Written By David Greisman

Every year, we greet Memorial Day with proverbial open arms – the three-day weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer, weeks before the solstice brings the true start to the season.

We flock to beaches and pools, where we work on our tans and cool down from the heat. We tend to our gardens, plan trips to locales near and far, grill meals at backyard barbecues and decide how best to occupy the minds of our children until schools reopen.

And every year, we approach Labor Day with dread: The three-day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer, reminding us of the harsh reality that the days will continue to get shorter and the weather will progressively grow colder.

That September day (it is the third, just to remind you) is fast approaching, signifying the last of the warmth and relative freedom that dominates 14 weeks each year. But although the end is nigh, all is not lost; there is still opportunity for one last hurrah, whether it comes from a memorable vacation or nearby recreation.
Here, then, are five ideas that should lift you up before fall arrives.

Get in touch with local history

Schools may be out for a little bit longer, but the learning does not have to wait.

Put aside that summer reading list and get your educational experience outside with a Civil War lesson at Washington County’s Antietam National Battlefield.

The battlefield was where the bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil War took place, a culmination of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of the north, where his soldiers met those led by Union commander George B. McClellan. About 3,600 soldiers died outright, and many more were wounded or missing, said Stephanie Gray, park ranger with the National Park Service.

“People can come and learn about this particular chapter of the Civil War,” Gray said. “There are eight-and-a-half miles of park tour roads that basically allow you to traverse the battlefields.”

The battlefield and its visitor center is open seven days a week at 8 a.m., and the battlefield is open until dusk. The visitor center closes daily at 7 p.m. until Labor Day. After Labor Day, hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The visitor center shows a 25-minute film every hour and half-hour except noon to tell how the battle unfolded. At noon, the center plays an hour-long movie designed for Civil War buffs, with maps and historians augmenting the story of what happened on Sept. 17, 1862.

Directions: From Westminster, travel south to I-70. Take I-70 west to exit 29 and go south on Maryland Route 65. The Visitor Center is about 10 miles down on the left side.

More Information: 301-432-5125, or http://www.nps.gov/anti

Other options: Monocacy National Battlefield in Frederick County, Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park and Manassas National Battlefield Park in Virginia, Harper’s Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia.

See a baseball game

The pennant races will wrap up on the final day of September, but millionaires and minor leaguers aren’t the only athletes competing in America’s Pastime. For 60 years, preteens have traveled to Williamsport, Pa., for a tournament to crown the best Little League baseball team.

What began with 11 teams from Pennsylvania and New Jersey has expanded to a worldwide competition that culminates in 32 games played by eight squads from America and eight from international regions. And what started with 2,500 spectators at the championship game now sees an average of 300,000 fans coming each year to the Little League World Series.

“These kids are playing baseball because they love the game, [but] they’re also skilled and talented ballplayers,” said tournament spokesman Chris Downs. “These kids have progressed through the various levels of the Little League tournament. They’re already champions of their respective regions.”

The first pitch will be thrown shortly after 2 p.m. on Aug. 17, but the World Series officially begins the day before with opening ceremonies at noon and a parade at night through Williamsport’s Main Street. The tournament runs through Aug. 26, with multiple games scheduled for each day.

Seating is first come, first serve, but there need not be any concern about crowding or not having a good vantage point. Each of the two stadiums has a hillside on which fans can set up lawn chairs and blankets.
“You’re going to see some high caliber baseball, but it’s also free of charge,” Downs said.

Directions: From Westminster, follow Route 140 west and exit onto Route 97 north toward Gettysburg, Pa. From Gettysburg, take U.S. Route 15 north for about 34 miles. Exit onto Route 581, the Harrisburg Expressway, west toward Carlisle. After 5 miles, exit onto I-81 north toward Harrisburg, and drive for about 8 miles to the exit for U.S. Route 22. Take Route 22 west for about 13 miles, and then exit onto U.S. Route 15 north. After about 67 miles, the Little League ballparks will be located just off of the highway.

More Information: 570-326-1921, or http://www.littleleague.org

Other options: Along with the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals, baseball fans can get their fix from any of the numerous minor league teams in the region, including the Class A Aberdeen IronBirds, Delmarva Shorebirds, Frederick Keys, Hagerstown Suns, Potomac Nationals and Wilmington Blue Rocks, and the Class AA Bowie Baysox and Harrisburg Senators. The minor league seasons run through the first week of September.

Pamper yourself

Between the weight of stress from work and the ounces of sweat from Maryland’s usual heat and humidity, one need not feel guilty for getting spoiled in the lap of luxury.

Drive out to Flintstone in Allegany County, where the Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort offers spa treatments, 75 activities on site or close by, an 18-hole golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus and a view of the 243-acre Lake Habeeb.

“It’s three things: relax, refresh, rejuvenate,” said director of sales and marketing Lyn Locke. “It’s good for your mind, body and spirit. You can do a short treatment for 30 minutes or you can do a whole day. You can go play golf and then you can get a massage or even a manicure or pedicure.”

