By Victoria Cline
Elm Staff Writer
Weekends offer the perfect opportunity to explore and relax by getting off campus for a change of scenery. With all the homework and assignments beginning to pile up before Thanksgiving Break, it’s a great idea to get away from your stress and to-do lists and make sure you do not get too overwhelmed with your college responsibilities.
If you are looking for a short daytrip outside of Chestertown, there are plenty of options to consider. Before the weather gets too much colder, consider heading to Betterton Beach for a great view of the Chesapeake Bay. Only a short 20-minute drive from campus, you can bring along a football or frisbee and a picnic to enjoy the sun and sand.
Another option for a nearby outdoor adventure is the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge located 30 minutes south of WC, where there are picturesque hiking trails both in the forest area and along the water and great spots for a few group photo ops as well.
Check the park’s hours before you go to make sure they are open. If you aren’t really the outdoorsy type, head to the town of Easton (about 50 minutes away) for some shopping. Here, you will find a Target, Kohl’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, rue21, and many more options as well as fun downtown restaurants—and of course, don’t forget the Chick-fil-A.
If you want to cross the Bay Bridge for the weekend, Annapolis is only an hour’s drive and most definitely has a great downtown area with fun tourist shops and the best ice cream you can find. On weekends in the fall, a really fun pastime is to attend a Navy football game and don your blue and gold. If you have never done it before, take a tour of the Naval Academy and enjoy walking along the docks in DTA (Downtown Annapolis).
There is plenty of history to explore and there is also a mall with all your usual shopping and dining options if you prefer to be indoors. WC even runs a weekend shuttle to Annapolis for students who do not have their own cars, so be sure to check the shuttle schedule online on WebAdvisor.
A final destination option is Washington D.C., where there is also a WC shuttle to the metro stop of New Carrollton where you can take the Orange Line into the heart of the capital city. My friends and I went on advising day our first year to go walk The Mall. I highly recommend it as a day trip. Besides the monuments and Capitol Building, there are also a host of Smithsonian museums to explore, which are easy to get to by foot and everything is free of charge for entry. Definitely plan to be gone for several hours, because there is so much to explore while you are there.
Regardless of where you choose to go, it is always enjoyable to just get off campus for a bit and have a change of pace. For your next weekend be sure to pick your own destination to explore and enjoy.