Windham or Hunter Mountain area in the NY Catskills.

Cape May New Jersey it’s a year round resort have a home there it’s a great place beautiful B and B’S restaurant etc

Wellsboro

Catskills are underrated. Went there for the first time two years ago and couldn’t get over how pretty it was

There's some really nice towns on the Chesapeake in Maryland. St. Michael's comes to mind.

Local family took us cliff diving. Not that kind of cliff diving, but it was at least a 30 foot jump from the highest point. It was too high for me. My son, however successfully did it. His cousin landed more on his back. Beautiful place to swim. Just a beautiful area.

Long Island seashore

Croton-on-Hudson

Chadds Ford - Wyeth - Longwood

NYC

Saratoga Springs

But March… go south for flowers. Old Towne Alexandria and Skyline Drive

Have you been to Baltimore or DC yet?

We took a 3 day November trip to the beach and enjoyed it even though it was too cold for swimming, but I love just being close to the water. We also went to Assateague Island to see the wild horses.

I’ve done the Penn’s Cave by boat tour and I don’t think it’s just for kids, but it’s not a long activity so it would only be a small part of your trip.

Maybe save your Harrisburg trip for warmer weather when you can also go to Lake Tobias? They’re not open right now.

Yes! I actually lived in DC for about 10 years, lol. Forgot to mention we've been to almost all of the big cities nearby (DC, Baltimore, Richmond, Boston, NYC). We were contemplating going to NYC again because there is so much to do there, but wanted to explore local options first.

Ah, this would be perfect - forgot to mention my friend has already been there! I'm sure she wouldn't mind going again for me, but we are trying to find a place new to both of us. Thank you though :)

Assateague Island has been on my list for years! Do you think it's worth visiting in March, or will it be too cold?

Deep Creek Lake Maryland is about 4.5 hours away. We had a great time there.

Finger Lakes

March is such an uncertain month. You could have mild weather one week and snow the next. And being at the beach, you’ll likely have wind, which always makes the temperature feel a bit cooler. You may want to have a contingency plan. The good thing is you probably won’t have to worry about hotel reservations - you should be able to find a vacancy at that time of year - so if you have a plan A and a plan B, then you can decide based on the weather.

Gettysburg and the surrounding area? It's pretty quiet right now, but you can really see a lot of the battlefield.

Solomons Island, Maryland, including St. Mary‘s City and Point Lookout State Park.

(They mentioned they’ve been there.)

They can go again. There are no laws against visiting more than once.

I lived in the DC area for roughly 20 years. MoCo, primarily Takoma Park & Silver Spring.

NYC is always a good time.

You mentioned Harrisburg. I'm not sure you can get away with 3 days there (unless you go right now for the PA Farm Show, which, if you've never been to it, GO.)

THAT being said, add in a Carlisle day (w/ a nice chill few hours around the lake in nearby Boiling Springs), and/or a nature day at either Kings Gap or Pine Grove Furnace, and you've got a 3-day weekend. (Also, you mentioned Penn's Cave, which is definitely cool, but there's also Indian Echo Caverns outside of Harrisburg/Hershey.)

But, yeah, if you can go this coming weekend, and you don't mind crowds (COVID is still out there; stay protected), I'd recommend doing the Farm Show on Friday, Harrisburg on Saturday, and spending some time checking out the view & hiking a bit at Kings Gap on Sunday before heading back (or switch the Sat & Sun around depending on weather).

They said “problem is we’ve been to a ton of places” implying they are having a hard time and need our help coming up with someplace new and different, no?

Who cares what OP wants. What he should do is visit the Battlefield again, and fill himself with the Spirit of Northern Triumph over the Traitorous South.

And then, he should ride through Georgia, burning everything in his path, in an omage to General Sherman!

Second Cape May, my fiance and I stayed in a bnb for a few nights during the holidays. Its a great town year round, plenty of restaurants easy hikes and decent wine if you like trying local wineries. I recommend Hawk Haven Winery not cheap but really really good wine that you wouldn’t believe was made in New Jersey. If you want even more adventure catch the ferry to Lewes Delaware.

We (my husband and I with no kids at the time) went to Penn’s Cave in 2020 and it was awesome!! We really enjoyed it. Then we went to State College and grabbed lunch!

We went for New Years one year. Freezing but we bundled up and my was still magical.

Harper's Ferry, WV/Shepardstown, WV. In addition to the towns, themselves, there are two battlefields to explore (Harper's Ferry and Antietam), the Appalachian Trail, and some decent microbreweries are close by.

