RV Across America: A Long Weekend RV Trip Through America’s Past

The District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, MD

It was here during the War of 1812, that a large American flag raised to signal victory in the Battle of Baltimore inspired Francis Scott Key to write his poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry" that later, when it was set to music, became the nascent nation’s anthem. More than 200 years later, the site is a tourist attraction accessible by water taxi from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

United States Capitol, DC

Our nation’s capital is known for its soaring white monuments to democracy, but the U.S. Capitol building is one of the most beautiful. Tickets for the guided tour are free but the lines can get long, so plan on arriving at the underground visitor center (located across from the U.S. Supreme Court on the eastern side of the Capitol grounds) in the morning to beat the infamous Washington, D.C., heat, humidity, and crowds of school children.

Rock Creek Park, DC/MD

Authorized in 1890, the 1,754-acre Rock Creek Park was the third park to be designated as such by the federal government. Today, the natural expanse offers a welcome respite to the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city and suburbs, with picnic areas, hiking and bridle trails, and athletic fields.

Arlington National Cemetery, VA

The final resting place of 35th President John F. Kennedy, more than 400,000 service members and their families, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery is the largest burial ground in the U.S. National Cemetery System. The 639-acre site, located across the Potomac River from D.C., in Arlington, Virginia, is accessible by car, guided tour bus, or its own dedicated Metro station.

Maryland and Virginia

Assateague Island National Seashore, MD/VA

Assateague Island spans two states (Maryland and Virginia) along the Atlantic Coast. The barrier island is home to marsh lands, sandy beaches, and herds of feral horses that roam freely. Every summer for a century, a group of horses owned by the Chincoteague Fire Department has been coaxed by “saltwater cowboys” to swim to nearby Chincoteague Island  and back again, during an event known as the Pony Swim.

Virginia

The Poe Museum, VA

Although Edgar Allan Poe made his macabre mark up and down the East Coast, Richmond, Virginia’s Poe Museum is a must-see destination for fans of literature, spooky stories, or historic structures. The museum’s collection of artifacts spans three historic stone structures, and includes first editions of the author’s famous works, a fragment of his coffin, and two resident black cats (Edgar and a new addition named Tib, an homage to one of Poe’s childhood feline companions).

Monticello, VA

You can’t visit Charlottesville, Virginia, without seeing the impact of its most famous resident, Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, everywhere. But the views are most spectacular at Monticello, Jefferson’s home, plantation, and final resting place, located on the summit of an 850-foot-high peak. If the stately, neoclassical western facade looks familiar, it’s because an image of the home has been featured on the back of the nickel since 1938.

Shenandoah National Park, VA

Located just 75 miles—and a world away—from Washington, D.C., this national park comprises more than 200,000 acres of protected land, including a portion of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The park’s Skyline Drive offers jaw-dropping views of mountains, valleys, and the rolling hills of Virginia’s unique Piedmont region. 

West Virginia and Pennsylvania

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, WV

In 1859, Harpers Ferry, Virginia, became the site of abolitionist John Brown’s infamous arsenal raid, a harbinger of the Civil War. Now located in West Virginia, the charming historic town is home to several history museums, souvenir shops, restaurants, and outdoor recreational activities including The Point, an overlook where the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers come together.

Gettysburg National Military Park, PA

This site of one of the bloodiest battles of the U.S. Civil War also played witness to one of the nation’s most hopeful moments: 16th President Abraham Lincoln’s recitation of the Gettysburg Address in 1863. Today, the area is chock full of tourist activities that range from the somber to the silly, including a cemetery, historic homes, and Civil War Tails, a collection of battlefield dioramas constructed in miniature with cats substituted for the soldiers on both sides.