The best camping in Piscataway Park, MD

Piscataway Park offers all types of outdoor fun along the Potomac River about 20 miles southwest of Washington DC. Nature trails and scenic boardwalks take you over tidal wetlands and tall grasses that shelter all kinds of wildlife. A working farm shows you what 18th-century agriculture was all about.

Beautiful tree-lined roads take you to the park, which makes for a beautiful autumn drive. At the park, walk from the visitor's center to Bryant Point. The pier at the point offers a place for you to fish in the river. On the way to the pier, keep your eyes to the sky for eagles or osprey flying overhead. Closer to dusk, you might see deer or foxes coming into the fields for their evening escapades. By the water, look for beavers and otters frolicking by the river.

Across the river from Bryan Point is a very special landmark. The mansion with the red roof is Mount Vernon, the one-time residence and burial place of George Washington.

Back the National Colonial Farm, the pride and joy is the organically produced wool. Park Rangers and agricultural specialists use the wool for education and demos. During busy months and on weekends, make sure to take in a demonstration of spinning wool into yarn on an old-fashioned spinning wheel.

Find out what it was like to raise and cultivate plants, and how to milk cows without modern equipment. The fields behind the visitor's center provide plenty of grass for the small herd of cattle on the property, while rustic wood fences keep all the animals inside the park.