FAMILY FUN
5 Destinations
S for Last-Minute Vacations
Before School Begins
BY LINDSAY
C. VANASDALAN
chool is right around the corner. Take advantage of the sun, sand and outdoors with your
family while you still can—and maybe a little learning, too.

Book these last-minute vacations within driving distance of Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia.

Glen Echo Park
Glen Echo, Maryland, makes a terrific local getaway for families,
with an array of activities available at Glen Echo Park.

The park is home to two award-winning children’s theaters—
Adventure Theatre MTC and The Puppet Co.—and an aquarium
that has private and semi-private marine biology tours with edu-
cators and a pirate ship. Invite your young scallywag to search for
treasure in the Chesapeake Bay. With many attractions in place for
decades, this family destination brings trusted entertainment. Ride
the restored 1921 Dentzel Carousel and check out free summer con-
certs, festivals and special events.

Harpers Ferry
Starting at the Appalachian Trail Conservancy headquarters, weave
your way through Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and cross
two states along the way. The featured local hike in Harpers Ferry
on appalachiantrail.org explores Black and Civil War history and has
views of Jefferson Rock—which Thomas Jefferson said were “worth
a voyage across the Atlantic.”
Keep an eye out for Baltimore Oriole birds along the C&O Canal.

Nearby at the Harpers Ferry Adventure Center, your family can
tour the treetops with seven different zip lines and a 100-foot aerial
bridge, challenge each other in a high-ropes course or enjoy a lazy
day of flat water tubing.

10 Washington FAMILY AUGUST 2022
Luray, Virginia
Just under two hours from Washington, D.C., Luray, Virginia brings
nature to your family vacation in via the picturesque Skyline Drive
through Shenandoah National Park and Luray Caverns, a natural
formation with 10-story ceilings you can tour along lighted path-
ways. These caverns are the largest in the eastern United States. A
ticket to these natural wonders also includes several fun attractions,
such as the Car & Carriage Caravan Museum, Toy Town Junction
and the mid-Atlantic’s largest evergreen hedge maze.

Continuing with the nature theme, stop by the Luray Zoo – a res-
cue zoo with a reptile jungle and petting zoo. This privately owned
zoo cares for retired zoo animal ambassadors, zoo animals retired
from conservation programs, unwanted pets and confiscated and
abused animals.

Williamsburg, Virginia
This Virginia town is more than the home of a former president. Its
European-inspired Busch Gardens has been voted the world’s most
beautiful theme park since 1990 and has family-friendly shows and
more than 40 kid-friendly rides and attractions.

Learn about music in Williamsburg at the Virginia Musical
Museum or explore history at Colonial Williamsburg. Your kids
will get a true-to-life representation of 17th-century English col-
onists through living outdoor history exhibits at the Jamestown
Settlement museum. For some zany fun, check out 350-plus exhib-
its—including an 8-foot tall Transformer, a web of lasers and 150
flavors of candy—at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! T
NADEZHDA1906 / ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES PLUS
Chincoteague Island
On Chincoteague Island, you’ll find plenty to entertain younger
beachgoers. Visit Maui Jack’s Waterpark to cool off or Chincoteague
Pony Centre for lessons and rides with the island’s ponies.

The Delmarva Discovery Museum in Pocomoke City, Maryland,
about a half hour from the island, gives children an opportunity to
steer a steamboat, crawl into a wigwam replica, see the inside of a
beaver dam, learn about small creatures through a touch pool and
partake in a science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics
(STEAM) lab.