With the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains as a back drop, enjoy a sampling of wines from one of many Virginia wineries along with enjoy festival foods while watching hot air balloons.

A fun-filled, action packed, three-day family celebration unfolds with the 14th anniversary of the Shenandoah Valley Hot Air Balloon, Wine & Music Festival on October 15?17, 2010. Held on the spacious lawns and rolling fields of Long Branch in Clarke County, VA, the Festival brings balloonists and their colorful airborne craft from far and wide to delight spectators of all ages. In addition to the balloons, the annual event provides a wide variety of entertainment over the weekend.

I believe admission to the event is $10

830 Long Branch Lane
Millwood, VA 22646

Website: http://www.historiclongbranch.com/balloonfest/index.htm
Phone: (877) 868-1811

The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is a botanic garden run by the Congress of the United States. It is located in Washington, D.C., on the U.S. Capitol Grounds campus near Garfield Circle. The building itself, which includes a large Lord & Burnham greenhouse, is divided into separate rooms, each one simulating a different habitat.

Admission to all public areas of the U.S. Botanic Garden is FREE.

Conservatory Hours: open 10 AM - 5 PM daily, including all weekends & holidays
National Garden Hours: open 10 AM - 5 PM daily, including all weekends & holidays
Bartholdi Park Hours: open dawn to dusk, daily, including all weekends & holidays

U.S. Botanic Garden
100 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20001
202-225-8333

http://www.usbg.gov/index.cfm

Arlington National Cemetery is open to the public at 8 a.m. 365 days a year. From April 1 to Sept. 30 the cemetery closes at 7 p.m.; the other six months it closes at 5 p.m.

Ample paid parking is available to visitors, accessible from Memorial Drive. As of June 1, 2008, the cost is $1.75/hour for the first three hours, and $2.00/hour thereafter. Commercial rates are $7.00/hr for the first three hours. During all hours the cemetery is open the Arlington National Cemetery Metro stop is regularly served by highspeed subway trains. The cemetery is also a stop on most tour guides' itineraries, and is serviced by Tourmobile, the popular tour buses that allow patrons unlimited reboarding for a single daily rate.

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/visitor_information/anc_facts.html

At Great Falls, the Potomac River builds up speed and force as it falls over a series of steep, jagged rocks and flows through the narrow Mather Gorge. The Patowmack Canal offers a glimpse into the early history of this country. Great Falls Park has many opportunities to explore history and nature, all in a beautiful 800-acre park only 15 miles from the Nation?s Capital.

Mission: At DC GlassWorks, we want to inspire imagination and creativity through the practice of glassblowing. Our vision is to build a world-class glassblowing facility that will help provide opportunities for creative exploration for all persons from our diverse community. DC GlassWorks is committed to providing area artists and the public a place to enjoy, discover, and realize their dreams.

Attractions included: hot glass area with live glass blowing, cold glass area, gallery space, metal fabrication, wax and plaster fabrication area.

5346 46th Avenue
Hyattsville MD
20781 -2307
301 927 8271

This is an active artist workshop. Should be very interesting. Best to go on the Sat or Sun, 10:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Please contact info@dcglassworks.com when planning a meetup.

http://www.dcglassworks.com/

The Arboretum grounds are open every day of the year except December 25 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free.

What is an arboretum?
An arboretum is a living museum where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific and educational purposes.

3501 New York Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002-1958
Tel: 202-245-2726 Fax: 202-245-4575

http://www.usna.usda.gov/Information/hoursadm.html

A visit to this quaint, historic community, at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, is like stepping into the past. Stroll the picturesque streets, visit exhibits and museums, or hike our trails and battlefields. There's a wide variety of experiences for visitors of all ages, so come and discover Harpers Ferry.

They are open late on Fridays and Saturdays, 6 to 9pm, great sunset views. check their website.

What better way to show off your skills or just accumulate bragging rights than with a competition. I think it would be a great idea for our group to host photo competitions. The competitors could be broken down into two to three skill levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced) to make it fair and fun. Ribbons could be awarded for each skill level (1st, 2nd, 3rd and a couple Honorable Mentions). We could have several competitions throughout the year and each winner would receive a predetermined amount of points that accumulate and at the end of the year the member(s) with the most points would win the grand prize (maybe a trophy, photography software or a new gadget for their bag). There could be a $1.00-$2.00 entrance fee for each photo entered (max. 4, two color/two black & white) to help pay for the ribbons and the grand prize. Some ideas for the photo categories could be: macro, floral, wildlife, landscapes etc... I would be willing to lend a hand to the organizers if this is worth pursuing.