Upon moving to DC one of my first purchases was this handy “Day Trips from Washington DC” book. I was completely new to the city and couldn’t wait to explore. Four years later, I am still checking new sights and towns off my DC Bucket List.
Take “Delmarva” (Delaware + Maryland + Virginia) for example. Is that how you say it? I didn’t know that was even a place before last month. But somehow I had it in my mind to take an off season weekend trip down Route 1, stopping along all of the cute coastal towns in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. It was going to be tourist free, cheap, and perfect.
Of course, you take a risk when you plan a trip for January. The weather was cold and rainy and absolutely gross. Not the best timing for a beach road trip. But we trekked on, away from the city and over the Bay Bridge.
I had never been to any beach towns in this area, so my plan was to literally drive from town to town and scope out the scene. Once we got over the Chesapeake Bay and past the farm land, our first stop on Route 1 was the beaches of Delaware: Rehoboth, Dewey, and Bethany. Very charming.
Since it was January, I knew the towns would be dead. I just had no idea how quiet things would be. Everything was closed. Everything. No shops, no restaurants, nothing. With not much to do, our trip was turning out to be quicker than we thought. There was nothing to eat, no souvenirs to be had, it was like a ghost town.
So we did what any normal person would do at a deserted beach: take lots and lots selfies with the pup. We quickly passed through Delaware and moved onto the beaches of Maryland – basically one big road of Ocean City. Even with the town empty, Ocean City was not free of strip malls and bars. It was interesting, to put it nicely. Not my kind of beach town. I prefer quieter little beaches.
To round out our day trip down Route 1 along the Atlantic Coast, we ended our day at Chincoteague Island, Virginia. The complete opposite of Ocean City, Chincoteague was isolated, green, and small. It was the perfect place to crash for the night!
Instead of the local seafood I had imagined for dinner (shrimp! crab! fish!) we were stuck with one food option for the whole trip: McDonalds. So there I was, walking distance from the ocean, eating a Big Mac in a parking lot. That will teach me next time I’m scheduling a beach trip.
Final verdict? B+
I loved getting out of the city for the day. Road trips are still fun.
Could see myself in the beach towns of Delaware or Virginia, Ocean City not my cup of tea.
Prepare to entertain yourself with car selfies when you go to the beach in January.
I live closer to the ocean than I realized – I will go more often!
reidmore 