Moving from Maryland and DC to Palm Beach County

Georgetown's historic houses, shops and walkable streets have their winter counterpart in Palm Beach: an island of historic houses, Mediterranean Revival buildings and Worth Avenue, with the ocean a block away.

If you love 1789 Restaurant in Georgetown, try Café L'Europe. If you love Martin's Tavern in Georgetown, try Ta-boó. If you love Fiola Mare in Georgetown Waterfront, try The Seafood Bar at The Breakers.

If Bourbon Lounge at Bourbon Steak in Georgetown is your kind of night, try HMF at The Breakers: grand-hotel lounges for a well-made drink before or after dinner. If Blues Alley in Georgetown is your kind of night, try The Sunset Lounge: jazz rooms with a stage, drinks and a full calendar of shows.

Patisserie Poupon pairs with Sant Ambroeus Palm Beach. Baked & Wired pairs with Drift Palm Beach. Georgetown Waterfront Park pairs with Lake Drive Park. C&O Canal towpath pairs with Palm Beach Lake Trail.

Georgetown's East Village: look at Royal Park Addition (Older houses on a walkable grid steps from the main shopping street). Northwest Georgetown estates: look at Primavera Estates (Houses from the 1920s to today on quiet avenues a short walk from the shops). Georgetown waterfront condominiums: look at Lake Towers (Condominium living on the water side of town). See every one in our Palm Beach neighborhood guides.

The vibe: Historic streets of Federal houses and shops along M Street, busy all year in Georgetown; A small island town of historic streets and shops, busiest November to April in Palm Beach. The beaches: Delaware and Maryland ocean beaches, about 3 hours away by car in Georgetown; The ocean at the end of Worth Avenue, with a public beach at Midtown Beach in Palm Beach. On the water: The Potomac, the waterfront park and the C&O Canal towpath in Georgetown; The Lake Trail along Lake Worth Lagoon, with the Atlantic on the other side in Palm Beach. Golf and clubs: City clubs, with Chevy Chase Club and Congressional a short drive out in Georgetown; Private clubs like the Everglades Club and the Bath and Tennis Club, and the town's Par 3 course in Palm Beach. Evenings out: Dinner on M Street, jazz at Blues Alley in Georgetown; Dinner on Worth Avenue, drinks at HMF, jazz at the Sunset Lounge across the bridge in Palm Beach. The homes: Federal and Victorian rowhouses, estates and waterfront condos in Georgetown; Postwar co-ops and condos, in-town houses and Mediterranean Revival estates in Palm Beach. Getting back to Washington: Already in the city: a short drive or bus ride downtown in Georgetown; About 15 minutes to the West Palm Beach airport, then about 2 hours nonstop to Reagan National, BWI or seasonal Dulles in Palm Beach.

If the Eastern Shore's river towns are where you go to slow down, Stuart is that pace every day: a riverfront downtown, marinas and the St. Lucie River running out to the inlet.

If you love Stars at Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels, try The Gafford. If you love Bistro St. Michaels in St. Michaels, try The Black Marlin.

If Carpenter Street Saloon in St. Michaels is your kind of night, try Terra Fermata: main-street bars in the historic downtown with live music at night. If Eastern Shore Brewing in St. Michaels is your kind of night, try Ocean Republic Brewing: small-town craft breweries with a relaxed taproom.

The Blue Crab pairs with Gilbert's Coffee Bar. Rise Up Coffee pairs with The Roasted Record. Assateague Island National Seashore pairs with Stuart Beach.

St. Michaels Historic District: look at Downtown Stuart (Historic houses on old riverfront plats, walkable to the waterfront main street). Tilghman Island: look at Port Salerno (Old fishing village on Manatee Pocket, with boats tied up in the harbor). Royal Oak and the Tred Avon creeks: look at North River Shores (Houses along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River, some right on the water). Martingham: look at Mariner Sands (Golf communities with homes set among the fairways). See every one in our Stuart neighborhood guides.

