The weather is turning colder, and ready or not, holiday music will soon be in the air. If you are looking for festive fun, Washington DC in December offers activities ranging from traditional holiday shows to outdoor shopping and seasonal displays. With temperatures generally in the 40’s and 50’s, it’s good weather for the many outdoor December events in DC, including holiday markets and the outdoor train exhibit at the United States Botanic Garden. For those who prefer to be warm and cozy, keep reading to explore indoor options for holiday fun. I have included a mix of free and ticketed events with this list of six ways to experience the holidays in Washington, DC.
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Summer doesn’t officially end until the third week of September but it seems like as soon as August is over, all thoughts turn to fall. It’s one of my favorite times to travel and not just because of the colorful fall foliage. It’s a chance to enjoy outdoor activities like biking, hiking, and city strolls minus the blazing summer sun and often with less tourists. With more and more people planning fall getaways, now is a great time to get your next weekend getaway on the calendar. Explore these 7 ideas for active fall getaways up and down the east coast. Take a mountain adventure in Virginia or North Carolina, a beach weekend in Delaware, a bike ride on Maryland’s scenic Eastern Shore, discover waterfalls and wineries in New York, or explore cities like Washington, DC and Charleston, South Carolina. Read on for details.
 Do you ever need a bit of inspiration to get ready for the holidays? A holiday, weekend getaway with dazzling lights, an outdoor holiday market, and gorgeous plants and flowers in all their seasonal glory might be just the inspiration you need! That’s exactly what we found during a December getaway to Philadelphia and Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. The city sparkles with the scenes of the season during the holidays. The festivities kick off with the arrival of Santa at the end of the oldest Thanksgiving parade in the country, then move into high gear with holiday light displays and seasonal outdoor shopping. Once you’ve taken it all in, leave the city behind for an afternoon/evening stroll at Longwood Gardens, home to the magical A Longwood Christmas. It’s a December weekend getaway sure to put you in the holiday spirit!
*Updated for 2024 Head to Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary For a Unique Kayaking Adventure9/3/2021 
Did you know there is a place less than an hour from Washington, DC where you can kayak through history? Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary in Charles County, Maryland gives you the chance to glide among the ‘Ghost Fleet’ — the remains of over 100 wooden steamships built as part of a massive World War I American shipbuilding effort. Even more amazing is the amount of life that this unique ecosystem now supports. Besides an abundance of marine life, common bird sightings include bald eagles, herons, ospreys, and cormorants. Not to mention the sanctuary is home to islands of vegetation woven into the skeletons of the sunken boats. Kayaking here will bring you up close and personal with both a piece of America’s history and the natural world. Here’s what you need to know before you spend the day kayaking and exploring at Mallows Bay in Maryland. May to September is the recommended time for this exciting outdoor adventure in the DC area, but of course it’s all weather dependent.
Have you ever planned a road trip just for food? I just did and it was so much fun! After reading stories about the legendary white clam pizza at Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana in New Haven, Connecticut, I knew I wanted to try it for myself. So when an opportunity to take a short road trip presented itself, I decided it was time to see what the buzz was all about! Plus I had been daydreaming about spending a summer day eating fried clams and lobster rolls at a waterfront New England clam shack. Since food was the primary focus of the trip, I convinced my adult son to join me for this last-minute mother/son adventure. We made the most of our short visit, even with torrential rains and delays due to a tropical storm that barreled through the area. In the end, we discovered 5 stops you won’t want to miss as you eat your way through coastal Connecticut.
Fall is my favorite time of year, when nature paints a colorful picture in neighborhoods, parks, and forests. When I originally wrote this post in late 2020, many people were eager to take short road trips and day trips for a much-needed change of scenery. If you are like me, there is something soothing about taking a walk or a drive to enjoy the beautiful reds, oranges, and yellow of the season. But where to go to see the colorful fall leaves? Here are 5 ideas for interesting places to see fall foliage, some of which might be closer to home than you think.
*This post was updated August, 2024  September is here, and it’s my favorite time of year! Fall is already in the air, with cooler temperatures in the evenings and some of the leaves already starting to turn. Every weekend between now and Thanksgiving, there is an opportunity to head out and enjoy the cooler weather, colorful leaves, and outdoor activities. Check out these 5 ways to celebrate fall in the Mid-Atlantic area.
*This post was updated August, 2024  Over the past few months, I’ve been making an effort to get out and explore close to home, so this past weekend, I decided it was time to visit the U.S. Botanic Garden. Did you know that it was George Washington’s vision over 200 years ago that led to Congress establishing the Garden in 1820, making it one of the oldest botanic gardens in North America? And what better time to visit than during December, when this living plant museum is all decked out for the season.
*Updated with dates for the 2024 holiday season.  It’s that time of year again, when the weather starts to turn colder, colored lights are twinkling and the sound of holiday music begins to fill the radio. What better way to celebrate the season then to stroll through an outdoor market while sipping mulled cider or hot chocolate. Luckily there are plenty of festive outdoor markets on the east coast, including several that are modeled after the famous Christkindlmarkt in Nuremberg, Germany. I think these markets are the perfect place to find unique gifts and handmade items for holiday shopping, and it’s a great alternative to fighting the crowds at your local shopping mall! Here are some popular markets to add to your list for 2016.
*This is an updated version of the 3 East Coast Holiday Markets to Visit in 2015, originally posted November, 2015 
Fall is in the air, with clear blue skies and cooler temperatures throughout most of the U.S. If you are like me, schedules get busy and traveling slows down a bit. Spending a day or weekend at a state park is the perfect way to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather. While America’s state parks may not get as much media attention as their national park counterparts, their popularity has grown in recent years with more and more people heading outdoors. This is largely due to the accessibility of many parks, especially for day trips. Many state parks are also pet-friendly. For inspiration, I’ve reached out to fellow travel bloggers from around the country who have weighed in with some their favorites, each with a link to a blog post with more details. Check out these 8 state parks for fall travel and start planning a day or weekend fall family outing.
*This post was updated August, 2022 |
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