Rehoboth Beach has some nice hikes that aren’t strenuous. Most of the restaurants and shops should be open in March on weekends at least. Delaware Botanical Gardens opens March 16, should have some flowers by them, nice nature trail near bay.

Charlottesville VA- beautiful UVA campus, history, Shenandoah Drive, Luray Caverns, great beer and wine scene.

You have to watch the weather. March is still winter time there and travel maybe an issue.

Second Rehoboth, so much to do around there

For what it's worth I live near Harrisburg and you could do Harrisburg/Hershey for 3 days and easily fill your schedule (civil war museum, Chocolate world, pinchot state Park, lots of unique restaurants, maybe something going on at the giant center)

I wouldn't recommend state college, there's enough to do for 2 days, but anything longer and you'll be struggling to find anything worthwhile to spend your time on

Can't recommend the Hudson Valley area enough. Beacon is a really cute town with great stores and restaurants and Storm King is nearby if you like art and gorgeous landscapes. Also the Catskills are incredible, the Woodstock area is a lot of fun!

The Delmarva Peninsula has everything you could ask for.

Lewes, Delaware Minutes from Rehoboth Beach and shopping outlets, Lewes has great dining, small museum, and quite a few cool, local shops. It's a super cool town on the river. Also minutes from Cape Henlopen state park if you want to take in some military history and nature walks. Someone else mentioned the ferry, which runs from Lewes, DE/Cape May, NJ if you want to try to fit both towns into your trip.

Assateague is a must see, but it's better to go in late April through September. Whenever you do get there, I highly recommend visiting the National Park over the State Park if you are going for more than one or two days.

You could go up through central PA and stop at quirky things like Pioneer Tunnel in Ashland. Then go up towards state college and see Penns Cave. That baseball place in South Williamsport is up there too. There is an app that has quirky things on it. I think it is called Roadside America. I kinda forget now though.

We've gone in March the last two years and it's been great, but yes, it still can be cold.

dover speedway then assateague island

Third vote here for Cape May!

I’d say Ithaca, NY and surrounding Finger Lakes region…great views, hiking, food and drink. Plus Ithaca is a really cool town.

If you like road trips, check out Route 6; it runs across the state, in the north. It takes you through a few state parks, several cute towns, and ultimately to Erie. It’s definitely longer than a 4-hour drive, but you could do 4 hours each day and see a lot. I did the trip with a friend a couple of years ago and it was beautiful.

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I take a long weekend at the Delaware beaches every March, and I love it. Most of the restaurants and shops are open, but nothing is crowded. I get a hotel with an indoor pool, chill out, and hit up some restaurants and bars.

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Finger lakes region is great if the weather is OK. Lots of wineries, cider houses, etc

Fallingwater

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Depending on your love of sports, March Madness in Atlantic City with its new legal sports gambling and viewing rooms could be spectacular. Otherwise, in the summer try the Grand Canyon of PA about 30 minutes north of Williamsport.

State college is definitely Exciting for that age range. Annapolis and Baltimore inner harbor are also fun too.

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I would recommend north east or havre de grace! Both in Maryland. You can get food food and hiking in.

My info's a couple years old, but a lot of places used to shut down in January and then they'd open one by one as the weather got better.

But it's nice and quiet down there, that time of year.

PA Grand canyon is fun! I haven't been in decades, but I'm sure its still great. We went RVing as kids, not sure whats available now.

Poconos

Jim Thorpe is super overrated. There isn’t much to do there unless you’re outdoorsy. It advertises itself as being in the Poconos and it’s close but it’s really coal country. Limited, bad shopping. Truly can’t figure out the “hype.” Everywhere on your list is much better.

Worlds End State Park

I visited Assateague island with my family in December a few years ago, and it was great. Yes, it was somewhat cold but there were no crowds. Got to see some of the feral horses as well.

4th vote for cape may! There is a phenomenal international cheese shop that is super worth your time. Walking on the Frozen beach in winter is beautiful there. There are lots of antique shops to go through if that's your thing, and if you get the chance to go to sunset Beach and the late afternoon it's lovely they always have a sunset flag lowering service.

I believe they're closed for the season and open in May but if your trip gets delayed the best restaurant in town is actually a little hole in the wall called Tisha's. https://tishasfinedining.com/mobile/index.php. They've only got a few tables so you have to get reservations but it's some of the best seafood I've ever had.

