Day trips from the DC area

[dinesh75]

Hey guys, I live in MD, in the DC area. I wanted to know if there were decent day trips I could take (with my girlfriend) (at most 1.5 hrs away). She likes something quirky and fun and I am open to anything. This is our first trip together and this is an experiment of sorts to see if we are compatible (hence the fairly short drive).

I have thought of Gettysburg, and Antietam. I am also toying with the idea of the military museum at Aberdeen.

What do you guys suggest?

Thanks.

[Foy]

Hello dinesh75,

Just off the top of my head:

The new US Marine Corps museum at Quantico, VA
Culpeper/Brandy Station battlefields (down US 29). Somewhere in the Culpeper vicinity is a fully legal "moonshine" distillery which I believe offers tours.
The wineries in the vicinity of Barboursville, VA.
Wilderness/Chancellorsville/Fredricksburg VA battlefields
Richmond's Shockoe Bottom shops, restaurants, and bars (somewhat over your 1.5 hour radius).
Petersburg's Old Town along the Appomattox River.
Fort Lee, VA, an active US Army post with the Army's Quartermaster Museum and the Museum of the Women of the US Army.
Petersburg's Crater battlefield and the Museum of the Civil War Soldier.

I'd say the latter 3 locales are more like 2-2.25 hours from DC.

Foy

[CalOldBlue]

Annapolis (not just a naval academy); lots of restaurants/shops/watering holes, take a ride on the water.

Lancaster PA/Amish country.

Philadelphia. Great museums and cheesesteaks.

DuPont country in southern PA/northern DE.

Alexandria/Mt. Vernon (maybe TOO local?).

If you do Antietam, you can fit Harper's Ferry easily into the same day.

If you do Gettysburg (and have time left), you can swing through "Amish-Land" on the way back to MD.

In the unlikely event one or both of you are Terrapin fans: circle 9/5 at 10pm for a great game. In a quirk of poor planning on my part, I'll actually be in MD when my Bears meet the Terps @ Memorial Stadium.

[dinesh75]

Thanks guys!

Foy, as usual you had excellent specific ideas. Do you have any similar idea for the MD? I live in MD, so if I wanted to visit any place in VA, I will spend more than half the time driving to get out of the general region!

Currently, I am thinking of going to a loca farm, do some farm picking (she is very much into local farms etc) then heading up to Mt. Airy for some wine tasting. There is a vegan winery there.

[glc]

Why not just wander around the Eastern Shore?