Crain Memorial Welcome Center — Local services in Dahlgren

This is a good place to stop if you are touring Maryland or exploring it's individual counties. They have a vast amount of brochures, magazines and pamphlets for Maryland histories, tourist attractions, etc. If you are driving through and need to stop for food, rest, gas or anything else, STOP BEFORE you come over the bridge or drive 12 Miles on highway 301 to La Plata. This is not a tradional rest stop with a food court, large restrooms or gas. It is EXTREMELY isolated and not safe to travel by yourself. It's a nice place to walk your dog, but there is Galveston's gas/service station 2 stop lights ahead with bright lights, vending machines, lots of grass and bright lights on the highway and the station. They are not 24 hours, but they accept credit cards in emergency BUT will put a $100 hold on the card if you pay at pump. Stop in Virginia because you will not have as many food, hotel or shopping options until Waldorf and the Super Walmart is the last one you will see until .... Not sure actually. Just don't panic that you are in a deserted area with nowhere to stop. Do not stop here at night. Drive on through if possible or stop before coming. Maryland does not welcome you, and I say that as someone who has taken many road trips and lived Newburg, MD for 11 years and moved to St. Marys county from CT when I was 13. If you can stop in VA, do that and if not, drive right on through to La Plata Maryland. Wawa is 24 hours and you will see it after you pass all the other stuff. If you are into Maryland History and truly want to explore, this place is great. Extremely clean and has an information desk with someone to help answer questions during the day. (Well it did last I was there 2.years ago.) It's hidden on a dark road driving up into a wooded area on the right, but there is a sign. If you have the day to spend in Newburg/Cobb Island, there are some really cool places down here. They may seen few and far between, but they are really amazing. Glory Days Antiques can be a great travel tradition on the way home or to start off the trip. There are great seafood restaurants on both sides of the highway but you have to drive awhile to find them. Maryland is beautiful and there are places and people that welcome you... We just hide off the highway and if you get stuck at this rest stop with no gas, there won't be anyone to help you. The Maryland Transit police do have a tiny station off of the bridge so maybe look that number up before you go. Don't rely on your cell phone service here. Safe travels, and...

There may not be many other places one might find that is more suited to have the quintisential stop-and-smell-the-roses experience. On the Maryland side of the Potomac, its facilities are imaculately kept. There are clearly designated areas for pets, smokers and others who have been yearning for miles to stop, though not necessarily to "smell the roses." As a welcome and info center, the library of informational pamphlets stewarded over by, literally, a welcoming staff could imbue one just a few minutes a sense of having paused at a resort's lobby. Finally, barring inclement weather, it would be sad to pass up a free and public engeneered to impart relaxation and respite to shave off a mere few minutes on whichever, longer journey of yours that had your vehicle due to do a lightning round on the potty?

Lastly, don't forget to sign the guest book. Each signature continues the case (and, therefore, funding) that it IS serving the public with exellence, and that one would like to see it continue its good work in, G-d willing, perpetuity

If so inspired, check "other" in the column of "reason for visit," and writing in the line,...

A friend and I went into this clean visitor center and pretended to be from out of state. I asked the lady behind the counter, "If you could only visit one place in Maryland, what would it be?"

She told us about several places, "Twin Kiss, right up the street on the left. Point Lookout, at the southern most point of St. Mary's County. Durham Church, in Nanjemoy... many more then ended with Old Town Annapolis." She was nice and very knowledgeable of Maryland, but especially Charles County, which the visitor center was in.

The local literature was bountiful and up to date and it's all free. As we walked out with a free map of Maryland, we told her that we were from Charles County and appreciated her knowledge of our county.

When we were leaving, we noticed this strange apparatus in the parking lot, with more inspection we figured out, that this was charging port for electric cars. COOL.

Nice...