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Nice Places For Wellness Retreats, Healthy Ways To Socialize, Or Take Wellness Vacations


One of the biggest reasons many people fail to sustain healthy habits is not knowing how to socialize in healthy ways.   Here are some suggestions:


Research Regarding Health Benefits Of Walking In Forests

*The health benefits of spending time in forests are thought to be due, in part, to the effect of Phytoncides, a chemical emitted from trees, infrared sunlight (which can bounce off the leaves in the forest and does not need to shine on you directly to be beneficial), clean air, and lack of urban density.


Some Examples Of Nice Free Walking/Running Trails In Forests With Convenient Free Parking And Public Bathrooms:


Springfield, VA:

Lake Accotink Park
(just off the 495 Beltway)
5660 Heming Avenue
Springfield, VA 22150



Sterling, VA:

Claude Moore Park
21544 Old Vestals Gap Road
Sterling, VA 20164




Columbia, MD:

Bailey Park
1.4 mile paved trail connecting loop around Lake Kittamaqundi

next to Whole Foods
10275 Little Payuxent Pkwy
Columbia, MD 21044












Nice Trails With Public Bathrooms, But Parking Is Not Free:


McLean, VA:

Great Falls Park - McLean
Waterfalls and trails in forest
9200 Old Dominion Drive
McLean, VA 22102



$10 - $20 for one-year parking pass



Potomac, MD:

Great Falls Park - Potomac
Officially named Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Waterfalls and trails in forest

11710 MacArthur Blvd
Potomac, MD 20854




$10 - $20 for one-year parking pass
$80 for one-year National Parks Pass
        (includes Assateague National Park)

Thurmont, MD:

Cunningham Falls State Park
Waterfall, trails in forest, and lake with beach
14274 William Houck Drive
Thurmont, MD 21788


State Park Fee/Pass Use



Places you can meet friends for lunch near trails and still follow the Whole-Food Plant-Based Vegan Diet recommended by Doctors Colin T. Campbell, Neal Barnard, and Michael Greger:


--Bring your own lunch to any of the above parks!


Hot Bars and Salad Bars with with some organic vegan plant-based options with all ingredients labeled right there on the bars, or everyone is welome to bring their own food to eat, so you can stay in control of what you eat and still be able to have social meals with your friends, where everyone can get what they want:


Common Market
in Frederick County, Maryland

They have nice made-to-order fresh Organic smoothies, a salad bar with many Organic things on it, and some other Organic products


Whole Foods Market
(ones that still have some indoor tables for eating there and convenient parking garages or parking right in front)
in Falls Church, Tysons Corner, Fairfax, Annapolis, and Columbia


Indoor malls that can be nice places to walk during inclement weather that have nice bathrooms and flexible eating environments where everyone can bring their own food or easily get something to eat there:


Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax County, VA
Tysons Corner Center in Tysons, VA
Westfield Montgomery in Bethesda, MD
Annapolis Mall in Annapolis, MD




Nice Places For Wellness Vacations

Nice hotel in serene environment just a few minutes away from Claude Moore Park with Free Airport Shuttle:

Washington Dulles Airport Marriott
45020 Aviation Drive
Dulles, VA 20166







Nice hotel right next to Bailey Park Trail that goes around the lake: Merriweather Lakehouse Hotel in Columbia, MD

10209 Wincopin Circle
Columbia, MD 21044






Flintstone, MD (near Cumberland, MD)

Rocky Gap State Park
next to Rocky Gap Resort in Flintstone, MD
16701 Lakeview Road NE
Flintstone, MD 21530

There is a trail in a forest there around Lake Habeeb that is 5.2 miles long taking an average of 1 hr 40 minutes to complete

















*The drive to and from Rocky Gap has breathtaking views of mountains that cannot be realized from picures!























Stevensville, MD
(Near the Bay Bridge near Annapolis, MD):

Terrapin Nature Park
191 Log Canoe Circle
Stevensville, MD 21666

*Nice to use as a rest/run area on the way to and from Ocean City
Has a nice shady trail for running and beach area










Salisbury, MD:

Salisbury City Park
521 S. Park Drive, Salisbury, MD

Nice to use as a rest/run area on the way to and from Ocean City

Has a nice gravel track for running, restroom, and convenient free parking




Berlin, MD:


Assateague has both a State and a National park area.   The National Park side has a very nice foot washing station as part of their outside showers.   The State Park side has a very nice Forest Trail.   Both sides have beautiful beach area with wild horses.










Ocean City, MD:

The Princess Royale is a nice hotel in Ocean City that is about 10 miles from Assateague.
9100 Coastal Hwy
Ocean City, MD 21842