Not far from Washington, D.C.'s grand monuments and museums - but far less known - is a wealth of Americana. "Beyond the Beltway" takes readers from a historic environmental center to a potato chip factory to a polka parlor, with a unique view of places and events around the capital. The focus is on lesser visited areas largely unknown even to local residents, with illustrations, maps, and visiting hours. Just three miles east of the Beltway is the National Wildlife Refuge Center. Its indoor and outdoor exhibits tell fasinating stories about efforts to conserve the environment and protect wildlife. The damaging effects of DDT were discovered on these lands. In the opposite direction is the State Arboretum of Virginia, a few miles from Winchester, but at least a half century removed from the hectic pace of everyday life. "My favorite place," offers Rau, "is a round barn in Cashville, Pennsylvania. It is so unexpected and so beautifully made. And it is just 10 miles from Gettysburg, but known only by local people!"
From the Publisher
"Beyond the Beltway" guides curious visitors with the unique perspective and distinctive layout that are typical of Side Roads books. With this book's easy-to-use combination of engaging narrative, maps, and notes, visitors can learn about some of the issues that shape local communities surrounding Washington, DC - how they are protecting the environment, building viable economies, and sustaining the multiple heritages that make up North America. They can also polka in a real family-oriented polka parlor, see potato chips being made, bathe where George Washington did, and count hundreds and hundreds of Canada geese.
Side Roads is skeptical of the commercial domination and homogenization of our landscape. "Beyond the Beltway" is one example of how we seek to provide new ways of looking at and enjoying the wonders of North America. We encourage travelers to ask questions and to sample local communities.
The four tours described here are suggestions of ways to explore the area beyond Washington, DC, in smaller or larger chunks. All the places described here are within a two-hour drive of Washington - unless you find yourself diverted by another Side Roads site! From the environmental refuges of southern Maryland, to an exploration of American eating habits in the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania, to new connections with American's heritage in rural central Maryland and southern Pennsylvania, to discoveries about colonial leaders in Virginia and West Virginia, Side Roads travelers using "Beyond the Beltway" will enjoy the essence of America.
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