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.
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
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
cool this is such great advice for fun local weekends
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