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Old 04-17-2010, 03:57 PM
 
Location: VA
32 posts, read 83,052 times
Reputation: 35

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My oldest daughter will be turning 13 and I'd like to plan a Mother-Daughter trip for a weekend. I don't want to drive more than 5 hours to get there. We'd like to do outdoor walking/city touring, shopping and hit some special restaurants. Anyone have any ideas?

I recently went on a trip to Savannah with my own mother and really enjoyed it. I'm looking for something with similar appeal--nice town to look at and walk through, interesting shopping, some good local restaurants--Mrs. Wilkes Boarding House and Paul Deen's--, and there was a riverfront to walk.

Any ideas are good...just something to get me started. Thanks!
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Old 04-17-2010, 04:39 PM
 
5,014 posts, read 6,597,909 times
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What are you daughter's interests? If she likes history/Victorian era stuff, Cape May NJ and Lewes Delaware might be a good trip. They're close enough to each other to do in the same trip.

If you don't want to drive yourself, you can take the Bolt Bus inexpensively up to NYC. The travel time is about 5 hours each way and there's nothing like the Big Apple.
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Old 04-17-2010, 05:07 PM
 
Location: VA
32 posts, read 83,052 times
Reputation: 35
Default Probably looking for smaller than NYC

We did NYC as a family in the fall, so we probably want to do something new. I'd also like to do something a bit smaller than NYC. I will research Cape May and Lewes as I don't know anything about it...any recommendations for what to do there?

My daughter loves to read, loves history (enjoyed Williamsburg, VA alot)and shopping. She also loves chocolate and baking--we also recently did Hershey, PA. We homeschool and she is a more conservative teenage girl. I've thought possibly about touring the Amish country with her (we're not THAT conservative, but we both love the Amish Fiction stories), but I've never been and not sure what to do or see there.

*Edit* After looking briefly at both of the tourism pages for the towns you recommended, I would say those are both good possibilities. Lewes, DE looked very quaint with nice historical stops and the small town shopping looks fun too.

Last edited by homeschoolmama; 04-17-2010 at 05:21 PM.. Reason: added info
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Old 04-17-2010, 05:32 PM
 
Location: Loudoun County, VA
1,148 posts, read 3,737,752 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by homeschoolmama View Post
I've thought possibly about touring the Amish country with her (we're not THAT conservative, but we both love the Amish Fiction stories), but I've never been and not sure what to do or see there.
That could be a lot of fun! It's a beautiful area and the contrast between the Amish living (or cultivating a field) next to touristy shopping centers etc. is truly remarkable. I know *some* Amish families offer home cooked meals (read about it somewhere a few years back) and a peek into their way of life. Not sure where to find those though and if they exist in PA.
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Old 04-17-2010, 09:56 PM
 
Location: Washington, DC & New York
10,915 posts, read 31,385,275 times
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Pennsylvania Dutch Country is definitely worth a visit. Lancaster County has some great museums, local exhibitions, good local food, and enough attractions to make a visit worthwhile. You can even visit Hershey for the chocolate, though some of the local chocolates/confections are truly artisan crafted and delicious.

Check out Lancaster County's website for some good background information on visiting the region: Pennsylvania Dutch Country in the heart of Lancaster County Pa | Amish Country activities, shopping, dining, lodging | PA Dutch Convention Visitors Bureau

And, if you're headed that way, I would definitely recommend taking a longer route to visit the Totem Pole Playhouse in Fayettville. It's near Chambersburg, off 81, and is worth a visit if they have a show of interest. It's a gem of a summer season playhouse that puts on quality shows, and seems right out of the pages of an earlier era.

Totem Pole Playhouse
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Old 04-18-2010, 08:33 AM
 
Location: Fredericksburg, VA
743 posts, read 3,899,713 times
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What about Historic Downtown Fredericksburg?
Fredericksburg, Virginia

Besides the river-front, it sounds like it would be a good fit for what you're looking for. (They have a river at downtown... but no paths or anything along it yet.)
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Old 04-18-2010, 09:51 AM
 
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
14,129 posts, read 31,238,974 times
Reputation: 6920
Definitely not 5 hours away but with everything you're looking for would be Old Town Annapolis around the state capitol. Excellent shopping and restaurants with plenty of history. Nice waterfront where you can even go for a cruise. They have some really neat little historic hotels near the capitol.
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Old 04-18-2010, 01:09 PM
 
Location: Richmond, VA
2,309 posts, read 2,312,138 times
Reputation: 974
I am from PA and Amish Country is lovely.

We also enjoy the inner harbour in Baltimore. We take the kids and walk around...enjoy lunch...go to the aquarium. It's only 1 1/2 hours away. You could also catch a play or something at a local theatre.
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