The resort, which also includes restaurants, a 216-room hotel and indoor and outdoor conference spaces, may be equally important, though, for the atmosphere created through its location at Rocky Gap State Park.
“We’re situated within a 3,200-acre state park that has no development around it,” Locke said. “It’s extremely quiet and peaceful.”

Directions: From Westminster, travel south to I-70. Follow I-70 west all the way to I-68. Exit onto I-68 and continue for about 36 miles to exit 50 at Rocky Gap State Park. Turn right off of the exit, and the hotel will be visible from the road.

More Info: 1-800-724-0828, or www.rockygapresort.com

Other options: Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, Five Gables Inn & Spa and the Spa at Harbour Inn in St. Michael’s in Talbot County.

Relax in the sand and surf

Traffic congestion on the Bay Bridge is par for the course at this time of year. The warm air and water attract many of the 26 million vehicles that drive each year to and from the Eastern Shore.

Some drivers follow U.S. Route 50 all the way to Ocean City, while others veer toward the beaches in Delaware. But for those who tire of walking on boardwalks and searching for room on crowded shores, Assateague Island offers a completely different experience.

“You can go to any resort town on the East Coast and get French fry stands and rides and hundred-car parking lots,” said Christopher Seymour, a park ranger at Assateague with the National Park Service. “We are basically a wild barrier island. You can go from beach to bay here and track the habitats of animals and plants through various trails and even while driving on the roads. You will not get any of that in the urbanized islands to the north. It puts people back in touch with an earlier time.”

In the Maryland section of Assateague, the main attraction is the wild horses, free-ranging ponies that Seymour said are descended from the horses left behind by early farmers. Visitors are able to see the ponies up close, but feeding or petting them will lead to a stiff fine.

There are ponies, too, in the Virginia section, the herd described in Marguerite Henry’s 1947 children’s novel Misty of Chincoteague. But the true draw is the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, a habitat for a variety of birds that also includes trails for hiking and biking, the Toms Cove beach and the candy-cane striped Assateague Light lighthouse.

Directions: From Westminster, take Route 140 east to I-795. Follow I-795 south to the I-695 beltway, and exit south toward Glen Burnie. Drive about 14 miles on I-695 until the exit for I-97. Take I-97 south for about 18 miles to U.S. Route 50. Follow Route 50 east for about 93 miles. To reach Assateague Island in Virginia, exit south to U.S. Route 13. Take Route 13 for about 39 miles and then make a left turn onto Virginia Route 175. Drive on Route 175 to Chincoteague Island, and then make a left turn onto Main Street and a right onto Maddox Boulevard, which will lead to the island. To reach Assateague Island in Maryland, stay on U.S. Route 50. A few miles from Ocean City, take a right turn onto Route 611 and proceed to the island.

More Info: Maryland: 410-641-1441; Virginia: 757-336-6577; www.nps.gov/asis/

Other options: Ocean City in Maryland; Bethany, Dewey and Rehoboth beaches in Delaware; Virginia Beach in Virginia.

Take a hike

If you want to get in touch with nature – or if you just want to get your heart pumping – Maryland offers numerous parks and trails where you can get off your seat and onto your feet.

Direct your hiking shoes toward the Appalachian Trail, which runs more than 2,000 miles from Mount Katahdin in central Maine to Springer Mountain in northern Georgia. Approximately 40 of those miles go through Maryland, traversing portions of Frederick and Washington counties.

“It’s great exercise, and it’s wonderful to get out in the woods and see the wildlife,” said Paul Ives, supervisor of trails for the Mountain Club of Maryland. “Some people just amble along, mostly looking around, and others do it to see how fast they can get from here to there.”

Ives recommends starting off at High Rock, which is located in the northeastern section of Washington County near Fort Ritchie. High Rock itself sits at an elevation of about 1,900 feet above sea level, providing a picturesque panoramic view of the farmland below. Take the trail fromthe parking area and follow the blue markers until you reach the white blazes of the Appalachian Trail.

“As far as the Appalachian Trail goes, it’s a fairly easy section to hike,” Ives said. “There are mountains, but they’re not like the mountains in New Hampshire and some of the mountains further south. It’s a well-maintained trail, [and] mostly it’s pretty scenic.”

Directions: From Westminster, follow Route 140 into Pennsylvania, where Route 140 becomes Route 16. Drive for about seven miles into Blue Ridge Summit and make a left turn onto Fort Ritchie Access Road. From there, turn right onto Pen Mar Road, which eventually splits off onto Pen Mar High Rock Road. Pen Mar High Rock Road will take you to the parking area at High Rock.

More Information: Call the Mountain Club of Maryland at 410-377-6266.

Other Options: The C & O Canal runs 184 miles from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland; Gunpowder Falls State Park in Baltimore and Harford counties includes more than 100 miles of trails; and Patapsco Valley State Park follows 32 miles of the Patapsco River through Baltimore, Carroll and Howard counties.