| Why
Travel to Virginia and Maryland?
These
states contain many interesting historical attractions including
the sights of the country's capital, Washington DC, endless civil
war remnants and some attractive outdoor activity areas.
Downside:
- Washington DC has a notoriously high crime rate though not in
tourist areas.
- If history or sailing aren't to your taste then there are better
natural attractions and outdoor activities to be found in other
parts of the country.
When
to Travel there:
Best: April-June, September.
Worst: Nov-Feb, rainy or cold.
OK: Jul-Aug, but can be very hot.
Main
Festivals and Events:
Mar-Apr,
Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington DC.
4th July, Independence Day, Washington
DC.
July, Chincoteague Island Roundup,
wild horses from Assateague Island, Maryland are herded up.
August, Virginia Highlands Festival,
Abingdon, Virginia.
Activities:
Hiking:
Baltimore
and Annapolis Trail, Maryland; Monongahela National Forest, West
Virginia; C&O Canal National Historic State Park and Rocky Gap
State Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Mt Rogers National Recreation Area,
and Cumberland Gap National Historic Park,Virginia.
Skiing: Wintergreen Resort, West Virginia;
Wisp Resort, Virginia.
Rafting: New River Gorge National River,
West Virginia provides some of the best rafting in the country.
Mountain biking: Mt Rogers National
Recreation Area has the excellent Virginia Creeper National Recreation
Trail; also Monongahela National Forest and New River Gorge National
River, West Virginia; C&O Canal National Historic State Park
and Rocky Gap State Park, Virginia.
Washington
DC***
Created with land from Virginia and
Maryland, the district is run federally rather than as a state;
its buildings are stunning and always recognisable, while it also offers dozens
of majestic memorials the USA's best museums.
Maryland**
Good
for civil war history and great for sailing, with several coastal
towns and opportunities for unhurried relaxation.
Baltimore**
a welcoming city for tourists, with good attractions and pleasant
water taxis to whisk you around, particularly
are in the Inner Harbor area. Try the excellent National Aquarium,
the Maritime Museum and the old civil war battleship at Pier 1.
There is also a Civil War Museum, Babe Ruth Museum, Star Spangled
Banner Flag House and 1812 Museum.
Annapolis* [for boaty attractions***]
the state capital of Maryland and sailing capital of the USA, you
must see the massive daily formation march at the US Naval Academy.
There is naturally a Maritime Museum too and some historic buildings.
Delmarva Peninsula* the peninsula east
of Chesapeake Bay offers several historic towns with a special connection
to the south west counties of England.
The major seaside attraction is Ocean City for the beach and board
walk though it gets packed in the summertime.
Assateague Island has wild horses and a yearly roundup.
Frederick* has a large historic district
with 18th/19th C buildings.
Virginia**
The
best state in the country for history but also good for outdoor
activities in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Colonial
Parkway Towns *** Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jameston, the three most historic towns
in the state, come together as a single attraction.
Williamsburg has an excellent historic
precinct with many 18th/19th C buildings open to the public and
frequent period performances.
Jamestown has a long association with
the first English settlers, including ruins and a reconstruction
of the 1607 settlement.
Yorktown is where the the English were
defeated by George Washington. The Yorktown National Historic Park
and Victory Center commemorate the victory.
Richmond** the state capital is tied
strongly to Confederate history with the Capitol Square, White House
[of the Confederacy], Museum of the Confederacy as well as the Edgar
Allen Poe Museum and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Bizarrely you can raft whitewater on the James River within the
Downtown area!
Shenandoah Valley** the Shenandoah
River area contains a long section of the the Appalachian hiking
trail.
Hike the Washington and Jefferson Forests, visit the caves at Luray
and the Natural Bridge Caverns.
Lexington offers the Virginia Military
Institute and George C Marshall Museum plus Stonewall Jackson House,
while Staunton has the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace Museum and Museum
of American Frontier Culture.
Blue Ridge Mountains** the Appalachians
are for outdoor recreation.
Main attractions are the Blue Ridge Parkway, Mt Rogers National
Recreation Area, and Cumberland Gap National Historic Park.
Hampton Roads* the Chesapeake Bay coast
has some worthwhile intellectual interest - Norfolk for the National
Maritime Centre, Hampton Roads Naval Museum and Chrysler Museum
of Art; Hampton for the Virginia Air and Space Center plus Fort
Monroe; and the Mariner's Museums and Virginia Living Museum in
Newport News.
West
Virginia*
Is mainly
about outdoor attractions due to its huge and attractive Appalachian
Mountain Range.
Monongahela
National Forest** this massive region in the Appalachians caters to all kinds of outdoor
activities including hiking, mountainbiking, rafting, caving and
skiing.
New River Gorge National River** there's
excellent rafting on the New River and hiking, biking and climbing
along the gorge.
Harpers Ferry* a historic downtown
district with 19th C buildings and museums plus the C&O Canal
National Historic Park and part of the Appalachian Trail.
Delaware
There's little
of interest for the traveller in this small state which lies on
the east side of the Chesapeake peninsula separated from New Jersey
by Delaware Bay.
Brandywine
Valley* - the main attraction here is the Winterthur estate of du Pont with
gardens and museum.
Consider
also:
The Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington for work of the Brandywine
School;
Cape Henlopen and Delaware Seashore State Parks for trails and birdwatching;
History rich Lewes or popular Rehoboth Beach for seaside towns;
New Castle for its historic buildings.
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