Birthday getaway within 5-hour drive of Philly
June 17, 2019 7:38 AM   Subscribe

I'm turning 30 in a month or so, and I'd like to plan a 2-3 night getaway for the beginning of August. Criteria inside.

Looking to car camp or AirBnB it for <$150 a night within a 4-5 hour drive of Philadelphia. I would like to go tubing or paddling one day, have the option to hike another day or two, possibly explore some towns, and eat some good seafood. Queer-friendly or at least -tolerant is a must.
posted by coppermoss to Travel & Transportation (7 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
I keep almost typing ideas, and then realize it doesn't hit one. The closest I think is the Harper's Ferry area. Great tubing/hiking and definitely queer friendly. I don't know about the seafood element.
posted by TravellingCari at 9:49 AM on June 17, 2019


Western Massachusetts! Northampton would be a great, very queer friendly base for this trip. You can go tubing in Deerfield nearby, there’s a lot of hiking in the area, and some decent New England style seafood places (although we are a couple hours from the coast.) Don’t forget your free birthday sundae at Herrell’s!
posted by horizons at 10:57 AM on June 17, 2019 [4 favorites]


If you can forgo the seafood, I recommend Shenandoah National Park. It's about 4 hours from Philly, and has hundreds of fantastic hikes. There are a couple of tubing concerns in Luray and some others nearby. There are also caves in Luray, though I admit I haven't been to them. At the northern edge of the park, the city of Front Royal has 14 buildings on the national register, and there are other quaint towns in the area. I've been four times, but there's always more to see.

I also agree with TravellingCarl that Harper's Ferry is a blast.
posted by ubiquity at 11:18 AM on June 17, 2019


Chestertown Maryland is surprisingly close to Philly, and has cute AirBNBs along the Chesapeake Bay. You can paddle starting in Rock Hall and hike the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge. The town's not huge but you can definitely get some good seafood, including at The Imperial. The town seemed likely fairly queer-tolerant. DM me for a few related thoughts, if you'd like.
posted by knile at 12:39 PM on June 17, 2019


Response by poster: Should clarify, I would like some of the criteria met but don’t necessarily need something that checks all the boxes.
posted by coppermoss at 1:03 PM on June 17, 2019


Rehoboth Delaware and surrounding area fits this! It's a very queer friendly town, beautiful beaches, lots of paddle boarding and kayaking on the bay side down near Dewey Beach. A little north of it is Cape Henlopen park which has hikes and trails for bike riding and exploring.

I have a ton of delicious restaurant recommendations if you choose to visit it. It's about 2.5 hours from Philadelphia.
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 1:48 PM on June 17, 2019 [1 favorite]


Berkeley Springs, WV pairs well with Harpers Ferry, which is right on the Appalachian Trail with tubing on the Potomac. Bicycling along the C&O canal, LGBTQ friendly.
posted by childofTethys at 8:54 PM on June 17, 2019


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