I am new to the DC area and am looking for a quick, quiet weekend escape preferably not more than 2 hours drive and under $150/night. Any suggestions?

Wow! Ya know, whole books have been written on this subject...

Personally, my favorite quick weekend getaways have been to some of the quiet inns on the Eastern shore of Maryland, or down US 29 to Charlottesville, where there's plenty of historical sites, lots of charm, and an abundance of old B&B type places.

Harpers Ferry might be a good bet for you. So too would be Richmond (I like going in the summer when the AAA-level Richmond Braves are playing at the Diamond).

Baltimore. Gettysburg. Fredericksburg. Roller coasters at Kings Dominion. Camping on Old Rag. Driving the Skyline Drive. Exploring the caverns at Luray. Doing winery tours in Albemarle County. Poking around Civil War battlefields at Manassas or Antietam. Taking a sailing lesson on the Chesapeake.

How many ideas do you want??
;-)

Have fun!
Mark
www.tiogringo.com

All of TioGringo's advice is good. St. Michael's on the Eastern Shore is a nice touristy town on the water. With regards to going west of DC, Skyline Drive is fun- you may even have deer come up to your car- and Monticello is well worth visiting if you've never been.

I'll add Annapolis to the list.

Or, if you like nature - Shenandoah National Park.

Karen

Okay. obviously I should have been much more specific. I have a two-year old and my husband wants to send me away for a "night off." I am specifically looking for an inn or resort-type place that would be a relaxing place to stay for the weekend and might even offer massage or other spa options. I am looking for rest and rejuvenation more than touristy things to do. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd appreciate it. Sorry for being so vague before - it's the sleep deprivation.

Lisa, it would be a good idea if you provide your budget, such as the nightly rate you are willing to pay if you've given that any thought. Otherwise, you might get well intended though impractical ideas.

MikeB, Lisa did post her budget, $150/night or under.

Thanks for correcting me, obxgirl.

The Cheat River Lodge near the West Virginia-Virginia border is worth contempleting. Rents less than $ 100 a night, nice looking restaurant and most suites/cabins seem to have outdoor, private hot tubs for a little late night skinny dipping. Cheat River has a nice internet site with all the relevant information. As a father of four with one on the way, I envy the concept of getting away for a weekend.

It's about a 2.5 hour drive, but Hershey Hotel is a resort with spa and excellent onsite restaurant that sounds about right. And within a mile or so of the hotel, there are outlets for some shop therapy!

The Inn and Spa in Berkeley Springs, WV has a full service spa. It is about 1 1/2 hours out of DC.

I agree with SusieQQ, if you are looking for relaxation and a spa, there really is no other place to go than Berkeley Springs. The town is really lovely... It's FULL of full-service spas to check out! Also, antique shops to wander in and out of during a relaxing day... And there is an adorable old movie theater run by a woman who can tell you all sorts of wonderful stories! This link should get you started: http://www.berkeleysprings.com/

Have fun!

I haven't been to the spa, but the town of Berkeley Springs I found very disappointing. There were a couple of interesting shops, but that was it. Otherwise, it was full of touristy crap.

The area around there is beautiful, though. My husband and I planned to spend the weekend in Berkeley Springs, and ended up leaving after 2 hours. Spent the rest of the weekend driving around W.Va.

The antique stores were't on the main street. You'd have to just drive around and explore. On the main street is where the movie theater is, and next to one of the spas, across the street from the actual Berkeley Spring pump, is an antique/collectible store that I really liked. The Berkeley Spring pump that I referred to is just that... A pump where you can fill up water bottles of pure, wonderful, yummy Spring water for FREE!

We did explore--spent a full two hours trying very hard to find anything worthwhile in the town.

My recommendation is to drive a little further (2-3 hours depending on traffic) and visit Charlottesville. We stayed at a great B&B called 200 South Street. Close to UVA, within walking distance of the pedestrian mall and market. Good restaurants down there.

There are some good wineries nearby (Horton and Barboursville to name 2), and you can get to Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah easily from there. If you want history, you could visit Monticello (although we didn't on our trip).

Take I-66 and I-81S to Woodstock,VA exit 283 and stay at the River'd Inn. (800-637-4561) While there, drive up the Massanutten Mt to the Woodstock Tower and view the Bends of the Shenandoah River and valley below. See the old courthouse in town which is the the oldest continuously used one west of the Blue Ridge. About twenty minutes south of Woodstock is the covered bridge in Meem's Bottom, and about twenty minutes north of Woodstock is the Route 11 potato chip factory where you watch chips being made.
If you need more entertaiment, you can always watch the good ol' boys fishing the river.

I forgot to include that the drive time is 1 1/2 hours.