Things To Do In...Budds Creek

June 12, 2007, 12:35pm

Round four of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championships presented by FMF rolls into Southern Maryland’s Budds Creek MX Park this weekend. The Budds Creek National is a Father’s Day tradition, and it makes for a great Father’s Day present. This year’s event is extra special, as it’s the last major AMA race before the track hosts the 2007 Motocross des Nations. Did you know that San Manuel Yamaha’s Chad Reed is even coming out for this weekend? For event information, be sure to click over to www.buddscreek.com, the official track website. Beyond that, here are a few more suggestions for things to do this weekend while you’re in town for the national.

The White House

Budds Creek is located just south of the nation’s capital, and there are limitless things to do in Washington D.C. For more information, check out www.washington.org. Meanwhile, here are some of the top spots:

From Wikipedia: “The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States of America. It is the site of gardens and other greenery along with many Smithsonian museums, national monuments and memorials. The National Mall refers specifically to the land stretching from the grounds of the Washington Monument to the United States Capitol directly to the east. However, the term commonly includes the areas that are officially part of West Potomac Park and Constitution Gardens to the west, and often is taken to refer to the entire area between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol, with the Washington Monument providing a division slightly west of the center. It’s a wonderful walk.”

The Smithsonian

America’s greatest chain of museums is based in Washington, DC. It’s there, from dinosaurs to American pop culture. If you have a time and an interest in any aspect of American history, check the website, find which of the 19 different museums is for you, and then get your walking shoes on.

www.si.edu

Arlington National Cemetery

The most sacred ground in these United States is Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of more than 250,000 men and women who served this country in the armed forces. President John F. Kennedy is buried here, as is his brother Robert F. Kennedy, and World War II hero Audie Murphy. There’s also the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is guarded by a single marching guard, changed every half hour, every hour of every day. Seeing the changing of the guard is worth the trip alone, as are the seemingly countless monuments of so many of our soldiers.

www.arlingtoncemetery.org

It’s just across Monument Bridge, behind the Lincoln Memorial, in Arlington, Virginia.

Did you know that John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, made his escape from Washington, DC, to Virginia by traveling right through Budds Creek? If that sounds interesting to you, find out more about that tragic moment in American history, plus the 13-day pursuit and capture of one of the most notorious villains in U.S. history by checking out the book, “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase of Abraham Lincoln’s killer” by James L. Swanson. Click here for more.

Hungry? You definitely want to stop in to Captain Billy’s. It is a Budds Creek tradition for many riders and the food is amazing. It’s right on the river between the track and Waldorf. http://captbillys.com

Or you can hit up Golden Corral with Fubar, or Damon’s Grill, which is another hotspot in Waldorf that’s located inside the Holiday Inn there.

Finally, here's a suggestion from Brent and Karen Myron:

"I found another seafood place a couple of years ago--it's called Captain John's, located in Cobb Island.

We both thought it was equally good (if not better) than Captain Billy's, but without the enormous wait time to get a table. It's also a marina, so boat lovers can check out the "aye" (imagine a pirate's voice!) candy or just feed the ducks."