Washington DC's Quick and Cheap Waterfront Getaway

OK you get home from your job in Washington, DC. It's Friday night and you're wondering what to do with your weekend. You'd really like to take the family to the beach but you're certainly not going to make the round trip to Ocean City, Maryland or Virginia Beach, Virginia in one day; that would be over six hours of driving. Money is a bit tight and you just can't afford to spend it on an expensive beach front hotel. So what's the answer?

The answer is Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. Chesapeake Beach, Maryland is a small town on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. It takes less than an hour to make the thirty-five mile drive from downtown Washington, DC. The family could jump in the car in the morning, spend all day, at the bay and be home for dinner. From downtown Washington take the Suitland Parkway out of town until it ends at route four in Maryland. Make a right turn and continue on route four for thirteen miles to the exit for Maryland 260. Exit on to route 260 and follow it about nine miles until it ends at Chesapeake Beach. If you would like to grab lunch before getting to the beach, there is a Ledo's Pizza restaurant on the right a mile or so before 260 ends. Ledo's has been a popular pizza, pasta, and subs restaurant in Maryland for fifty years. The food is good and the prices fit the family budget.

Route 260 ends at a traffic light. In front of you is the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. The bay is the largest estuary in the United States and a place of incredible natural beauty. Most people forget about the bay in their rush to the Atlantic beaches but there is very little that the ocean offers that the bay doesn't.

If you turn right at the light you will be a mile or so away from all that Chesapeake Beach has to offer. On the left a mile ahead is Chesapeake Beach's very own water park. This is not a park run by some big business. This park is owned by the Chesapeake Beach community and it features eight water slides, fountains, waterfalls, and many other things for the family to enjoy. There are also several standard fast food restaurants in walking distance of the park.

Across the street you will find the Breezy Point Marina and the Rod N' Reel Marina both have active charter fishing boat fleets. This is your chance to catch the big one. Next to the marinas is the Chesapeake Beach Resort and Spa. This is a seventy-two room hotel with wonderful views of the bay. Many rooms feature balconies and fireplaces. The hotel also features a good casual dining restaurant and even a small casino. The casino has many of the popular video slot machines.

Turning left at the intersection of 260 and 261 will take you to North Beach. This small town has created a beach front and a boardwalk. The beach is small but the kids will like it, I know my grandkids do. The small road along the shore has the boardwalk and beach on one side and small shops on the other. The shops hold everything from the standard beach trinkets and needs to some beautiful handmade crafts. Along the boardwalk there are benches. The benches were purchased by families to honor a lost member. One bench has a plaque dedicated to a man who lost his life in the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. I predict that that bench will be preserved.

Take a break on the weekend and run the family down to Chesapeake Beach. The people in the Washington DC area have waterfront enjoyment right in their own backyard.