How nice is the water in May??
Here is a site for NOAA
http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/satl.html
Depends on your tolerance of water temp. My opinion is that the temp is not yet warm enough to enjoy without a wet suit. Wading or splashing at the edge of the surf may be ';OK';.
The water is best in July
I%26#39;d like to plan a family weekend end of June and am wondering where the nicest accomodations are. It will be my husband, me and our 9 year old son. I%26#39;m looking for REALLY clean, well maintained, upscale, either bed and breakfast or hotel, preferably with a nice pool for our son. Anybody have any good suggestions?
We also want to be sure to see the wild ponies, where do we need to go to be sure to see them?
I would try and stay at the Best Western Chincoteague Island or the Hampton Inn. They have large rooms and nice pool. The hampton is an indoor pool and the best western has an outdoor pool Assateague Island Explorer is a really good boat tour to go on to see wild ponies.
I would stay at the Best Western,probably one of the best in town by far!
I have stayed at Comfort Suites in Chincoteague and it is one of the more upscale hotels in Chincoteague. Very nice and very clean! I also heard good things about the new Quality Inn there. I heard it was very nice! It has a nice pool area. I think I will stay there next time we go. You are always bound to see ponies on Assateague, just keep your eyes open!
If you%26#39;re really interested in seeing the ponies, you should think about going down for Pony Penning, which is the last Wednesday in July. Definitely something to see.
The Best Western is a really great hotel. My parents live in Chincoteague and they always recommend this hotel.
What is the weather like in early summer?
http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/satl.html
The above site will give averages for water and air temp.
Generally, the temps in June and July will range 70%26#39;s to 80%26#39;s, possibly higher depending on the trend. Very nice.
We%26#39;ve travelled there two years in a row during the month of July and both years it was very warm during the day - 80%26#39;s+, but it cooled down in the evening. The sun can be quite intense of course, since you are on the water much of the time, so even when the temperature is n the 70%26#39;s, it can feel quite warm.
On the beach of Assateague, the ocean breezes keep you cool.
It%26#39;s a great place for vacation!
Depending on what you are used to, the humidity can be really awful here in Virginia. Regular temp. in June and July can be 80%26#39;s and 90%26#39;s but add in humidity factor and it can easily feel like over 100! Just bring shorts, t-shirts and bathing suits!
Hi ..we are a family of 6 .. Mum and dad, 2 x 20 yr olds , a 17 yr old and a 10 yr. All visiting late March. Plan to leave washington DC and drive to Skyland lodge for an overnight stay before moving on to Roanoke for 3 nights..Can anyone advise what we should do and not Miss..All are active and willing to walk, hike , ride etc ..within reason
Tks
Info for things to do..Shenandoah NP is a beautiful place, you%26#39;ll enjoy your time there. For detailed park information, visit www.nps.gov/shen (the National Park Service web site). Maps, trails, etc are shown there. Skyline Drive is the road that runs the legnth of the park. There are numerous scenic overlooks. A few of my favorite hikes are: Stony Man Trail milepost (mp)41.7, easy, 1.6 mi, gradual incline, nice views; Rose River Loop Trail mp 50, 4 mi from Fishers Gap, moderate, stream, waterfall; Hawksbill mp 45.6, moderate, 2+ mi, beautiful views, highest peak in park 4050%26#39;. Visitors center will provide trail maps,information and suggest hikes to suit your interests. The Skyland Lodge is a nice place to stay the night. If time allows, consider going into Luray, around mp 30, to tour Luray Caverns. Enjoy your trip.
Info for things to do..Yes our favorite walks include Stony Man and Hawksbill; also the closest waterfall to Skyline Drive is Dark Hollow Falls just a few hundred yards from the Byrd Visitor Center at Big Meadow (around mp51). It is not a long walk but somewhat steep coming back up. Also another waterfall hike is Lewis Falls which you can access in the Big Meadows camping/picnic area. Do you already have your reservations for Skyland Resort? Last year (2007) they opened up the last week in March. Another lodge to consider (they opened up last April 5th and my daughter and two granddaughters stayed there the first two nights) is Big Meadows Lodge-they have renovated their motel style rooms (we stayed in the Mountain View cabin which had three separate bedrooms=1 with a double and a bathroom, one with a double and one with two twin beds and a bathroom; they also had two fireplaces which we used one most of the time we were there) but they will probably not be open until April.
It should still be cold there in late March. The Stony Man Nature Trail (to the top of Stony Man) is very close to Skyland Lodge. Also there is horseback riding at the stables by Skyland but do not know if they will be open in late March.
We have been to the Outer Banks in NC. It is way to crowded for me. That is why Chincoteague sounds so much of what we are looking for. My husband loves to fish and cook his catch and I am past working on a tan.
