Hi JinDC! It's pumpkin. We loved this little mountain town in Virginia called Lexington. It had cute little cafes, an art scene, quaint streets, and really pretty mountain backdrops. If you are into hiking, you can do some day hikes. West Virginia has a ton of beautiful places, though that may up your drive a little bit. I'm sure they have nice B and B's there.

I felt fantastic from probably week 17 or so through the end of my pregnancy, but of course everyone is different. If you're going in August, seems like the mountains might be a nice way to escape the heat!

Also if you are up for a flight, New Orleans makes a really fun and easy weekend trip and the flight time would be about as long as your drive and you can get there direct pretty easily from DCA. You may be saying to yourself, what, Nola without drinking? But DH's family is from nearby and we go all of the time, and I don't drink much anymore and there is still a ton of amazing things to do and see, plus you could go do plantations for a weekend. There is also Richmond and then there's the Eastern Shore, too.

Another place I really enjoyed going that's nearby (but again maybe longer than your ideal drive) is chincoteague / assateague islands. Not much of a beach but there is one, and the wild horses and walking around sights are pretty cool.

Hi Jindc! We haven't been to Inn at Perry Cabin but we LOVE St. Michael's. We stay at the 5 Gables Inn - a real deal, very cute and quaint and waaay more affordable than Inn at Perry Cabin. In St. michael's we just like to hang out together, unwind, read, walk through town and eat well. We also love Inn at Willow Grove in Orange, VA. That is my favorite splurge place in the area (still way less than Perry Cabin and has THE BEST food at their restaurant). I also like that they do 1 night stays, and it's not far at all from DC. Other suggestions are Hope and Glory Inn in Irvington, VA which is just adorable and very fun little town and The Tides Inn down the street from H&G but is a bigger operation with more amenities. I also highly recommend The Clifton Inn outside of Charlottesville. It's pricey but worth it and not close to the Perry Cabin sticker shock. Hope you have a wonderful time wherever you go!

We went to the Ritz on Amelia Island (FL). Very relaxing. We were off season, so it was a little less expensive. Lots of other expecting new parents there.

Anonymous wrote:Bedford Springs is a longer drive but what I like about it is that it has an indoor pool, so if it's hot outside you can swim. They also have a spa, you probably can't use the sauna and stuff but you could get a nice massage. Everything is all there restaurants and such so if you were feeling tired you could really just stay there all weekend.

Thank you! This actually looks more reasonable.

Did you use the spa? We're there a lot of kids in the pool areas?

"I have BCBS federal and live overseas (foreign service). You have to pay out of pocket and then submit a reimbursement form -- no problem."

I'm the PP who asked about this. Thanks for the input!

We went to St. John in the USVI both times. Of course, it is also where we honeymooned, so it seemed appropriate!

Depending on the time of year Miami and Fort Lauderdale can also be fun (Fort Lauderdale is cheaper). You would have a quick direct flight and could get a hotel with a nice pool.

Bedford Springs is a longer drive but what I like about it is that it has an indoor pool, so if it's hot outside you can swim. They also have a spa, you probably can't use the sauna and stuff but you could get a nice massage. Everything is all there restaurants and such so if you were feeling tired you could really just stay there all weekend.

Love St. Michaels, although have not stayed at the Inn. If you go, have dinner at the Bartlett Pear Inn in Easton. So cute, cozy, and very reasonable prices for how high end the food is. For our babymoon, we stayed at a B&B in VA and had dinner at Inn at Little Washington. If it had been during the warm weather months, I'd definitely have opted for the Eastern Shore.

Hubby and I rented a cabin at New Germany State park in western Maryland and did 4 days of no computer or phones. We did a bunch of snow shoeing (kind of wimped out-- should have done CX skiing) built log fires in the fireplace,home made cocao, and read aloud to the baby each night. To me, it seems more important that you unplug and connect to each other than that you go to a particular place.

Anonymous wrote:Hey Jindc! It's Nugget from the October board! I haven't had a chance to update in awhile but DH and I were just talking about the same thing. Thanks for posting! There are some great ideas on here!

We were also looking at deals for Puerto Rico...we wanted to do something either domestic or a US territory in case there were any complications while we were gone and hopefully our insurance would cover. I guess I should check on this. Anyone have any experience with using BCBS federal on international travel?

I have BCBS federal and live overseas (foreign service). You have to pay out of pocket and then submit a reimbursement form -- no problem.

We are going to a quiet spot in the FL Keys - direct flight DCA-Miami and then 1 hr drive down. It will be fairly late in the pregnancy so I just wanted quiet (small adults only resort) and ocean. Cannot wait.

We were not there as a "babymoon" but for a friend's wedding, but we stayed at the Rockhouse in Jamaica and it was great. Also, it's no-kids-under-12 because it's located on cliffs and little kids could fall off. I found that a nice selling point for "babymoon" purposes since we would not be able to go back there for 12+ years.

I noted Puerto Rico b/c its only a two hour flight, but I would not stay in downtown San Juan. Try one of the islands or the beach resorts.

We went to St Maarten at 32w for a long weekend. It was fine, but sort of a disaster. I was too pregnant to do anything fun - no boats, snorkling, jet skiing, etc. I was huge and didnt want to be in a bathing suit all day and I couldnt drink at our all-inclusive resort.

It was relaxing to lay around (especially bc we packed to move the weeks before the trip and the movers showed up about 9 hours after we got back) and it was nice to enjoy DH and sleep, but we definitely could have done it closer to home and not in a bathing suit.