Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks. This another in the series of the My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature!
5. Snowtubing, of course!
There are lots of places to go, but if you live in central Maryland, chances are you’ll visit Boulder Ridge, part of the Ski Liberty Resort. If you’re a kid, snowtubing is just plain fun! And if it’s been a few years since you’ve been a kid, it’ll make you feel like a kid again!
4. Tour Fonthill Castle
Fonthill Castle, located in Doylestown in Bucks County, PA, is one of my favorite historic house museums. It’s creator threw away all the typical rules of house building and just let his imagination and whimsy loose, and the castle reflects it. It’s great to tour in colder weather (it’s not air conditioned) but dress warmly, since the tour takes you out on balconies.
3. Check out Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum
Going to museums, where you’re indoors, is always a great option for those gloomy winter days. Make an art museum kid-friendly by stopping by the gift shop first and letting your child pick out a postcard that they particularly like. Then go through the museum looking for the piece of art depicted in the postcard, and discuss what they like about it and why they selected that one. My younger son, who’s not a museum-going kinda kid loved the American Visionary Art Museum: its art — much of it in unusual mediums such as yarn, toothpicks or bottlecaps — will intrigue almost everyone!
2. Go on a winter walk in Downs Memorial Park
Or any local park, really. Here’s why walking in the winter is so good for you: a brisk, outdoor walk for 20 minutes daily can leave you with a better mood, higher self-esteem and an improved sense of well-being. Nothing compares to the crisp, clean air of winter and the magnificent view of a snowy landscape — sometimes offering quite a nice surprise from the scenes you are more used to in the midst of summer. The photo below is of ice on the Chesapeake Bay as seen from Downs Memorial Park.
1. Explore underground…
…where the temperature is always around 53 degrees, regardless of the weather. I was fascinated by Penns Cave and the boat ride through the cave system, but with the help of a guest blogger, the blog also visited Crystal Grottoes Caverns. Checking out a cave is a good way to spend a winter day!
Check out the blog’s FB page for updates on places we’ve visited and blogged about: facebook.com/midatlanticdaytrips!
Have you daytripped somewhere interesting? I’d love to hear what you’re doing! Email [email protected] if you’re interested in being a guest-blogger!