Photo by PoPville flickr user ekelly80
Day Trips to See the Fall Leaves:
“I was in an Uber and the lovely guy mentioned this place I just HAD to go to see the foliage. Of course, I cannot remember what he said for the life of me. So, lets pose it here: where should we go to see the fall sights?”
Last year Casey Trees released a cool map of good spots in DC – in addition to DC where are your favorite spots a short drive away?
“Dear PoPville,
Last Saturday I was bicycling the W & OD trail and at the 25.5 mile mark (44652 Guilford Drive, Ashburn, VA) I saw a sign on the side of the trail pointing to the “Old Ox” brewpub. I figured “how bad can it be if it serves beer,” so I rode in and saw a warehouse space that’s been converted into a beer garden style pub and brewery. The place was full and just about everyone there arrived on a bike. Beer was not awful – the staff was great.”
Anyone else ever been? They’re having a party next Saturday:
Photo by PoPville flickr user hellomarkers!
“Dear PoPville,
Do you know of any organic farms that have pick-your-own strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc. within driving distance of DC?”
Photo by PoPville flickr user zoeicaimages
“Dear PoPville,
If you had 2 weeks vacation and wanted to take an interesting trip to somewhere that you might not normally have time to visit, where would you go?”
Photo by PoPville flickr user p.bjork
“Dear PoPville,
My boyfriend and I waited last minute to plan something for Memorial Day weekend (as we’re prone to do) and now pretty much all the hotels we were looking at are booked or way too expensive because: holiday rates.
Wondering – have you heard of any fun, easy day trips around D.C. – ideally within a 4-hour drive, preferably with water access and hiking possibilities.”
Photo by PoPville flickr user egr5005
Winery recommendations in Napa?Good restaurants/bars/favorite things in San Fran:
“My husband and I are headed to Napa next week for a wedding. We will have on day in San Fran. Any favorite casual restaurants? Favorite things to do in San Fran off the beaten path?
We will have 2-3 days in Napa and the surrounding area for winery visits and riding bikes. We’ll be staying in Yountville so any recommendations around the area of wineries to visit would be helpful!”
and
Furniture Shopping in Lancaster, PA:
“We are really interested in purchasing an entire real wood, mission style, bedroom set. We are thinking of visiting places in Lancaster, PA – any suggestions or advice from others in POPville?
If we go, do we bring a Uhaul and bring everything home with us after shopping OR do we special order and pieces are custom made.
If you have local suggestions for real wood furniture let us know – Crate & Barrel, Macy’s, Restoration Hardware, have been disappointments.”
You can see all forum topics and add your own here.
Photo by PoPville flickr user yostinator
“Dear PoPville,
Any ideas on a beach get-away-trip where my partner and I can getaway for 2-4 nights? Seems like all the beach home rentals require a 1 week minimum stay for the summer. We’re open to Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and even the Outer Banks. Thanks!”
This edition of Journeys Outside DC was written by Troy Cellmer. Troy is the Chief Editor for Active Life DC, a website that promotes fitness-related activities.
There’s a lot to enjoy about city life, but every now and then it feels good to explore greener spaces.
Sugarloaf Mountain is located roughly 35 miles north of the District in Dickerson, Md. A privately owned (but free) park, Sugarloaf was considered by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt for the site of a presidential retreat.
However, the mountain’s owner Gordon Strong (a staunch Republican) persuaded FDR to look elsewhere and choose the site now known as Camp David.
FDR’s loss was our gain. The park features great hiking, mountain views and a trail open to bikers on weekdays from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
If you make the trip, plan for three to four hours of hiking and make the trek between the East and West Views.
The Sugarloaf Mountain website provides a good map, but here are a few details.
To begin, park at the East View and make the short hike up the Orange Trail to the peak. From there, make your way down the Green Trail over to the Blue Trail and hike it out to the West View. After checking out the West View, loop back to the parking on the Blue and White Trails for a total of about six miles. The hike involves some serious hills, so be ready for a workout!
Here is the best part – after exploring the mountain, you can enjoy a nice glass of wine (or Sangria in the summer!) at the nearby Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard.
The winery, open for tastings seven days a week from 12 noon to 6 p.m., won The Washington Post Expresses’ award for Best Vineyard in 2012.
When you finish tasting, there is live music on the weekends and plenty of green space for a picnic.
Hiking and wine sound like a good plan? Visit the Sugarloaf Mountain website website for park rules, trail maps and directions. For winery details, visit the Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard website.
Photo of Richmond’s famous movie palace, the Byrd, by PoPville flickr user Nikoo’s Photos
Dear PoPville,
Is there anything in the city particularly worth exploring? VA tourist boards of course say everything is, but for a DC resident with all the riches here, well. . . I’m driving back from NC next Sunday and thought about staying over one night (and skipping the returning beach traffic on 95.) VMFA does look good – what else? Any extraordinary/unique restaurants? Any weird off the grid roadside attractions?
Photo by PoPville flickr user Lauren PM
Dear PoPville,
With the weather starting to turn and the days getting longer I’ve started thinking about planning a long overdue winery trip out to NOVA or Maryland. Do you have any good winery spots that might be worth looking into? I’m thinking of places within an hour or two drive from DC that I could go out to and back for a long afternoon. Thanks for any help you can provide!
In Feb. 2011 Kristi recommended some Virginia wineries. Do you guys know of any other Virginia or Maryland spots that are within an hour or two drive from DC?
