We are not having our usual party with friends this year and so are thinking of doing something different for thanksgiving, H suggested going down to some place near DC for the weekend (S is there, plus it should be warmer than Boston). We would drive down there with D, possibly Wed night.
Can anyone suggest a good place near DC (preferably within an hour’s drive)? We’d like to rent a cottage/apt/house for the weekend. If the weather is decent, we’d love to get out for a bike ride or a long walk. A beach town or a state/national park perhaps? Thanks!
Williamsburg is way more than an hour from DC, more like 2.5 (without traffic).
You probably know this, but traffic on Thanksgiving Wednesday is pretty awful from Boston to NY to DC. And on that Sunday can be really bad. I would leave Saturday (or least go part way Sat night).
It really depends on what you want. Eastern Shore is lovely, but will be a bit cold that time of year. St. Michaels has some quaint places to say and good bike riding.
In the other direction, Harpers Ferry or some place into Virginia? Not a lot of National Parks in that area.
It will really not be much warmer than in Boston for Thanksgiving. We visited one year when it snowed!
Washington itself will be dead, but it is not a federal holiday on Friday so pubic museums should be open. I agree the traffic on the way down will be horrible and on Sunday will be even worse.
There are lovely walker/biker trails going on for miles and miles along the Potomac river on both sides. On the VA side, you can bike and look over to DC, visit Mt. Vernon and some islands, etc. On the MD side, you can bike along the old C&O canal towpath and go as far as you like (although it gets rough).
Great Falls national park is on both sides of the river. The falls are amazing (and scary) and there are good hiking trails, rock climbing, kayaking, etc. Be careful though, it is deadlier than it looks.
There is also Rock Creek Park, right in DC, and some of the roads close to cars on weekends so biking is even nicer than although it is accessible all the time.
There are a couple of good restaurants out in the countryside - L’auberge Chez Francois, and The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm. I would call and make a reservation NOW if you are thinking of such a busy weekend.
Harper’s Ferry isn’t that far, and it’s a world away. There is also a Voltaggio restaurant nearby in Frederick, MD.
You could stay on D.C., and consider eating in Alexandria, VA on thanksgiving. You could go to Mt. Vernon while there. You can rent bikes and ride them along the C and O canal, or through Beach Drive, which they close to cars on the weekend. There’s a path called capital crescent that goes from Georgetown to Bethesda MD. You can also ride on paths all the way from Georgetown to Mount Vernon via Alexandria.
Yes Williamsburg is far outside of DC but I got the feeling you were looking for other than DC itself.
That being said DC is wonderful. The Smithsonian Museums and the National Zoo are open on Thanksgiving Day and you won’t have any crowds. We used to take the kids there while the turkey was cooking. It won’t be warm but probably milder than Boston. Thanksgiving dinner at the Mount Vernon Inn is something memorable. If you are an active group, the bike ride along the Potomac River from DC to Mount Vernon is nice.
I agree that Alexandria is fun. Our S lives in Arlington, which is also a nice area. DuPont Circle/Foggy Bottom is said to be rather nice as well. You can catch a boat ride from Alexandria, which is fun too.
Check out Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It’s about an hour from DC… We’ve went to a wedding in the area and enjoyed it. We stayed at the Inn at Perry Cabin, which was very nice. St Michaels is a fun town–interesting shops and eateries.
I’ve gone to DC from NY for way too many Thanksgiving weekends. The drive is a nightmare. We’ve always really enjoyed DC once we are there though! I like the C and O canal, the parks along the Potomac are beautiful and the museums can’t be beat. (Glen Echo park has both the C and O canal AND the Potomac River. Easy biking.) All that said, it’s only marginally warmer than Boston.
If you want to avoid driving you can take the train to Union station. Baltimore has the Inner Harbor and that is about a 45 minute to an hour drive from DC. I mentioned National Harbor earlier which is very similar. Stores will be open Thanksgiving day. Take advantage of commuting around with metro.
There is also the Vamoose bus from New York which is quite reliable. http://www.vamoosebus.com/
Thanks for the suggestions so far. I’ll have to do some research into some of the places mentioned here. We have been to DC many many times and love being there. Worst case, we could just spend the weekend right there in DC. Annapolis is also on the list - we loved it when we were there last.
I completely agree that the drive will be horrendous. We might leave earlier than wednesday - which will help, but if we were to come back Sunday, that will be a big problem.
A lot of people leave on Tuesday instead of Wednesday these days to avoid the traffic. We go from the MD suburbs to Bayonne and while it’s normally 4.25 hours, we count on at least seven at Thanksgiving. We drive back to DC on Saturday since my BIl and SIL head to Lancaster after Thanksgiving (!) and the traffic is generally fine, excpet near manjor shopping centers right off I-95 (most notably exit 67 on the north side of Baltimore).
Be sure you have an EZPass.
Ditto the folks recommending Annapolis.
Two hours out of DC (and you could go down I-81 and avoid the I-95 mess) is Charlottesville.
The Kennett Square, PA area is also nice (west of Phila). You’re not far from Valley Forge (and the King of Prussia mall), and Longwood Gardens which is close to Kennett Square does quite a holiday getup. There’s also Winterthur (DuPont estate/museum), Brandywine Museum of Art (lots of Wyeth paintings), Nemours Mansion (more DuPont), and some wineries and battlefields.
CountingDown has given you some great suggestions. If you decide to head to Charlottesville, I would recommend taking 66 to 29S - there’s still traffic, but not quite the volume of trucks one will see on 81.
We usually go to Shenandoah and Charlottesville via 66 to 29 (also a nice drive, and there is a good ice cream stand in Warrenton), but if they are coming from NY, they can take I-78 from NY to I-81. If they can avoid 66, they’ll also miss the delightful drive that is the Beltway.
I find I-81 much less hassle than I-95, even with the trucks. We take 270 to the Beltway 495 to 66 to 81 to 77 to 20 to get to my dad’s in eastern GA. I-95 north from Richmond is a mess at pretty much any time of day. Went to see the Redskins’ preseason training camp a couple years ago with S2 and his buddy, and it took us 4+ hours to get the 106 miles home. I-81 is a prettier drive, too.