Nah, go somewhere more fun than a boring old battlefield that local racists like to mentally jerk off over (not saying anyone who recommends it is one, just that some of my weirdo neighbors near there think wearing/using a confederate flag is a personality trait).

And off-season if they're open consider staying at the Congress Hall or one of their exterior suites. Really nice place and cheap in winter. If you like cocktails definitely check out their bar.

A stupendous architectural masterpiece! Unique, awe inspiring. Frank Lloyd Wright's stunning chef d'oevre. Lots of hiking and other outdoor activities in the area, too.

3rd Rehoboth. Nice beaches and good restaurants

Delaware water gap. I’m sure there’s some cabins around. Also, there’s Shenandoah national park, which will probs have camp sites.

Being within 3-4 hours of Philly opens up more possibilities than I can even think of. There’s just so much to do around here especially for the outdoorsy types. Ricketts Glen state part is pretty high on my list but it is a pretty good hike. Might not be what you are looking for.

Fourth Rehoboth.

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And Chestertown.

If the OP is worried about the temperature at the beach in March, they won’t be real big fans of the temperature on red rock mountain then.

Salem was a fun road trip for us. Woodstock area NYC, Maryland’s Eastern shore like Chincoteague area. Vermont. Block Island.

There's Indian Echo Caverns, and Crystal Caverns. New Jersey, MD, and Delaware beaches should be close. If you're looking for something different, check out Atlas Obscura.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/

Laurel Highlands and Frank Llyod Wright’s Falling Water

I don’t think there is any science to support that. Winter in Pennsylvania ends at the end of March. How can winter be in 2 different states at the same time?

The Finger Lakes are close enough to Lake Ontario to be in the snow belt of the Great Lakes. You have the possibility of significant snow from November to March.

Stay in a bed and breakfast in harpers ferry and do an AT day hike or two. The history there is incredible

Also, Douthat State park in VA is beautiful. You have to get on the reservations in advance but you can book a cabin for your stay

I’ve never lived in ny so I can’t say for sure, but I find it very hard to believe winter can be in 2 places at once

Gettysburg is in the house.

Annapolis. Great food.

I was referring to winter weather. They can get snow in that region up to the middle of April.

I grew up in the Finger Lakes region. It was not unusual to have measurable snow during trout season (which starts April 1).

Washington DC

Longwood gardens.

Finger Lakes region, mystic seaport area, Chesapeake Bay Area. Someone mentioned St. Michaels, such a charming area. Cape may is amazing in off season, especially in the fall. Avalon is nice. Find a place between Harrisburg and state college and combine them. It’s a beautiful drive, and fit in penns cave, there are other caves out that way. Niagara Falls might be slightly over 4 hours, but worth it.

I always wanted to visit Harper's Ferry.

Hershey Pennsylvania or Knoebles if you’re into amusement parks

I always go up to Tioga County. Check out the PA grand canyon, it's nifty

I totally agree. Boring town. I guess if you do the train excursion from Rdg to JT, that would be cool, but otherwise-overrated.

Oh I love it there it's so beautiful

French creek is very nice. I go there quite often with my family.

So you are telling me two neighboring states have winter at the same time?

Fire Island, Rehoboth Beach, Ohiopyle, Chincoteague/Assateague, and PA Grand Canyon are some options!

Shenandoah National Park is in Harrisonburg VA, which is really pretty and just over 4 hours from Philly as well 😊

Spent a weekend in the finger lakes, hiked Watkins Glen area, visited one of the 20 wineries / cheese places.

Are you looking to do a mix of nature and touristy stuff?

strausburge (probably spelled that wrong) train museum! there's even a little inn there where you can sleep in a caboose, you can also just explore the Amish area

Harveys lake and rickets glenn, maybe check out scranton

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I dont undersand the hype either! I've visited there and driven thru several times.

This was my suggestion as well!

I love love love Gettysburg!!

Bennezzet, Pa. See the elk. Straubs Brewery in St Mary's Lots of wineries

Pittsburgh, DC, NYC, Sleepy Hollow, Gettysburg.

Came here to recommend this. We stayed in watkins glen and took a day in ithica. It's gonna be at the edge of your driving distance but we enjoyed it alot. the watkins glen park is a good but not too challenging hike.

Hiking and Mountain Biking mostly. If you're not into the outdoors is a nice place to drive through.

Came here to say this also. Such a nice trip. Great hiking etc.

