Things to do when you're not at Camp...

Nights Off...

While CPW is located in a rural area, there is civalization nearby! All the staff get a night off during the week, in which they are allowed to leave camp for several hours. Staff are by no means required to leave, (there is the staff house for anyone who just wants to curl up to a movie) but it is nice to get out and have adult conversation every now and then. The big question is, what is there to do?? Well, here's some answers.

For anyone wanting to head in to civilization for a night, there's plenty to be found in easy driving distance. Your best bets are Leesburg (10 to 15 minutes from camp) and Sterling (about 30 minutes from camp). Food generaly being the highest priority on a night off, I'll start with that. In Leesburg there's a wide variety of restaraunts, both new and old. Old Towne Leesburg is home to a wide range of places to eat - everything from the Mighty Midget Kitchen to Lightfoot Café or Tuscarora Mill Restaraunt. However, usually staff tend to steer away from the historical district, and heading for the easier to reach places to eat. The most popular area includes a Ruby Tuesday, TGIFriday's, Applebee's, IHOP, Ponderosa, Bob Evans, plus a McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell/Pizza Hut and a Taipei Cafe (oriental). Further into town there's a Red Hot and Blue BBQ and a Wendy's, and also a Starbucks, Baskin Robbins, TCBY, and Dunkin Donuts. After food is taken care of, there's not a lot left to do in Leesburg, but there is a Walmart, a K-Mart, some smaller shops, and the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlet mall.

Sterling, though farther away from camp, has more in the way of food and entertainment. Food-wise, there's Ruby Tuesday, TGIFriday's, Applebee's, Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, Sweetwater Tavern, Outback Steakhouse, LoneStar, Joe's Crab Shack, plus a Boston Market, McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell/KFC, Chicken Out Rotisserie, plus lots of other places that I can't remember the names to right now (there's some oriental, some bbq, and a few bakeries, just off the top of my head). There's also a sizable food court at the Dulles Town Center mall, which leads into entertainment. Dulles Town Center is a decent sized mall, and fairly new as well. There's also shopping at north Cascades and south Cascades shopping centers, a brand-new SuperWalMart, and Regal Cinemas, all within about 5 minutes of each other.

Weekends...

Weekends, however, are another matter entirely! Since so much of our staff does not come from the general DC area, we do what's called a "sponsored trip" every Saturday. What this means is that the Admin staff provide a trip somewhere local using the camp vans, so that everyone has an opportunity to go. In past years we've gone tubing down the Shenandoah, spent the day in downtown Alexandria, gone shopping in Maryland or to Tysons Corner, or gone to Harper's Ferry for the 4th of July fireworks. Sometimes it's just shopping and a movie, other times it's something elaborate that requires a little more planning. On the whole, we try to provide an experience that most will enjoy.