Escapes: An eagle-spotting train tour in West Virginia

(Buzz McClain)

Buzz McClain

Escapes takes an eagle-spotting train ride on West Virginia’s Potomac Eagle.

Park yourself in front of a movie

(Michael S. Williamson / WASHINGTON POST)

Dan Carney

A family tour of drive-in movie theaters along U.S. Rte. 11 in western Virginia.

Richmond’s art is so fine

(David Stover/ / PHOTO BY DAVID STOVER 2010)

Amy Joyce

A visit to Richmond was a pleasant surprise, as was its newly renovated Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Fun times at a Virginia winery

(Robin Soslow / ROBIN SOSLOW)

Escapes taste the fruits wines of Virginia’s Peaks of Otter Winery and lives to tell the tale.

Maryland

Details: Touring Maryland’s rebuilt islands

Escapes: Where to go and what to know in touring Maryland’s rebuilt islands.

Bed Check: An Eastern Shore inn

Bartlett Pear Inn. The bosc pear room.

Andrea Sachs

Bartlett Pear Inn, a sweet place to eat and sleep in Easton.

Cooking a bit bland? Needs more Eastern Shore.

OXFORD, MD - Mark Salter, executive chef at Robert Morris Inn in Oxford, Md., has introduced a full menu of cooking classes this season, complete with wine pairings and a Miele demonstration kitchen. (Melanie D.G. Kaplan/For The Washington Post)

Melanie D.G. Kaplan

A roundup of cooking classes on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and at the beach in Delaware.

The Eastern Shore’s cool hotel

CAPE CHARLES, VA -- Several rooms at the Hotel Cape Charles have balconies with a view of the harbor.

Becky Krystal

The new Hotel Cape Charles is a pristine addition to Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

Letters to the Travel editor

Readers respond to our recent articles.

New York

Escapes: Gardens of New York

SLUG: WKN/ESC-NYC Gardens INPUTDATE: 2011-07-08 14:57:31.257 CREDIT: James F. Lee/FROM_PHOTOPOST/James F. Lee LOCATION: New York, NY, USA CAPTION: The jet fountain in the Italian Garden of the Conservatory Garden in Central Park. Sent by: Becky Krystal Photo Editor: one time use only

James F. Lee

Visit the not-so-secret gardens of Manhattan.

Rock Rock Rockaway Beach

New York, New York - June 19: Josh Storch, Crystal Wu and Sam Plevy, all of Manhattan, eat lunch at Rockaway Taco at Rockaway Beach on Saturday, June 19, 2011. They took the A-Train all the to the beach. (Photo by Kirsten Luce for the Washington Post)

Nancy Trejos

Rockaway Beach in Queens once again becomes “the playground of New York.”

2011: A Yotel Odyssey

This Thursday, June 16, 2011 photo shows a patron passing by check-in kiosks at the Yotel in New York. Forget the bellhop; meet the luggage robot. It’s the first of several high-tech, sleek amenities guests encounter at the Yotel, a new hotel that aims to provide a trendy stay at an affordable price. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Andrea Sachs

A New York hotel takes technology to a new frontier.

Delaware

Living it up at Dover Downs

DOVER, DE - JULY 2011: Dover Downs Hotel and Casino is located in Dover, DE has horse racing as well as casino gambling. (Photo by Andrea Sachs/The Washington Post)

Andrea Sachs

Feeling like a winner in a Jacuzzi suite at Dover Downs Hotel and Casino in Delaware.

West Virginia

Just a tank away from Washington

C8FWGF Blackwater falls in West Virginia in Fall taken with a slow shutter speed

Andrea Sachs

Looking for a getaway that won’t pinch you at the gas pump? Take a trip to Blackwater Falls, W. Va.

Map vs. GPS: Going old school

BEMIS, WEST VIRGINIA - AUGUST 10, 2011 - Bemis, W.Va., is about a four-hour drive from Washington, much of it on winding mountain roads. (Photo by Becky Krystal/The Washington Post)

Becky Krystal

A die-hard GPS user takes a road trip to rural West Virginia relying on paper maps and her wits.