The vibe: Small harbor towns, crab houses and farm roads in St. Michaels and the Eastern Shore; A riverfront downtown, marinas and seafood on the water in Stuart. The beaches: Ocean City and the Delaware beaches, about 2 hours away in St. Michaels and the Eastern Shore; Stuart Beach and Bathtub Reef Beach on Hutchinson Island, about 15 minutes away in Stuart. On the water: The Miles River, the Choptank and the Chesapeake Bay in St. Michaels and the Eastern Shore; The St. Lucie River, the Indian River Lagoon and the St. Lucie Inlet in Stuart. Golf and clubs: Clubs like Talbot Country Club in Easton in St. Michaels and the Eastern Shore; Private clubs like Sailfish Point and The Floridian, plus public courses in Stuart. Evenings out: Live music at Carpenter Street Saloon, pints at Eastern Shore Brewing in St. Michaels and the Eastern Shore; Live music at Terra Fermata, shows at the Lyric, pints at Ocean Republic Brewing in Stuart. The homes: Waterfront houses, farms and historic homes in town in St. Michaels and the Eastern Shore; River homes, marina communities and downtown condos in Stuart. Getting back to Washington: About 1.5 to 2 hours by car over the Bay Bridge in St. Michaels and the Eastern Shore; About 50 minutes to the West Palm Beach airport, then about 2 hours nonstop to Reagan National, BWI or seasonal Dulles in Stuart.

Potomac's horse farms and Middleburg's hunt country carry over to Wellington, where barns, riding trails and the winter show and polo seasons are part of daily life.

If you love Old Angler's Inn in Potomac, try Kaluz Restaurant. If you love The Red Fox Inn & Tavern in Middleburg, try Stallion Restaurant. If you love Goodstone Inn & Restaurant in Middleburg, try Oli's Fashion Cuisine.

If Twilight Polo in Middleburg is your kind of night, try Saturday Night Lights at Wellington International: horse sport on a weekend evening, with food and a crowd along the rail. If Saturday night polo at Great Meadow in The Plains is your kind of night, try Friday Night Stars at Wellington International: evening horse events that turn a show ground into a night out.

Middleburg Common Grounds pairs with Carmela Coffee (Wellington). Bethesda Bagels (Cabin John Village) pairs with Foxtail Coffee Co. (Wellington). Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve pairs with Peaceful Waters Sanctuary.

Middleburg hunt country farms: look at Palm Beach Point (Horse farms, most of five acres or more, in an equestrian district). River Road and Falls Road acreage: look at Saddle Trail Park (Acreage lots with space for horses on quiet streets). Potomac horse properties near the riding trails: look at Southfields (Horse properties and estate homes beside the polo grounds). See every one in our Wellington neighborhood guides.

The vibe: Horse farms in Potomac, stone walls and hunt country around Middleburg in Potomac and Middleburg; Horse farms, riding trails and show grounds, busiest in the winter season in Wellington. The outdoors: Trail rides, preserved farmland and the C&O Canal near Potomac in Potomac and Middleburg; Bridle trails and the Wellington Environmental Preserve; ocean beaches about 30 minutes east in Wellington. The horse season: Spring and fall: steeplechase, hunts and polo at Great Meadow in Potomac and Middleburg; Winter: the Winter Equestrian Festival from January to March, and polo into spring in Wellington. Golf and clubs: Clubs like TPC Potomac and Congressional nearby in Potomac and Middleburg; Clubs like Palm Beach Polo and The Wanderers Club in Wellington. Evenings out: Twilight Polo in Middleburg, dinner at the Red Fox Inn in Potomac and Middleburg; Saturday Night Lights and Friday Night Stars at Wellington International in Wellington. The homes: Estates and horse farms on acreage in Potomac and Middleburg; Horse farms, estates and barns in an equestrian district, plus club homes in Wellington. Getting back to Washington: About 30 minutes from Potomac, about an hour from Middleburg, by car in Potomac and Middleburg; About 25 minutes to the West Palm Beach airport, then about 2 hours nonstop to Reagan National, BWI or seasonal Dulles in Wellington.