Hi all

I'm visiting a friend in the DC area over July 4th weekend. I get in around 4 pm on Saturday, and leave around 4 pm on Tuesday out of Dulles. Any suggestions for good road trips to do in the DC/Virginia area? I have some ideas so far, but I'm not sure what would be best for July. I have considered visiting the Shenandoah National Park, going to Williamsburg/Jamestown, and/or going to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware and possibly visit Cape May via ferry from Delaware. What do fellow flyertalkers recommend for a 3 day road trip from Dulles in July?

I'm concerned that a tourist attraction like Williamsburg would be over-run with tourists in the middle of summer during a holiday weekend.... and i'm also concerned that it will be really hot in VA this time of year. (Being from SF, i'm not used to that)

Thanks!

I'd suggest Annapolis. Nearby. Great restaurants. On the water.

thats a great idea... but I've already done Annapolis... beautiful city, btw!

FYI - In the greater DC area, I've already been to Annapolis, Baltimore, Harper's Ferry, Charlottesville, and Richmond.

I opened this thread thinking you meant the V&A.

(Victoria & Albert Museum, London)

I'm all for airline abbreviations being used on this website, but I get peeved when people use the initials of US States in thread titles.

US Geography is boring enough to learn as it is.

Shouldn't this thread be in whichever USA Destination forum relates to 'VA' rather than Travelbuzz?

You can expect lots of people in and around DC for the holiday weekend. And typically is is hot an very humid.

Other enjoyable sidetrips would be Mount Vernon and Harper's Ferry. If you like Civil War history, Antietam and other historic battlefields are also not far.

VA=Virgina
V&A=Victoria and Albert

When you're done complaining about the abbreviations of American states as well as their geography, you might try reading thread titles more carefully. The OP is hardly responsible for your erroneous assumption.

Shouldn't a thread about the V&A be in the London forum? Why would a V&A thread belong here and this one not?

Either thread created here could end up moved to the appropriate destination forum, as this one still may.

You want to claim there are no other geography abbreviations anywhere else in the world that cause trouble? Please.

To the OP: I think Shenandoah NP gives you the most interesting stuff for a few days, but I'm partial to that kind of setting. It will likely be hot regardless, and that ridge really isn't high enough to take the bite off the heat much. Nowhere will, really. Of course, if you're not going to get out and hike at all, the park may not be as much of a draw. Not sure. A leisurely drive along the ridge (Skyline Drive) can be good, though, with quite the vista every so often if it's a clear day. (Last time I was there it was fogged in, but that was in September.)

My wife grew up in Williamsburg and her parents still live there so can tell you over the summer weekend around the time you are going it will be overrun with tourists.

As much as I liked Williamsburg the first time around I'd probably do Shenandoah & Charlottesville and avoid the crowds. I'm going to be in Charlottesville the first weekend in July too

July 4th is probably the worst time to visit Williamsburg. I live here and don't plan to leave the house that weekend.

Well, you're coming at the peak weekend for tourism in D.C. and a lot of the locals are going to be headed for Rehoboth and the other nearby beaches for the de facto four-day weekend so I'd caution you against that. You'll spend a LOT of time in traffic and if you don't already a room reservation you may not be able to get one in Rehoboth for the Independence Day holiday.

Have you considered Charlottesville? C'ville is a nice medium-sized city with (like many college towns) a lot of culture and nightlife for a community of its size, and better restaurants than most college towns. Throw in historic sites like Monticello and the wineries nearby -- even someone living as close as you do to Napa and Sonoma might be impressed by the quality of Virginia's best wines -- and you can have a very nice long weekend. You mentioned being concerned about the temperature difference between the Washington area and the San Francisco area? C'ville's location in the Blue Ridge Mountains means its summer weather is some of the mildest in the area. (Can it still get hot? Well, yeah, because you are visiting the South in July, remember.)


Some resources:

The Charlottesville tourism website.

The Virginia Wineries Association website.

The weekly newspaper C'ville has good listings of events in the area.

It's brutally hot down there. I like your idea of going to Rehoboth for the weekend. The coast will be cooler, you can enjoy the beach or go shopping, and it will be TAX FREE!!! ^ But plan soon!

It will be crowded but not as crowded as Ocean City, MD. Given that the heat, haze and humidity are horrible over the summer, relief (outside of staying in air conditioning) is found on the beach.

As others have mentioned, you're looking at what will be a very busy weekend in the DC area. I would second the suggestion of some Civil War battlefield sites -- Antietam, Manassas, Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania are all within an hour or so of DC and aren't as likely to be busy as some of the other places. In addition to the battlefield, Fredericksburg has a lot of colonial/revolutionary era history that's worth a look. Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive will likely be a bit cooler, but if there's much haze, you won't be able to see all that much. Several of the cities and towns in the Shenandoah Valley have interesting downtowns. I'm especially partial to Lexington. All the beaches are likely to be packed to the gills. There are plenty of indoor activities in DC to keep you busy should you decide to stay in town.

Be prepared for horrible heat if you go to battlefield sites. They also tend to be crowded on holiday weekends. Over 10 years ago, I went to the re-enactments at Gettysburg on July 2 and the heat was brutal. How they fought in wool uniforms in the 1860s....those soldiers on both sides were incredible.

Visit Harpers Ferry, WV and the surrounding area. After exploring the town and Appalachian Trail which runs through the town, you can cool off by going tubing down the Potamac River.

http://www.nps.gov/hafe/

http://www.rivertrail.com/Tubing.html

Unless you REALLY like crowds and heat, head west.

Like others have said, this is the South in the summer and it's the #1 DC tourist weekend of the year.

Absolutely forget the beaches. I am a CA transplant and the first time I saw what passes for beaches here I almost wretched. You want beaches? Head north or south from the Bay Area.

The best reason to come here is to see historical stuff. As the biggies will be too crowded to enjoy I'd second the suggestion above of checking out the Shenandoah Valley. I'd go up through Frederick, MD (nice little historic downtown) and then cut over to Winchester, VA (Patsy Cline's hometown). Then just head south stopping at every little town that strike's your fancy. You'll likely stumble across cool little museums and some really amazing things like America on Parade (what the heck is that doing out in the middle of rural VA?). Make sure that at least part of your drive is down Route 11 and not just Interstate 81.

If possible stay at the Village Inn in Harrisonburg (Jacuzzi in every room, who'd have thought). And I also agree that Lexington is a nice place to see.

You can come back north up the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, just don't expect the views to be like those out west.