Best Bets
Best Quick Trips
Weekend staff | The Washington Post | Updated 09/05/2009
Two years ago, when Weekend launched the 3-Hour Weekend, the idea was to create an outing that would take no more than an afternoon. Here are seven of our favorite excursions. They are urban and suburban, in museums and on footpaths, kid-friendly and date-friendly.
University of Maryland Observatory
College Park, MD
The College Park observatory hosts free open houses twice a month during which visitors can listen to a half-hour lecture and then peer through telescopes that the staff has trained on extraterrestrial objects.
Edgar Allen Poe House and Museum
Baltimore, MD
While the writer lived in this brick home with green shutters, he penned "Berenice" and "Tales of the Folio Club."
Sidamo Coffee & Tea
Washington, DC
Want a shot of culture with your jolt of caffeine? This Ethiopian coffeehouse holds coffee ceremonies and roasts beans on site.
Franciscan Monastery
Washington, DC
With its arched walkways, 15 miniature outdoor chapels and well-kept garden, the monastery offers a meditative oasis in the city. Walking around the 44 acres quietly, you might feel as if you are in a foreign (and much more peaceful) land.
Library of Congress
Washington, DC
The Library of Congress is a bit of a misnomer. You don't need to be a member of Congress to check it out. And you don't have to be a literary giant to get a LOC library card in order to use any of the 22 reading rooms and access its 650 miles of bookshelves.
Workhouse Arts Center
Lorton, VA
The site of the former prison is now much like the Torpedo Factory: an the atmosphere meant to allow the community to talk to local artists and watch them work. In the pastoral surroundings, you can round out an afternoon with a picnic and walk among an outdoor exhibition of sculpture.
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