Bed Check: Lost in the moment

HANDOUT IMAGE: PEARISBURG, VA: The Inn at Riverbend has several rooms from 264 - 275 square feet. It is located in Pearisburg, Va. (Photo courtesy Janet Burton)

Timothy R. Smith

The Inn at Riverbend in Pearisburg, Va.

GPS vs. map: Which leads to success?

for travel 08.21.11: Postcard sent in 1915 from Bemis W. Va, provided by Steve Bodkins, author of 'Bemis & Glady West Virginia: A History of Two Mountain Towns'

Andrea Sachs

A skeptic gives the gadget a chance on a trip to W.Va. and notes some trip-ups and triumphs on the way.

Silver Airways flight lands at wrong W.Va. airport in 1st week of service; no one injured

Associated Press

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A Silver Airways pilot making one of the Florida airline’s first flights to the North Central West Virginia Airport in Bridgeport mistakenly landed his Saab 340 at a tiny airport in Fairmont, but officials said Wednesday that no one was injured.

Virginia

Mountains: Outclimb the temperature

Grayson County, VA - July 17, 2011: The Appalachian Trail leads towards the top of Whitetop Mountain, Sunday morning, July 17, 2011. (Photo by Norm Shafer/For the Washington Post)

Nancy Trejos

To beat the heat, try camping in Grayson Highlands State Park.

In the saddle at a Virginia winery

HANDOUT IMAGE: DELAPLANE, VA - AUGUST: The hour-long trail ride led by Rocking S. Ranch owner Bill Schwasta (in cowboy hat) passes Oak Hill, a former residence of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall. (Photo by Kris Coronado)

Escapes enjoys leisurely rides and liquid rewards at Barrel Oak Winery.

Park yourself in front of a movie

ABINGDON, VA - JUNE 18 : The Moonlite Theatre opened in 1949 and is one of a very few drive-in movie theaters that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For a story on the vintage drive-in movie theaters that are scattered along a 400-mile stretch of Virginia Route 11. (Photo by Michael Williamson/The Washington Post)

Dan Carney

A family tour of drive-in movie theaters along U.S. Rte. 11 in western Virginia.

A jolly good show

White Birches Inn in Abingdon

Nancy Trejos

Bed Check: White Birches Inn evokes an English country home.

Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh to D.C. bike ride’s no sweat

WHEELER, PA - OCTOBER 20, 2009 - This is now a renovated bridge of the Youghiogheny River Trail/Great Allegheny Passage. This bridge, and railroad was abandoned in 1975.(Photo by Curt Beal) MANDITORY CREDIT

Nancy Szokan

A woman marks a big birthday with 300 miles of pedaling along the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal.

An explosion of travel apps

apps

Andrea Sachs

Apps for smartphones and tablets are everywhere, but finding the good ones can be a journey in itself.

Philly’s grand boulevard, now grander

The cantilevered light box canopy of the Barnes Foundation building lights up the night on the Parkway (MICHAEL BRYANT / The Philadelphia Inquirer )

Robert DiGiacomo

The new Barnes art museum is leading a cultural revival along Philadelphia’s version of the Champs-Elysees.

Pros and perils of a carless roadtrip

BK3JA2 Broad Street stretches off into the distance in Philadelphia, PA on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 (© Richard B. Levine)

Becky Krystal

A journey to Philadelphia proves mass transit is a great way to save money, if you plan accordingly.

Savoring the many flavors of Pittsburgh

This is a mural painted on the side of the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company, one of the many mom-and-pop shops on Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh's Strip District Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009. A few blocks from where the Group of 20 global economic summit, and fearing violent clashes, property damage or simply a traffic nightmare, some businesses in the Strip District will be forced to closed during the two-day summit. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

JoAnn Greco

Escapes: A tour of Pittsburgh’s eclectic Strip District.

Mid-Atlantic Travel Special Reports

Bed Check: Dogs welcome

Six dog-friendly accommodations in the mid-Atlantic region.

Ski Guide

Get the scoop on local ski destinations with our interactive map.

New York Hostel Roundup

If you choose wisely, lodgings defy New York’s high prices and the old days’ low expectations.