By: Aixa Torregrosa, Lifestyle Editor

Earlier this summer my husband and I decided to check out Susquehanna State Park in Maryland.
I know, there are plenty of parks and trails around here and Pennsylvania boasts beautiful and scenic natural areas. But we, specially I, had to check it out.
It was worth the effort.
The park is roughly 2 hours from our area and a few minutes off I95 once you go across the bridge over the Susquehanna River near Havre de Grace.
The park runs parallel to the river .
After leaving I95 and the main roads, we drove through some beautiful rolling hills, the smell of honeysuckle -- and dead animals -- in the air.
At the park you can go hiking, camping, boating, fishing, biking, birding, among other activities, and visit the Rock Run Historic Area. For information, check http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/central/susquehanna.html or call (410) 557-7994
Our visit consisted of walking along the river, getting to enjoy the scenery and biking. We biked the
Greenway Trail which starts at Fisherman’s Park at the Conowingo Dam. We enjoyed a warm (but not too hot) day and were treated to striking views of the river, hundreds of herons to watch and an almost-empty trail. Though it is a long drive, for us, it was worth it. The area is beautiful. We also visited Havre the Grace. It is a quaint town with walkable streets, shops to browse and quite a few restaurants. We didn’t get to any museums, but you can visit the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum, the Havre de Grace Maritime Museum and the Concord Point Light & Keeper’s House among other sites. Check http://www.hdgtourism.com. On another recent visit to Havre de Grace we took mom along and enjoyed walking the 3/4-mile boardwalk alongside the Susquehanna River and from which you can access some points of interest in town including the Concord Point Lighthouse. You can catch sweeping views of the river and enjoy some bird watching. There are some benches along the way and while taking a rest at one of them, we watched a seagull catch a rather large fish, toss it around until it swallowed it and then do a little neck dance to send the unfortunate fish down to its belly.
So head down the Mason/Dixon line. You can make it a day at either place, the park or at Havre de Grace. Both places are worth checking out. And if you stop at Fisherman’s Pak at the Conowingo Dam you may be treated to eagles sightings and the occasional black snake, like the one that scared the bejesus out of me and kept my husband laughing (at me) for a while on that first visit.
Note: Since we still have warm days ahead, do not forget the sun block and the bug spray. Carry your own water as well and take your trash with you after you visit.