure that's what you're looking for.