This past week, I drove 1495.2 miles in my 2006 Mazda3 named Starseed (yes, Our Lady Peace fans, *that* Starseed). I took my family on a trip through three state capitals (Harrisburg, Annapolis, and Richmond) and the national capital, hitting the Atlantic coast in 3 places (Ocean City, MD, and Chincoteague and Virginia Beach, VA), visiting my husband’s father at his house in Powhatan, VA for the first time, and also our first time at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. It was a lot of driving but thankfully I love the road under my tires – we hit all these places in just under a week!
We stayed the first night in a small city called Salisbury, MD (at the Country Inn & Suites, we recommend!) and woke up the morning of our son’s sixth birthday and drove out to Ocean City, MD where he got his feet in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.
After Ocean City, we drove down to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge where, admittedly, I expected more. Maybe it’s just not warm enough yet for me to have gotten the full effect, but it was windy & chilly and it didn’t seem like there was a whole lot to see.
We did get to see wild ponies (from a very UN-wild observation deck viewing area) and Nate got to hold a live wild conch snail we found in the edge of the ocean at low tide. We brought home a couple empty shells as souvenirs.
The next morning, Easter, Nate participated in the Easter Egg hunt organized by the hotel, then we hit the road, heading south to VA and over/through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel. We got to Virginia Beach around lunch time, and thanks to very cold, drizzly, overcast weather, we were quite literally the only people on the beach. We didn’t stay out for long, because as you can see, it was cold enough for us to be wearing coats!
Thankfully the following day was much nicer & sunnier, and we actually got to wear shorts while we spent time with Joe’s dad & his girlfriend at their house in Powhatan. They took us to a place that has go-karts and mini golf and we all enjoyed the afternoon.
On Tuesday April 2, we left VA and drove into Washington DC. My main goal of visiting DC was to see the cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin! Well, guess what – they weren’t out. BUMMER. We walked all around the National Mall, saw all the major monuments except the Jefferson Memorial, visited the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History real quick just to get Nate a pressed penny, then back to the car. 4 hours, in & out. Thankfully, right near where we parked (randomly on 19th st near F St) we found a small courtyard with blossoming cherry trees! YAY!!
From there we drove on to Baltimore where we stayed at one of the hotels about 12 blocks north of the waterfront, and walked to the Inner Harbor & back (no one told us about the free buses til it was too late, LOL – country bumpkins, right here!). It was a bit of a walk (especially since there is also a lot of walking to do once you get inside the aquarium as well) but hey, we worked off our big delicious breakfast we got at David and Dad’s Cafe on Charles St (totally recommended if you’re in the area!) and Nate and I had very comfy feet in our KEEN Coronados and Whispers, respectively. The National Aquarium was great. Nate had only ever been to the Niagara Falls Aquarium (sorry, but yawn) and Joe and I had been to the one in Boston about 8 years ago but I couldn’t remember much about it. Unfortunately one of the floors was closed due to a new exhibit coming in that’s not finished yet, but I still feel like we totally got our $80 worth of admission. My favorite part was the jellyfish room (seriously, those things are amazing) and Nate loved the dolphin “show” they did. We bought a couple small souvenirs, then walked back to the hotel. The waterfront along the Inner Harbor would have been way more enjoyable if it hadn’t been 53 degrees and so windy. I can imagine it’s a really nice place in the warmer weather! Take note, Buffalo!!
It was wonderful to take a week off from work and get my mind right before the season starts. I’m recharged and ready to go! Thanks for looking!
