Brandywine Autumn Adventure

Every year I go to Brandywine Valley and it still manages to take my breath away!
For those of you who don't know Brandywine is where southern Chester co. Pennsylvania meets northern Delaware and it's only about 2 hours from Washington DC. This trip is convenient for a weekend adventure or just for the day. If your going for the day, make sure that you wake up early so that you can pack a lot in because there is so much to do and see. When you visit Brandywine you will discover natural beauty, history, art, antiques, mansions, gardens, and a unique brand of country hospitality. So as you can see, I highly recommend this trip for all seasons, but especially for the fall!

Our first stop was the Montchanin Inn for breakfast. We ate at one of their dining facilities called Krazy Kats. Krazy Kats is housed in renovated blacksmith shop. The decor is whimsical and the food is delicious! For breakfast, I recommend the buttery brioche french toast with Vermont Grade A maple syrup.

Next stop we headed north for the Brandywine River Museum . The museum exhibits American art in a 19th century gristmill (used to ground grain into flour) and is internationally known for its unparalleled collection of works by three generations of the Wyeth family members. Inside the museum, you will find a fine collection of American illustrations, still life, and landscape paintings. Outside of the museum, you will see the view of the Brandywine River. Simply amazing!

Lastly, we visited Longwood Gardens for their chrysanthemums festivities. Longwood Gardens originated as the 300 yr. old home for garden lover Pierre S. DuPont. The Gardens are perfect for all seasons and all ages; however I especially love visiting in the fall for the Great Pumpkin Display, which is perfect for children and families. Make sure that when you visit the gardens you make some room for dessert. The cafe in the conservatory makes scrumptious homemade tarts!

I hope you take the time to visit Brandywine on your own. Remember you can always travel with me. I am just an email away dee.massi@pgparks.com or suzannekahn81@gmail.com. Please comment on this post if you have any questions. Happy Fall!
Dee

Catoctin Mountain & Fredrick Fun

Once again I took my mother's lovely day trip advise and this time headed to Catoctin Mt. for some hiking fun! I am not what one may call the "outdoorsy" type of gal, but I am the traveling "on a budget" type of gal.

My closest friends and I headed to Thurmont MD. where the only known landmark for an 'out of towner' is the fact that the Presidents escape (Camp David) is somewhere in the vicinity. The website for Catoctin Mountain Park is not very well organized. I actually had to call the Park Headquarters for the GPS address. Which is 14707 Park Central Rd. Thurmont MD. 21788.

The hiking trails were layed out fairly well. We chose a moderate hike to Cunningham Falls. The weather was beautiful and there were a lot of park visitors out and about. Our hike ended at the waterfall which was crowded, but pretty. Did I mention the visitor center bathrooms were clean??? Well, they were!

We would have went to a local farm for hot apple cider and fresh pears, but we were way too hungry so we headed to our next POI...

Shopping and Dunch(dinner and lunch) was in downtown Fredrick, which by the way is not the best place to go on a Sunday because a lot of the restaurants and shops are closed.

Now if you know me, you know that I am EXTREMELY picky about antique/vintage stores. If they smell funky or appear cluttered, it takes me less than 2 seconds to escape. Tiara Day was the exact opposite of a vintage nightmare. The buyers scour Europe and North America for a unique mix of glamorous and romantic new and vintage finds. My favorite budget buy was the magnets(picture above). I thought that the saying this magnet displayed, describes how I feel about the outdoors quite perfectly!
Other stores I recommend are Muse, this small shop carries everyday items with a handcrafted fresh and funky twist, Lipstick and Spurs is an urban cowgirls dream come true, Simply Beautiful is a boutique which only hosts the finest for home, baby, and self. Lastly for the campers, who would actually stay overnight in Catoctin, The Trail House on S. Market St. is sure to meet your every outdoor need!

In downtown Fredrick there's an array of food. The Washingtonian fall guide recommends, The Tasting Room(Zaggot Rated), which is closed on Sunday and little too pricey for a day trip. My mom recommends Isabella's Taverna and Tapas Bar(the Esparragos Fritos con Salsa Alioli is amazing),but are group was in the mood for something more on the hearty hiker side so we stopped by Cafe Nola (also Zaggot Rated) however; they were closed too! I would like to go back to Cafe Nola. The restaurant looked like a really laid back lunch spot.

We finally found fare at Griff's. The food wasn't outstanding, but they did have oysters and yummy crab dip so we were as happy as little clams, oh and did I mention spiced rum cider!!! Make sure you have Captain next time Griff's!!!

Overall, our day trip to Western Maryland was a success! Being with great friends makes every trip on a budget worthwhile. Love you girls! Oh and stay posted for my mom's first post on her Brandywine Autumn Adventure.
Suzanne

Trip Tip

Dee hasn't done a trip to NC in awhile. I know she has a southern trip coming up in December to visit the Biltmore Estate http://www.biltmore.com/ in Ashville NC. I am going to Charlotte this weekend to visit my daddy. My mom needs to take a group to Charlotte soon. There is so much to do! I will keep my eyes out for fun trip ideas for her while I'm there.

In-expensive Trip Tip...

