Looking for a great vacation spot near Baltimore
 

Our son will be attending Bucknell University this fall. We would like to spend Easter week somewhere within a 3-4 hour drive (max) from Baltimore and/or Harrisburg area.

We will be coming from southern California (Laguna Beach). We typically vacation in Kauai or Cabo during that week. With our older son in school, we would like to travel to the east coast this year. We are unfamiliar with the area and looking for recommendations on places to stay or see on the east coast. We would prefer to rent a home on the beach, but a hotel is not out of the question. We are looking for an upscale area, but not too commercialized.

Any suggestions on must sees would be appreciated!

Easter 2010 is April 4. You will be early for a beach type vacation in New Jersey or Delaware. The shore communities in this area will not yet be open for the season.

You mention Baltimore which has a lot to offer. Each time we visit we find more there to explore. If you have not yet been there, Washington, DC would be another possibility where you could easily spend a week and you will be there for the cherry blossums.

Upscale?

Gettysburg, Baltimore, Annapolis or DC. All have much to offer depending upon your tastes.

I live in Baltimore and these are my favorite beach destinations at any time of year. We often go to both of them in the winter--they aren't Hawaii and won't be bikini weather but are beautiful nonetheless.

Rehobeth, DE: Rehobeth has restaurants open all year. An upscale hotel we can recommend is the Boardwalk Plaza Hotel, right on the ocean, few blocks from scores of restaurants, Sunday brunch to die for, nicely done faux Victorian. There is history nearby in Lewes, DE as well as a beach you can walk on forever at Cape Henlopen State Park.
http://www.boardwalkplaza.com/

Cape May, NJ: Drive to Lewes, DE and take the ferry to Cape May. Numerous Victorian B and B's, great restaurants. Bigger than Rehobeth. Very nice hotel is The Congress Hall Hotel (also good restaurant). http://www.congresshall.com

It sounds as if you are looking for a non-city vacation. If so, then I'd also recommend Shepardstown, WV as a destination from where you will be located. The Thomas Shepard Inn is first rate. http://www.thomasshepherdinn.com/ Nearby Harper's Ferry and Charlestown provide much to do/see with excellent restaurants.

Best wishes for your trip.

Sorry, I skipped over the beach part!

Cape May is really neat. Atlantic City and casinos may or may not be your thing.

It sounds like you might like the St Michael's/Oxford area of Maryland's eastern shore. I suggest you go to VRBO.com and take a look at the houses for rent. We did this last summer and ended up with a beautiful house with a swimming pool and big yard leading to a dock on a wide creek just off the Miles River. It is a lovely area. St Michael's is a somewhat touristy area with lots of shops and places to eat, as well as a great maritime museum. You can catch a boat trip from the musuem - maybe even a skipjack trip if you're lucky. Oxford is quiet and scenic. The topography of the area is very flat so bicycling is popular. A favorite trip of ours is to ride from St Michaels to Oxford. We take the Oxford-Belleview ferry across the Tred Avon right into Oxford, where we spend the afternoon eating crabs before heading back.

Yes, early April is a great time for all the blooming flowers, trees ans shrubs in this area. If you are in DC a visit to the National Arboretum would be a must.

Keep in mind, though, that it will probably still be cold around here during Easter.

Our posts crossed in mail, weimarer. I was referring to it being cold for the beach/bay. April is a great time to visit DC.

Thank you all for your suggestions and info. I will look into the home rental with VRBO.