The Traveler Snapshots of events and attractions in the Maryland - Washington - Virginia region

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	Sharpsburg, Maryland - in northwest Maryland, along the headwaters of the Potomac River and in the shadow of the South Mountain ridge, a few miles from the Antietam National Civil War Battlefield. Population of a thousand, the town holds a street festival most years, costumes and performers of the Civil War era.
	New Market, Maryland - a small town in northwestern Maryland, a few miles from Frederick, antique shops, restaurants, and a mostly yearly street festival with Civil War reenactment encampments.
	Ash Lawn Highland Plantation, home of President James Monroe, now a preserved historical home full of antiques; an outdoor theater provides a stage for opera and other entertainment. Visitors Center, and of course, the museum gift shop. [1000 James Monroe Parkway, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902; www.ashlawnhighland.org]
	Lonaconing, Maryland - nested in the George's Creek valley of western Maryland, elevation 1500 feet but still well below the tops of the ridges, the small town of Lonaconing provides the home for appx. 1200 people. Coal mining and transport provided the base of the economy while the surroundng mines were in full operation; now, the town is a quiet mountain haven for those who wish to be near the city services of La Vale and Cumberland, Maryland, but far enough away to avoid the traffic and noise of a faster life style. Near Dan's Mountain State Park, tourist attractions include Furnace Park (the remains of an 1840's blast furnace, now a pleasant city park) and the George's Creek History Exhibit located in the Library on Main Street. [Additional pictures at guildmark.home.att.net ; general page at Lonaconing.bz ].
	From Front Royal at the north entrance to Waynesboro at the south entrance, a few miles wide and a hundred miles long, the central ridge of the Shenandoah National Park hosts Skyline Drive, which looks out southeast over the hilly Virginia plain and northwest over the Shenandoah river valley which parallels the West Virginia border. Spring, summer, and fall, facilities are available for hiking, camping, horseback riding, or for merely sitting on a rock wall and looking out over the silver ribbon of the Shenandoah river.
	Middletown, Virginia - population of about a thousand, situated in the Shenandoah Valley. A few miles away is the Cedar Creek Battlefield park, where Civil War Re-enactments take place most years. Also, the home of the Wayside Theatre, Virginia's second oldest professional theatre.
	The birthplace and family home of George Washington, on Pope's Creek in Virginia, just a few hundred yards from the Potomac River; surrounded by modern farms, this National Park is a working replica of an 18th century farm, including crops and farm animals of the period. The antique-filled house and outbuildings are open for tours, as well as the extensive grounds which includes a conference center and large picnic area.
	The Thomas Stone House, 4 miles west of La Plata, Maryland, just off of Route 225 - Thomas Stone, member of the Second Continental Congress and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Portions of the house date from before Stone's 1770 purchase; extensive grounds and outbuildings, visitors center and picnic grounds.
	And there are many small points of interest in the Mid-Atlantic Region, such as Hagans Colonial Tavern, Braddock Heights, Maryland, an interesting stone house well preserved.

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