Vacation Ideas From D.C.

Hotels near Shenandoah National Park
Towson is a charming unincorporated community located just north of Baltimore's city center, best known as the home of Towson University, Maryland's second-largest university.
The local craft beer scene in Maryland has certainly grown over the years, with new breweries opening everywhere throughout the state.
Leaving D.C., even just for a while, always felt like a gentle unraveling. The pace shifted. The sky seemed wider. Just a few hours out and I’d find myself in quiet towns, along forested trails, or watching the sun slip over the bay. I remember sitting on a porch somewhere in the Shenandoah, the breeze soft and slow, and thinking, “This is what it feels like to come back to myself.”
What stayed with me were the small, still moments: a crab shack at golden hour, the hush of pine needles beneath my feet, a used bookstore in a town with one stoplight and a lot of heart. I wandered from waterfront villages to mountain valleys, from historic squares to garden paths—and I always returned to the city lighter, like the road had given me something steady to hold.
Whether you’re dreaming of vineyard weekends, Appalachian hikes, bay breezes, or slow mornings in towns you’ve never heard of, these guides gather the getaways that begin just beyond D.C.—close enough to reach, far enough to feel like something new.
Things to Do in Easton, Maryland