We are going to celebrate our 31st anniversery. Some may say our 62 because we have had our own business and worked it together.
Really looking forward to this small island and hoping it will be our new treasure.
I am just unsure of a place to stay (rental with a kitchen and waterfront). One other thing, is it better to stay with a unit that has a pool? I know we are all going through a HEAT WAVE.
Any input to these questions I would greatly appreciate.
Good Morning mather, we have stayed at the Light House Estates in the past and they have a pool, this past week ,one day on the beach was so windy we had to leave. Even though we like where we stayed this time we were like ';darn, if we could go to the pool if we were at the lighthouse estates';
I prefer the beach over a pool but it woud have come in handy this trip.
I hope you find what you%26#39;re looking for so you and your husband can go, relax and enjoy!
Chincoteague is a beautiful Island-we enjoyed a weekend there last fall.
if you are looking for that sort of feel, try Ocracoke NC. It is way past all the tourists towns on the outer banks and has a charm all its own. The village is smaller and easily accessible by bike or foot.
There are houses to rent with or without pools, as well as several hotels that offer pools as well.
Fishing is great off the beach or from a charter boat.
Relaxation is the rule there.
The best place to stay would be the Best Western,very nice and the rooms are cheap but call ahead they fill up fast!
Does anybody know anything about the Seahawlk motel or the Lighthouse Inn,I am palanning a trip this summer and would love to find a nice but cheap hotel.
We%26#39;re planning on a family holiday to the US this summer to visit my sister in Indianapolis. We%26#39;re then driving to Washington DC to visit friends there. We%26#39;d like a week%26#39;s holiday somewhere approximately in between the two places and wondered about Virginia. We have a daughter (11) and two sons (9 and 7). They love water parks, theme parks, animals, and are happy enough to do 2-3 hour walks in the woods/mountains. Being Brits we don%26#39;t cope with really hot, humid weather particularly well. Any suggestions as to where to go in Virginia? Are we mad to plan to go there in August at all? Any ideas of places to stay with pools? How does the beach compare with inland? Any ideas really gratefully received.
Smith Mountain Lake is a popular family vacation area. Do a search in the forum to find some info. If you%26#39;re going for a week, you could probably rent a condo or house nearby for a good rate. Otherwise, I%26#39;d look into the Lexington area. I%26#39;ve never been there myself, but there seems to be a ton of stuff to do within about a 30 mile radius, especially for kids. There are lots of river, lakes and mountains in the area to keep you cool. I think you%26#39;ll be okay for a week in August. Wait til you hit DC... at least here you%26#39;ll have the air-conditioned museums :)
As the previous poster said, Smith Mountain Lake is wonderful. But if you want the theme parks, you need to go toward Richmond/Ashland for Kings Dominion or Williamsburg for Busch Gardens and Water Country. While this puts you too far from mountain hikes, the kids might enjoy walking around Jamestown and seeing the replica ships and fort. However, this puts you only a couple hours from DC, so it%26#39;s not exactly a midway point. Which way are you driving?
By the way, you might look at my Go List for SML:
tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i1385-Beat_the_鈥?/a>
We have nice beaches and coastal areas in Virginia but in August it%26#39;s very hot and humid. If you don%26#39;t enjoy hot, hot, hot, then our mountains might be a good choice. In addition to Smith Mountain Lake, you might consider driving 1 1/2 hr from DC to Ashland to Kings Dominion Theme Park (not a favorite of mine but if the kids like such places this might fill the bill); then drive less than 2 hrs to Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park (near Staunton Va), more info www.nps.gov. Skyline Drive is beautiful, lots of scenic pull overs, wonderful hikes, 2 nice lodges in SNP. As you travel north on Skyline at milepost 32 or so is Luray Caverns (Luray Va), very interesting formations, nice tour. Whatever you plans, hope you enjoy your time in the US.
I agree with goneagain2 that Shenandoah National Park (around 2 hours outside of D.C. proper-are you staying in D.C. or a suburb in Virginia or Maryland?)would be a cool place to visit and perhaps stay at Big Meadows Lodge or Skyland Resort in the Park. If your children like animals, there are plenty of deer (especially around the meadow called Big Meadow) and you have a chance of seeing a black bear (twice last year we saw black bear, once in July and again in August). There are a number of pleasant hikes (1 to 3 hours in length) such as to the top of Hawksbill Mountain or Stony Man Mountain (both at around 4,000 feet) or to waterfalls such as Dark Hollow, Lewis or White Oak Canyon. The temperatures are usually at least 10 degrees cooler than the valley and when we camp in the summer, we always have a campfire at night (sometimes we sit close to it and sometimes not so close). Plus Luray Caverns (in Luray, Virginia) is not that far off Skyline Drive and might be worth a look-see. Enjoy your visit!