Start off your weekend by going to GGG (Georgetown Gallery Gaze). Friday the 16th from 6-9 is the launch for this fall event. On the streets of Georgetown, gallery owners extend their hours to showcase the work of local artist and artisans. http://www.georgetowngallerygaze.com/.
If you want dessert and don't want to wait in a ridiculous line for a trendy cupcake, go to Thomas Sweet http://www.thomassweet.com/ for the best frozen yogurt and fudge. For the best healthy cookies and non-alcoholic beverages go to my favorite healthy fast food spot Wisey's on Wisconsin. Last time I was in there they were giving away free coupons for their cookies. No joke their chocolate chip cookies put Mrs. Fields to shame!
Suzanne

Bus Followed (Literally)

I decided to take my mom's inexpensive day trip advise and go to Shenendoah National Park. I picked up my friend with coffee and snacks in tow and had the whole day planned so that I could blog about it.

Weather Detour...

It was drizzling in MD and VA yesterday morning. As we were discussing plan B options we both looked up and the sign on the bus ahead read, "Fairfax Fall Festival October 10th" Guess where we ended up???

The annual festival was really fun! The streets were closed off and vendors galore were set up along the Main St. I loved watching the little pooches dressed up in sweaters and the little kiddies running around in face paint. The local food was yummy and the live music was pretty cool.

Of course my favorite part of the day was finding the best local artisans.

Tomboy Jewels was my fave, I mean besides a five year old, who likes jewelry that is ultra girly??? Not me, not me!!!

Eli Burnham established Tomboy Jewels http://eliburnhamdesigns.com/store.asp in 2004 and now works from home in Silver Spring MD. She showcases her work and the work of other designers at the Montgomery Farm Women's Co-op in Bethesda on Saturdays(which I love by the way) and the Eastern Market in DC on Sundays(which I double love). I also love how Eli puts her Jewelry on the ears of famous portraits! Such a neat added touch. Photo of Eli and her jewelry above by Greg Lubin http://www.jefflubin.com/.

My other favorite artist was P. Carter Carpin http://www.pcartercarpin.etsy.com/. Her originals and prints are great for a children's bedroom or a beautiful classroom(like mine). While on etsy, you mustn't leave the site without checking out my favorite artist in the world, Marley Ungaro http://www.marleyungaro.etsy.com/. Her new 2010 Hearts and Crafts calendar is so delicious!!! Great for Christmas/teacher gifts.

I was so impressed by the Fairfax fall festival that I almost went for round two in Clifton VA, for Clifton Day http://www.cliftonday.com/.

Maybe next year...

Suzanne

Product of Travel

The owner of Hudson Coffee Traders emailed me about the tea. The brand doesn't start with the letter "M", but I was close...

Harney and Sons are "local" out of Millertown, NY. They use whole tea leafs in their sachets, not leaf "dust" that is typically found in "bags" and their silk sachets are designed for optimal steeping. They are vacume wrapped to keep the oxygen out and are fresh each time they are opened.

I will never drink another brand of tea again. Thanks Hudson Coffee Traders!
http://www.harney.com/
Suzanne

Trip Ideas

A couple weeks ago I went to a beautiful wedding in the Catskills. On the way we stopped in Woodstock NY and NO the concert field is NOT in the town of Woodstock. The field is about 1 hr. and 45 min. away from the main drag.

As one can imagine, there are lots of hippy stores in town; however I was surprised to see many cute boutiques and restaurants! The lady who owned this adorable shoe boutique 'Soul Mates' told us that the actual Woodstock field was worth visiting. The museum is supposed to be awesome!

If I ever venture back to Woodstock, I would want to return to Tinker St. The boutiques, restaurants, and shops are one of a kind! Check out Sweetheart gallery http://www.sweetheartgallery.com/. They had the coolest knobs for drawers and cabinets that were handmade by TEMA. You can't find those at anthropology plus I think the pulls are actually made it Woodstock. Their jewlery and pottery was cool too.

The Gilded Carriage is another shop I would return to. A photo of the store is up above. Very unique and special kitchen/gift shop. Watch out Williams-Sonoma!

Man cannot survive on bread alone, but if you're in Woodstock you should definitly check out this local bakery http://www.breadalone.com/.

Lucky for us gals, Woodstock just happened to be having their sidewalk sale and flea market. One of the store owners said that the town has a sidewalk sale every fall and spring!

I am trying to convince my mom to do a trip there in the spring. She asked me where her group should stay and I told her to check out the Emerson Resort and Spa http://www.emersonplace.com/.

If you're going on your own or with your family, you should stay at the Full Moon Resort http://www.fullmoonresort.com/. That is where we stayed for the wedding. Full Moon is super rustic so if you're looking for that type of get-away, then Full Moon is definitely the spot!

On the way home from our weekend in the Catskills we stopped for coffee. The GPS took us to Hudson Coffee Traders in the quaint town of Kingston. Their chai tea latte was amazing. The sweet owner said that she wishes she could take credit; however the brand of tea they use is to die for. I cannot remember the brand, but I think it starts with the letter M. I must find out!!! I will find out!!!

Suzanne

Trip tip

Looking for some fall color and an inexpensive day trip on the east coast?
Head to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

http://www.visitshenandoah.com/

For an inexpensive breakfast or lunch, get a "Picnic to Go" at the Big Meadows Lodge.

For breakfast, lunch, and dinner indoors, try the Skyland Resort.

Stopping for dinner on the way home? Head to Sweetwater Tavern in Centerville VA. The food will not disappoint! Great bar area and exceptional service.
Dee