Less hot places in Virginia/North Carolina in July?

We have 3 days to kill between Washington D.C. and Wilmington, North Carolina in July. Is there anywhere along the way that won't be 90 degrees?? We aren't big fans of the heat. We'll have a car, but don't want to drive too far out of the way as we have a 1 year old. Thanks for any suggestions! We're west coast people and are hoping there might be a cool spot along the coast, the way San Francisco is cool even when it's scorching 20 minutes to the north and south.

Public Comments

1. Your best bet is the mountains. I would take I-64 west into the mountains of Virginia. To get to Wilmington from there, take I-77 down to where it meets I-40 which will take you over to Wilmington. Other than that, you'll just have to cope with the heat. That region of the country gets hot, and except for any rain showers, stays that way until the Fall season. This has been my area for most of mu life, and I know it very well. 90 would be a some what cool day considering July temperatures can be up into the high 90's to low 100's. Nights can be as high as 70. Good luck, I hope this helps you in your trip planning.
2. There are several answers to the question. There's nothing here like San Francisco, but you can avoid the stifling heat of the city easily. Average highs in July are 88.9 degrees. The Virginia mountains have been suggested, and I have to endorse this. We often go down into the Shenandoah in the summer. It's no guarantee - we've hiked in 90 degree weather on the appalachian trail - but it's. It is not much cooler - at 85.3 average in McGaheysville, which is about 2 hour drive from the DC area, and close to the highest point on the ridge. Note that if you stay in the park, you can probably shave a couple more degrees off that - and Shenandoah National Park has a wonderful array of lodging options. You would want to make reservations soon. Thurmont, MD, about an hour north of the DC area, in the Catoctin Mountains, is another real winner - in fact the average temp in July is 82.1, almost 8 degrees cooler than DC! No wonder the presidents go there during the summer (Camp David is nearby) Other areas that have really cool times in July include Assateague and Chincoteague Islands in the Chesapeake Bay, at an average of 83 degrees, and if you like shores, and Williamsport, PA, about four hours to our north, and the home of LIttle League baseball, which wins the competition at 81.4 degrees average high in July.
3. It's difficult to escape the heat and humidity that you'll find in the Mid-Atlantic. Washington is noted for it's summer "swamp" like conditions...all politicians leave DC behind in the summer months! Except for the weekend traffic, the beach resort areas are great, but can get very hot in July if there are no ocean breezes. You might want to look at Lake Anna, which is south of Fredricksburg, Va., and located an easy half hour west of I-95. The lake offers house rentals, a lodge and B&B's. I would rent a house in a wooded area on the shoreline, and just enjoy the peacefullness of the lake. There are water activities, restaurants and a Winery if you're up for anything active!
4. I personally like Wintergreen Resort up in the Blue Ridge mountains, about an hour's drive west of Charlottesville. In the summer they typically have an offer that if the temperature goes above 90 degrees, they will give you the night for free (or something similar). The bottom line is that Wintergreen is so far up, the temperature rarely if ever goes that high. Most days in July and August are in the 70s and low 80s, with much cooler evenings. Wintergreen is easy to get to via the Blue Ridge Parkway, and isn't that far from I-81 and I-64. Their website is http://www.wintergreenresort.com.
5. I would suggest VA Beach.. but it might not be your piece of pie with a 1-year-old, and it get's hot & crowded in the summer. I'm going to have to agree with kse, you should visit Lake Anna.. its quite charming and family-oriented. You can fish, boat, swim, lay on the beaches, go antique-shopping, visit battlefields, camp, and so on and so forth. It's a rural, calm, & quiet but there are plenty of things to do in order to occupy your time. But.. keep in mind that like other's have said.. Virginia is hot and very humid in the summer-time (impossible to keep your hair sane, lol).. there's really no way to escape it.