Another place to consider is Wintergreen Resort. Up in the mountains where it is cooler. A lot of family-oriented activities, easy access to Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive. Short drive into Charlottesville to go visit historical sites like Monticello or University of Virgina or do shopping/dining.
There are swimming pools, hiking, golf, horseback riding, etc. at Wintergreen.
You have gotten excellent advice from everyone above on things to do in the summer in Virginia. The problem is, Virginia isn%26#39;t really between Indianapolis and D.C. by the driving route that makes the most sense. That route would take you east from Indiana, through Ohio, and into Western Pennsylvania, down into Maryland, and on into D.C. You wouldn%26#39;t actually pass through VA at all. You%26#39;ll be CLOSE to Virginia, and if you want to go exploring you could take less traveled roads from Indy, through Kentucky and West Virginia, and into Virginia. You may want to post in the forms for Ohio and Pennsylvania and maybe see if they have ideas for you too. I think there are some places around Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania that may be good for you, but I don%26#39;t know what they are.
Again, Virginia is wonderful and you should come here over those other places regardless of what your original thoughts were, but know it won%26#39;t be a mid-point stop in any sense.
You might enjoy the town of Chincoteague and Assateague Island on Virginia%26#39;s Eastern Shore. Its located very near the Maryland - Virginia border.
Assateague has wild ponies and lots of birds. There%26#39;s several walking trails and the beaches are big. They don%26#39;t really have enough parking to let the beaches get too crowded.
They also have mosquitos at times during the summer. Chincoteague doesn%26#39;t have a huge problem. Assateague can be bad if the conditions are right.
We put a bunch of pictures and hopefully useful information on our website. If you%26#39;re interested its:
www.alandsuejohnson.com/assateague_island.htm
Depending on traffic, its about 3.5 hours from DC to Assateague Island.
For theme parks/water parks check out Kings Island just north of Cincinnati Ohio. Or Ceder Point at Sandusky Ohio. Two of the Best along the way with Kings Island ( home of The Beast AND Son of BEAST) being the closest. With a WEEK%26#39;S Holiday somewhere in bewteen , then maybe BOTH. Cedar Point has the MOST coaster of ANY park in the US. I have been to both and they are excellant!!! Do a goggle search and check them out. This place sits on a piece of land that sticks into Lake Eire. You might decide to swim in the Lake at one of the camp ground/beachs. Or maybe a hotel there has beach access.
MOST ALL motel will have a pool, if ONE dosen%26#39;t have their open then try next door to the next motel.
I have 4 children around the same ages. We visit Va beach every year and really love it. It is hot that time of year. If you stay at a beachfront hotel, there is always a nice breeze. From there it is an easy drive to Williamsburg. We really enjoy Busch Gardens and Water Country USA. They can easily fill 2-3 days. Just to let you know the area is about 2-3 hours drive south of Washington DC. Not exactly on the way from Indianapolis, but if you have a week it%26#39;s worth the drive. Enjoy!
A driver to the Maryland shore for some crab is an excellent way to spend some of your time in the DC Metro area. Look up the area around St Michaels, MD.
(http://www.google.com/search?client=safari%26amp;rls=en%26amp;q=st+michaels+maryland%26amp;ie=UTF-8%26amp;oe=UTF-8)
It%26#39;s the kind of crab place where they serve them by the bucket and you sit at a table covered with newspaper and eat them--very messy-very, very tasty. Makes my hungry just thinking about it!
Also, others have mentioned Kings Dominion. They have a water park in the park. It%26#39;s a great for the kids.
(www3.cedarfair.com/kingsdominion/index.cfm)
If you go, wear clothes that dry quickly and water shoes if you are worried about your sneakers. That way you can go on rides, see a show (they have variety and other type shows within the park), get drenched on the flume, and go down slides or float around the ';river'; in the water park.
It can get crowded, but I am afraid that anything in the DC area in August is likely to be a bit crowded. So, it might be best for you to combine some of these activities (including museums in DC) with a cool stay in the mountains as others here have suggested.
But if you have time--go try some of that crab!
Hi all,
I commute between Boston to Richmond almost every week and drive to %26amp; fro Glen allen and Richmond Airport frequently. I am looking for sharing the ride with people who might be traveling to Airport at times. My schedule is not fixed but it is mostly Thursdays and Tuesdays , sometimes Mondays and Fridays or other days as well. Please let me know if anyone is interested in something similar.
hi
I am Dr Priyanka. I am looking for someone to drop me to Richmond airport from westend in richmond (gaskins road)in 01/22/2008.
Plz call me if that is OK for you at 8044474958
