ESCAPE KEYS

Vienna, Md.

GETTING THERE: Vienna, Md., is about 100 miles, or two hours, from downtown Washington. Take Route 50 east through Annapolis and across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Stay on Route 50 as it goes south through Cambridge, Md. About 15 miles past Cambridge, look for the Vienna exit: Route 331. If you cross the Nanticoke River, you've gone too far.

WHERE TO STAY: Tavern House Bed & Breakfast (111 Water St., 410-376-3347). Doubles are $85. All the rooms are comfortable and homey. If you're not a B&B fan, Cambridge and Salisbury (16 to 18 miles down Route 50 in either direction) have plenty of chain hotels. Try the Country Inns & Suites (1804 Sweetbay Dr., 410-742-2688) in Salisbury. Rooms from $89 to $169.

WHERE TO EAT: For breakfast, go to the Cambridge Diner &; Restaurant (2924 Old Route 50, Cambridge, 410-228-8898). A plate of steak and eggs is $14. Take a piece of coconut custard pie ($2.79) for later. For lunch, you can grab some crackers, a tin of Vienna sausage and a pack of Vienna Fingers (all for less than $5) at the Vienna Market (307 Ocean Gateway, Vienna, 410-376-3299). Or you can check out Brew River Restaurant & Bar (502 W. Main St., Salisbury, 410-677-6757) and sample the cheeseburgers (around $7). For dinner, Millie's Roadhouse Bar & Grill (200 Middle St., Vienna, 410-376-3130) serves up crab cake platters ($16) and fried oyster combos ($18).

WHAT TO DO: If you are looking for action outside Vienna, you can explore the Salisbury Zoo (755 S. Park Drive, Salisbury, 410-548-3188, http://www.salisburyzoo.org/). The small park is clean, airy and open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. There's a box for donations at the front gate and just beyond that, a pen full of parrots and another with a good-looking bobcat. The morning I was there, the peacocks were strutting around, and every once in a while, a prairie dog would stick its head out like in a Whac-A-Mole game.

Also nearby is Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (2145 Key Wallace Dr., Cambridge, 410-228-2677, http://www.fws.gov/blackwater). This is a wonderful place to see birds and all kinds of critters. Ospreys nest here; so do eagles.