I agree with the majority (it seems). A nice getaway down the shore. Cape May or OCNJ. You could head up to AC, play some slots, see a show. You could get a nice rental for a good price in March. I was in CM once, I loved it. I am an OCNJ person myself, but both would be lovely. Enjoy your getaway, and I feel like I need to follow OPs post to the end. Let us know what you decided.

Sorry. Need to add: Harrisburg would not be on my places to getaway to😶

Been to the North Fork of Long Island?

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Genuinely curious/not trolling - is it intentional the trips are all inside PA? You've already gone to Reading, Jim Thorpe, Hershey and Stroudsburg ...and are now considering ...Harrisburg. DC and NYC are similar driving distances and (basically objectively) infinitely more interesting than all of these places combined. You liked Pittsburgh so it doesn't sound like you have an emphasis on smaller towns.

Also, is the 4-hour cap really crucial? A small amount more driving gets you to Newport RI, Vermont, coastal NH, Boston, the Berkshires in CT/MA, or even Williamsburg.

Alternatively, similar travel time involving an airplane and you can cheaply get to places like Charleston (2:00 $350), New Orleans (3:20 $400), Florida (3:00 $115), Denver (4:00 $210) or Chicago (2:30 $200).

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

Rehobeth lots to do

Gettysburg. A must for every Pennsylvanian

Is there a place that kind of mimics the experience of the marvelous mrs maisel? That would be fun. À pretend Jewish camp with some actors.

Corning, NY Beautiful downtown main street Corning glass museum Wineries

Bedford Springs, PA! There’s good (& not too difficult) hiking. We stayed at the Omni resort and you can walk to the main town.

I know you mentioned Lancaster, but what about Strasburg? They have a really cool historic railroad where they run excursion trains with restored steam engines and vintage passenger cars. The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is also just across the street.

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Geography and proximity to water make the difference. The Great Lakes create weather patterns due to them being heat sinks and humidifiers. Air that passes over the lakes gets a lot more moisture in it than air passing 200 miles to the south and will dump that moisture (in the form of snow) over areas of NY state. The Finger Lakes are in that region that get "Lake Effect Snow". Buffalo NY got over 60 inches of snow in December 2022, Elmira NY (just 150 miles to the south) got 3.5 inches. So small geographic distances can have different weather patterns.

I think we are interesting in exploring PA some more, but other states aren’t out of the question. We aren’t opposed to flying but only have 3 days so figured driving might be safer in case flights are delayed or cancelled. We love to travel and have actually been to all your flight suggestions together except for New Orleans, which might happen this summer :)

I used to live in DC so we have done a ton of stuff there. We’ve been to Baltimore, Philly, Boston, NYC together as trips. We were considering NYC again because there’s so much to do. I have been to Newport, RI and LOVED it, but wasn’t sure how it would be in mid March. I asked here really to see if there were other places in PA we weren’t considering, because we were so pleasantly surprised at Pittsburgh. Lots of good suggestions so far; definitely open to others though!

I'm going to throw something out there that's not answering your question but I think fits what you're going for. Flights from Trenton to Nashville can be pretty cheap. Flight time is 2 hours. Assuming 2 hours to get to Trenton and get through security, that fits your 4 hour timeframe. The cost of flights isn't the same as the cost you'd spend on gas for 8 hours total of driving but it's not orders of magnitude higher.

Southern PA and middle of NY State while next to each other differ by weeks when seasons change (not by calendar but temp). Just watch when peak leaf colors change in the fall.

Ahh, makes more sense with the additional context. Working with those parameters in mind... Kent Falls/New Milford (CT), and Great Barrington/Stockbridge/Lenox (MA) are both potentially interesting road trips through quaint pockets of lower NE just around the 4-hour mark. I have also heard good things about Lititz (PA), Annapolis (MD), and Milford (PA)...but haven't visited those three yet.

Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, New York City, Baltimore, DC, Mystic CT, (you said you've been to Hershey, but have you been to Harrisburg?) Pittsburgh (technically that's 5 hours), Virginia Beach (also 5 hours).

State College is a lot of fun no matter your age. The college kids are very respectable and keep to themselves. The downtown is fun to walk through, visits the shops and restaurants plus, the walk around downtown and even throughout campus can be a good "hike" as it's a big area. If you do down Altherton Street in State College, it will lead you to all kinds of shopping centers and other places to eat. There are also a bunch of winery's in the State College area that you can visit. It's kind of a hidden gem of a place that I always encourage people to visit.

