Anonymous wrote:Ashby Inn in Paris, VA.

+1. Amazing inn and restaurant. It's also close to Midleburg and hiking at Shenandoah (although it's a bit hot for that).

We recently stayed at the Goodstone Inn in Middleburg. I am not sure you can get a room for $250 a night, but possible. It is a lovely estate with a charming pool in the shadows of a old mansion's ruins. The breakfast is delicious and is included in the cost. The dinner is not - and is expensive - but really worth it. It was a really nice getaway without a long drive, and the drive is mostly nice as well. There are shops and galleries in Middleburg. There is a spa at the hotel as well.

My advice - if you have a choice of rooms and are looking for peace and quiet and to sleep in, do not stay in the Carriage House which is where the restaurant is! We did - it was fine, but if I were going back I would choose a different room in one of the houses further away from the restaurant.

For one night, I wouldn't want to travel more than an hour or two. We live in Falls Church and the drive was just over an hour.

Have fun!

Doylestown pa and the Mercer museum

Forgot to mention Middleburg and ThePlains

New Hope is an excellent suggestion. Also:

Emmitsburg MD
Charlottesville VA
Staunton VA
Fredericksburg VA
Lancaster PA (really all the Dutch country area)

Area around Altoona PA - We just returned from a long road trio where we drove I70 towards I99, passed lots of gorgeous small towns

Inn at Barboursville

Bartlett Pear Inn in Easton, MD. And get a reservation for dinner. Lovely.

We love the Brampton Inn on the Eastern shore.

take the train to NYC

I happened to pass through New hope PA and Lambertville NJ while visiting my sister in Princeton. They are on opposite sides of the Delaware River, connected by a bridge. Quaint buildings, antiquing, B&Bs. Not sure about museums but Princeton itself had a top-notch university museum and would be 30 mins from those 2 towns. And in that area is the Washington crossing state(?) park, though I haven't been.

The Delaware river in New hope:Lambertville looked very nice and scenic.

Princeton is about 3 hours by car from Dc. Another 20-30 to new hope. Maybe a bit far for overnight though.

We loved Charlottesville, VA. We stayed at 200 South Street Inn. Just a block or so from a pedestrian mall with lots of cute shops and good restaurants. Lots of historic places to visit nearby.

http://www.southstreetinn.com

We did this in Staunton pre-baby. Zynadoa is a great restaurant, there are some cute antique shops, you can catch a play at the Shakespeare theater, and then before you head home, drive out to the wineries/breweries that are about 30 minutes away. It was perfect for an overnight - any longer and you'd be bored out of your mind.

Berkley Springs, W. Va.