Best family vacations within 5 hours drive

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We do a lot of driving trips so + 1 to most of what's been mentioned.

Adding, especially if you have little kids, Deer Valley YMCA family camp in PA.

Omg my childhood unlocked. Every year we went. Amazing.

Isn't there a waitlist?

Yes, but easier to get in during the first and last weeks. Also, Labor Day weekend has a lot of the same programming/activities as the regular summer weeks (other weekends don't have as much). We did full week for several years and then when life and travel demands got busier we switched to Labor Day weekend.

[Anonymous]

Snowshoe for ski w/ west-like feel tiny ski town.

[Anonymous]

Just outside of the 5 hour drive is the smokie mountains. we took a family trip there last summer. it was amazing.

[Anonymous]

Deep Creek Lake, MD! About 3 hours from the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Philly
NYC
Cape may

[Anonymous]

Finger Lakes, Cooperstown day trip from there.

[Anonymous]

Spouse doesn't like to fly so we drive a lot. Here are places we've gone:

Shenandoah National Park, VA
Harpers Ferry, WV
Deep Creek Lake, MD
Lake Anna, VA
Luray Caverns, VA
Rehoboth Beach, DE
Ocean City, MD
Assateague Island, MD/VA
Virginia Beach, VA
St. Michaels, MD
Bethany Beach, DE
Philadelphia, PA
Charlottesville, VA
Williamsburg, VA
Pittsburgh, PA
Richmond, VA
Hershey, PA/Amish country
NYC

Longer than 5 hours
Niagra on the Lake, Canada
Myrtle Beach, SC
Hilton Head, SC
Orlando, FL

[Anonymous]

so many great suggestions, adding Hudson Valley, NY, and if you can do it during should season, Montauk, NY

[Anonymous]

Wintergreen

[Anonymous]

For those with dogs, are any of these recs dog-friendly?

[Anonymous]

Lots of great ideas. I’m sure of these are repeats, but:
-Historic St. Mary’s City + Piney Point Lighthouse & surrounding area
-Assateague Island
-Shenandoah NP/Shenandoah River State Park/Luray Caverns
-Lancaster/Strasburg, PA— trains, covered bridges, etc.
-western MD— New Germany State Park, Casselman River Bridge, other state parks
-Philly
-Pittsburgh
-Williamsburg/Jamestown/Yorktown
-Norfolk/Newport News/Hampton— battleship, Chrysler Art Museum, Fort Monroe, air and space museum, Virginia Living Museum
-Gettysburg
-Richmond
-Appomattox
-Raleigh/Durham
-Kitty Hawk
-state parks in West Virginia
-Natural Bridge/Frontier Culture Museum

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williamsburg I guess. Camping maybe in the national forests? I mean, NYC? That’s it.

You need to get out more. There are tons of places to go within 5-6 hours.

Pittsburgh and Philly are both great trips with kids. There are tons of things to do for kids of varying ages. Richmond and Baltimore too but those could be day trips.

I get out more than 99%. But most places aren’t worth my time around here. Why would I ever go to Pittsburgh if I can go to London?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of the DC metro.

No other parameters - just curious what others have found. I’m getting more and more tired of flying and want to explore the mid Atlantic more.

How old are your kids? Have you done Busch Gardens?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those with dogs, are any of these recs dog-friendly?

Dog friendly how?

We stay in airbnbs most places, I've never had a problem finding dog friendly rentals anywhere we've gone. Hikes and general outdoorsiness are always dog friendly. For beaches, as long as you go outside memorial day-labor day, we've been able to enjoy them with the dogs. Hilton head (farther than 5 hours) is allows off leash dogs under voice control outside of the busy season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Williamsburg I guess. Camping maybe in the national forests? I mean, NYC? That’s it.

You need to get out more. There are tons of places to go within 5-6 hours.

Pittsburgh and Philly are both great trips with kids. There are tons of things to do for kids of varying ages. Richmond and Baltimore too but those could be day trips.

I get out more than 99%. But most places aren’t worth my time around here. Why would I ever go to Pittsburgh if I can go to London?

So lame. If you can’t enjoy anything in the array of cities, mountains, national parks, historical sites, small towns, and beaches within 5 hours of DC, that’s kind of sad. Definitely not a flex showing how cool you are. More like jaded and/or snobbish.