Weekend getaway close to home-NJ
 

My husband and I will be celebrating our 5th anniversary in April. We can only get away for a 4 day weekend, since my husband just started a new job and doesn't have the vacation time. We'd like somewhere within a 2-3 hour drive from central New Jersey. We'd like a nice hotel, maybe spa treatments, nice dinners and something to do/see during the day. NY city is the easy pick, but we'd like other ideas. Thanks!
(P.S. - I posted this on the general interest section and got good ideas, but I thought I'd get some more here!)

Have you looked into Winterthur and Longwood Gardens? Easy drive. Lots to see.
Can't recommend a hotel, but I'm sure there must be something nice in the area.

In the Brandywine Valley, very near to Longwood Gardens, check out the Inn at Whitewing Farm. I was there on a house tour - I did not see the guest rooms but the grounds were absolutely beautiful.

How about Philadelphia? They are having a "Salvador Dalí" exibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They have been advertising get away packages for this in the philadelphia inquier. It could be fun. You could go to old city and see the sights, take a carriage ride. Go to Penn's Landing and hit a club.

P.S.

You can also get on the speedline and take the train to the Atlantic City Casino one day also, if you stay in Philly.

Here's another vote for Philly. If you are at all interested in art, go to the Barnes Foundation right outside the City; it has an unbelievable collection of impressionist art and a fascinating history as well.

The Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA is a lovely spot for an anniversary celebration. I don't know if there are any local spas, and I don't believe the hotel has one. But the food was wonderful, the inn is gorgeous, and it's a great spot if you enjoy antique shopping. We got there from central NJ in about 2.5 hours.

1. St Michaels area of Maryland.

2. New Hope Pennsylvania area.

3. As mentioned above, the Brandywine area on the border of Pennsylvania and Delaware is a lovely area of the country. There are Longwood Gardens if you like gardens, and the Winterthur Museum if you are interested in colonial American and other antiques. The area around the river is charming as well. Take a look at http://www.longwoodgardens.org and http://www.winterthur.org. An inn to consider would be Inn at Montchanin Village in the Brandywine, Delaware area about 30 minutes south of Philadelphia. Go to http://www.montchanin.com or slh.com

4. Bay Head, Spring Lake or Cape May, New Jersey. For a list of B&B's go to http://www.jerseyboardwalk.com/bed.htm

In Bay Head and Spring Lake, hotels to consider would be:

Bay Head Gables Inn
200 Main Avenue
Bay Head NJ
732-892-9844
http://www.bayheadgables.com/

The Grenville
345 Main Ave.
Bay Head, NJ 08742
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (732) 892-0599
Fax: (732) 892-0599
http://www.thegrenville.com/

Has an excellent restaurant.

The Breakers
1507 Ocean Avenue
Spring Lake
Phone: (732) 449-7700 ~ Fax: (732) 449-0161
breakershotel.com

5. The Hudson River area just north of NYC and points further north in New York State. You can tour historic homes along the Hudson, such as the Vanderbilt Mansion or Kykuit the old Rockefeller Mansion. These and other homes of the "robber barons" of the late 19th and early 20th century are in the Hudson River Valley area, esp along the Hudson. Huge homes and acres of gardens and woodlands. Take a look at http://www.hudsonvalley.org/web/kyku-main.html. There is a lot to see and do in this area, including outdoor activities like hiking and canoeing. Take a look at t the New York State tourism website at http://www.iloveny.state.ny.us/

Hotels to consider:

The Emerson Inn and Spa in Temper, New York (the Catskill area), about 1.5 hours north of NYC airports. Go to http://www.the-emerson.com/ or slh.com

The Castle on the Hudson in Tarrytown (30 minutes from NYC). Go to http://www.castleonthehudson.com or slw.com

Mohonk Mountain House, in New Paltz New York, about 90 minutes from NYC. Check out their website at Mohonk.com

My husband & I went to Caeser's Pocono Palace over the summer and had a wonderful time! This resort, now owned by Starwood is a couple's only resort, as is 2 others they own (Cove Haven & Paradise Stream. They also have a family resort, Brookdale on the Lake).

Pocono Palace is not as big as Cove Haven but is larger than Paradise Stream. It is an all inclusive and serves 2 meals daily.

The resort is very well maintained and there were SO MANY THINGS TO DO- INDOORS & OUTDOORS (both with others, or by yourselves). I was a bit afraid of it being on the cheesy side before going, but was very pleasantly surprised. The clientele, for the most part, is a very nice group of intelligent people...(not trashy people that one might expect)There were all ages...which I found refreshing.

It truly makes for a fun-filled weekend!

Lisa