My mandate writing this column is to find quick day trips convenient to Lorton. Unfortunately, most ocean-front resorts are at least three-and-a-half hours away when the traffic is good – when the traffic is bad, the trip can take anywhere from five hours to eternity. It’s rumored that Einstein formulated his Special Theory of Relativity while sitting in Bay Bridge traffic, pondering what would happen were he to suddenly fling himself over the side.
Additionally, the ocean-front resorts, while certainly appealing in a lot of ways, tend to be difficult for parents with really small children. If you have a 15-month old boy who likes to fearlessly throw himself into anything that catches his fancy, a trip to the beach can sometimes include frantic moments of panic, as the waves and current smash into the child, knocking him laughing into the froth. Fortunately, for those living in the D.C. area, there are gentler, closer shores.
One such location, which my wife and our two children just visited this past week, is Maryland’s Sandy Point State Park. Located just north of the Bay Bridge, on Maryland’s Western Shore, the park boasts an extended beach perfect for swimming and gentle enough most days to make a baby giggle and not suck him out to sea.
The park costs $5 per person for out-of-state adults on summer weekdays and $6 on weekends, provides you with lifeguards, clean beaches, volleyball nets, changing rooms, picnic areas, a snack bar and anything else you might desire from a beach trip. It’s inexpensive and easily accessible.
The park also provides a pretty spectacular view. The Sandy Point Lighthouse and the monumental expanse of the Bay Bridge provide perfect framing for the many boats and watercraft making their way through the Chesapeake Bay. You can count the sail boats, or for added amusement, count the blaring car horns on the Bridge. If you are inclined toward boating yourself, the park has launching ramps and finger piers for temporary docking throughout the day. Motor boat rentals are sometimes available as well.
For my wife and me, the best part of the trip was the opportunity to relax on the beach without shelling out for an overnight stay. Our nine-year-old was perfectly comfortable managing our 15-month old near the water, without the occasional rogue wave knocking him flat. Even better is that we were back home by evening, and we never had to cross the bridge.
It’s the perfect summer day trip.