You could also take a drive to Bloomsburg, Pa which is quaint college town with a nice downtown area with some really great restaurants. There are many winery's within that area too. The next town over, Berwick, while it gets a bad wrap, there are so fun places to go there, too. And, since you're so close, you could drive to the infamous Centralia aka as the internet deemed it, Silent Hill, just to say you went and looked around. lol

Alexandria VA would be my vote. Plenty of waking trails and not as congested as the city, but just a quick metro ride into DC to check out all the museums, get great food, or go to a rave if that’s more your speed. Also plenty to see and discover on the Alexandria side of the river too!

Yep. Exactly what I popped in to say. That whole area of NY within 4 hours is a freaking gold mine. Around Interlaken between lakes Seneca and Cayuga has breweries, distilleries, wineries, hiking, waterfalls.

Heading to Jewett in a few months. Happy to see this come up!

Went to Ithaca last spring break it was 60s-70s all week but they had snow the week before.

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Update New York or Virginia

Where is Wellsboro? What are some of the things to do\see there?

We go there every October. Absolutely gorgeous, great food and drink

In my part of the state it’s very common to get snow from October until May.

There is a solid 15-20 degree temperature difference often times from the Philadelphia area to the northern tier.

baltimore

North Central on the border of Potter and Tioga on route 6. The PA grand canyon isn't far. Too much additional to list. Google it.

Have you been to Ricketts Glen?

Edit: March may be too early

NYC

One might enjoy the Harrisburg area with a little pre-planning. I wouldn’t rule it out. It’s worthwhile to tour the Capitol at least once. You could take a couple hours and venture out to Indian Echo Caverns or the White Cliffs of Conoy. There’s also the Civil War Museum. And City Island can be so nice at sunset in the right season - baseball games, mini-golf, the new beach club, dinner cruise on the riverboat, drinks with a view in Wormleysburg, concert in Shipoke/Riverfront Park, Symphony at The Forum…

Lol it’s a cool place. I was up in the winter. It was lovely. Would love to see it in different seasons

If you do Harrisburg come across the river to Cumberland County. We have some awesome restaurants and fun things to do. You can visit the old iron furnaces at Pine Grove State Park, where there are trails from beginner to advanced for hiking and biking; swimming in two lakes in summer, picnic areas with charcoal grills, fishing, boat rentals, and campsites. If you search Pine Grove Furnace State Park on the PA DCNR website there is information. Very close to Pine Grove Furnace is a lovely old mansion and environmental education center with hiking trails named Kings Gap. It is an absolutely beautiful place. Paulus Farm Market is a fun place to pet and feed farm animals. It is a bit kid centered, but it has a small yet wonderful farm market! Meadowbrook Gourds is in Cumberland County, where you can come and find some beautifully decorated gourds for every holiday and season. If it's the right time and day, you can even sign up to make your own personalized gourd. Information is available at: https://meadowbrooke-gourds-retail.myshopify.com/ You can always look up the tons of things to do just across the river from Harrisburg at: https://www.visitcumberlandvalley.com/ You could certainly fill three to four days here. And it is about two and a half hours from Philadelphia, depending upon traffic on the turnpike. I hope this was helpful.

Lititz PA

Here is your basic itinerary for Harrisburg.

Fri- walk around capitol grounds if warm enough, take in the architecture, sometimes there are people doing things inside to see or outside protestors to talk to, most of the walkable nightlife happens on N 2nd street, though I recommend walking in the opposite direction first to Los Tres Cubanos for an intimate dinner. Harrisburg has a lot of good food. If cuban food isn’t your thing, there are plenty of options between the capitol and North 2nd street

Sat- broad street market, midtown scholar independent bookstore, maybe Harrisburg midtown arts center for comedy or drinks or something. Could parlay this day into Hershey but that is more expensive. Or walk across the foot traffic bridge to city island in Harrisburg if the weather is nice. There are no games on city island in March tho. Could do the Troegs factory though I didn’t have a good time there, admittedly it was Covid-19.

Sun- hiking at trail in Duncannon if you want something easier for hiking but still rewarding, lunch or dinner at Red Rabbit nearby (cash only), it’s a 1950 burger and milkshake joint, if you want a more challenging hike bc you’re fit or something, the halfway point of the Appalachian trail and museum is at michaux state forest in Cumberland county, adjoining food rec., museum ice cream challenge

State parks in the Finger Lakes region of NY are amazing. Do not miss LetchworthLetchworth State Park