When the Alexandria summer heat settles in, the cure is often a tank of gas and a view of the water. From the Chesapeake's quiet harbor towns to the wide sand of the Outer Banks, some of the East Coast's most relaxing waterfront getaways sit within an easy drive. Here are four worth packing the car for — each with a place to lay your head, a memorable meal, and something new to discover once you arrive.
Photo by Andrew White
The Inn at Perry Cabin is located in St. Michael's, Md., about a two-hour drive from Alexandria.
St. Michaels, Maryland
The closest of our four escapes, St. Michaels sits about a two-hour drive from Alexandria, just across the Bay Bridge on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Known as "the heart and soul of the Chesapeake Bay," this walkable harbor town rewards slow mornings — think antique shops along Talbot Street, a stroll to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum with its 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse and boat cruises that push off right from the docks.
For a special-occasion stay, the Inn at Perry Cabin remains the town's crown jewel — a waterfront resort on the Miles River recently ranked among the top resorts in the Mid-Atlantic by both Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler, with a spa, sailing fleet and complimentary bikes for the ride into town. Its restaurant, STARS, is the only Forbes-rated dining room on the Eastern Shore, serving Maryland crab and locally sourced Chesapeake fare with panoramic river views and live music on weekend evenings. Newer to the scene, the boutique hotel The Wildset spreads 34 minimalist-chic rooms across three renovated historic homes near the water — worth a look if you prefer something more intimate.
Photo courtesy of Hotel Rehoboth
Hotel Rehoboth opened in 2008 in Rehoboth, Delaware.
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
About a two-and-a-half to three-hour drive from Alexandria, Rehoboth pairs a classic mile-long boardwalk — arcades, saltwater taffy, Funland's old-school rides — with a genuinely good dining and shopping scene just off the sand. The free summer concert series at the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand is a beloved boardwalk tradition, and outlet shopping at nearby Tanger is a rainy-day fallback. For a scenic detour, drive south to the Big Chill Beach Club at Delaware Seashore State Park for sunset cocktails over the Indian River Inlet.
Downtown, Hotel Rehoboth puts you within walking distance of both beach and boardwalk, with an outdoor pool, an open-air beach shuttle and on-site Italian dining. When it's time to eat, Henlopen City Oyster House is the local go-to for briny East Coast oysters, craft beers and inventive seafood in a lively setting a block off the boardwalk. Prefer to try somewhere new? A wave of fresh coastal spots along Baltimore Avenue has been drawing crowds for beautifully plated, refined takes on beach-town dining.
Photo courtesy of the Tides Inn
Tides Inn, Irvington, Va.
Irvington, Virginia
Tucked near the tip of Virginia's Northern Neck about a three-hour drive from Alexandria, Irvington is the quietest and most under-the-radar of the bunch — a tiny riverside village wrapped in golf-course greenery and Carter's Creek water views. The compact downtown is walkable and dotted with boutiques, and the surrounding waters of the creek, the Rappahannock River and the Chesapeake beyond are made for kayaking, paddleboarding and lazy Duffy-boat cruises.
The anchor here is The Tides Inn, a classic white-clapboard waterfront resort that first opened in 1947 and still delivers relaxed luxury — a marina, a small beach, a shoreline trail along a restored oyster reef and complimentary bikes for the short ride into town. Its signature restaurant, Salt & Meadow, leans hard into farm-and-water-to-table cooking under Chef Kyle Perkins, with a newly renovated kitchen featuring a custom French cooking suite and an open Chef's Table. What's new for 2026: the resort's Tides 250 programming marks America's semiquincentennial with speaker series, educational oystering cruises and even scenic seaplane flights timed to the Sail250 tall-ships celebration — a fitting tie-in for anyone following the America 250 festivities closer to home.
Be sure to get out and try the oysters at Merroir Tasting Room, about an eight-mile drive from The Tides Inn.
Photo by Alexandria Living Magazine
The adult pool at The Sanderling is just steps away from the beach.
Duck, North Carolina
The farthest afield — roughly a five-hour drive from Alexandria — Duck rewards the longer haul with the northern Outer Banks at their most laid-back. This residential village trades big-box beach sprawl for a mile-long soundside boardwalk lined with local boutiques, galleries and the original Duck Donuts, plus seven miles of sand reserved for residents and guests. Kayaking on Currituck Sound, biking the town path and simply watching the sunset over the water are the main events.
The standout place to stay just up the road is The Sanderling Resort, the only full-service resort on the Outer Banks, fresh off a $15 million transformation last year that reimagined its 123 rooms for its 40th anniversary.
The headline reason to book, though, is dinner at Theodosia, the resort's acclaimed restaurant from James Beard-honored, New York Times best-selling chef Vivian Howard (of PBS's "A Chef's Life"). Now in its second summer season, Theodosia serves story-driven coastal Southern cooking — don't miss Howard's famous tomato pie — beneath floor-to-ceiling windows framing Currituck Sound sunsets. It's the kind of meal worth planning a whole trip around.
Another solid stay in the area is Corolla Village Inn, a cedar-shake boutique hotel offering 12 spacious suites and tasteful furnishings.
