Autumn on the Chesapeake Bay right off of I-95 - one hour well spent!

Better than your average chain restaurant view...

File this under "unexpected excursion in less than an hour"! Many people spend their Saturday and Sundays running from one errand to another. Or they have a birthday party or soccer game to take their kid(s) to and feel like they spent the whole weekend in the car. Our family is no different. The key to adding fun and travel to your day is to figure out a way to add an excursion to the schedule.

For example, we had to go to the market and to pick up a few items from a family member who lived 1/2 hour away. We are excited to see them and had a nice visit. Then we stopped by a nice farmers market, Richardson Farm in Baltimore County. http://richardsonfarms.net/ for a few essentials. I knew we were very close to the Hammerman Beach area of Gunpowder Falls State Park and decided to take the girls there for a nice break in our hectic weekend.

For those traveling up and down Interstate 95, this quiet and lovely park is only 9 miles off of this heavily traveled road. By the time it would take to go to a mid-grade chain restaurant, you could swing by Richardson Farm, grab a sandwich or fresh chicken and sides and have a picnic on the Chesapeake Bay...all for less than the cost of this restaurant! One hour and you would be back on your way. Prices to get into Hammerman range from $3-6 depending on your car's license plate state of residence. Military are half price. The waterfront is lovely and in mid-week, not very crowded. On a late October day, it was practically empty.

So business travelers sitting in traffic on I-95...this may be a good way to spend your lunch hour AND miss out on some of the grid lock.