About Perfect Saturdays
Looking for something to do this weekend? These great day trips are within a two-hour drive of DC.
Calvert County, Maryland
Drive time from DC: One hour and 30 minutes.
Bring kids to play paleontologist at nearby beaches in Calvert County, an hour-and-a-half drive from DC. Once you arrive, there are two options for fossil-hunting shores: Calvert Cliffs State Park and Flag Ponds Nature Park.
It’s a 1.8-mile trek from the parking lot to the sands of Calvert Cliffs State Park, where shark teeth and scalloped shells are common finds near the scenic rock face. At Flag Ponds, walk half a mile to the beach for Miocene-era finds. The park also has a quarter-mile boardwalk trail through a bald cypress swamp.
After the fossil-finding mission, take a detour to the Solomons Island Boardwalk, a drive that’s nine minutes from Calvert Cliffs and 15 minutes from Flag Ponds. It’s a lovely stroll by the Patuxent River, and you can stop for soft serve at Cone Island. For a full meal with waterfront views, Island Hideaway serves seafood, pasta dishes, and sandwiches. A kids’ menu is also available.
Looking for more day trip ideas? Check out our Perfect Saturdays series.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Takoma.
