Family Travel Guide: Weekend Trip to Harper’s Ferry

For my birthday this year, I asked for a weekend trip with our family of four. I’m at a place in life where I don’t really want material things for birthdays or special occasions, but rather, opportunities to create memories.

One odd quirk about me is that I love to plan trips! I could spend hours on AirBnB, Vrbo, Trip Advisor, you name it.  It’s seriously become a hobby. So you can imagine my excitement when my husband gifted me a budget and allowed me to plan my birthday trip!

Since it was last minute (only a little over a week to plan), I needed to find a place where their were still options for lodging. As you can imagine, booking a quality place with such short notice can be challenging.

I ended up stumbling upon Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, which is only an hour and a half drive from home. I had traveled there once in high school, but thought it might be a nice low-key getaway, as our family enjoys hiking and being outdoors in general. Fortunately, I was able to find an apartment unit in nearby Brunswick, Maryland, large enough to accommodate our family.

Two weeks later, we packed the kids into the van on Friday morning to start our trip.

While you’ll need to be ready to walk quite a bit, Harper’s Ferry has ample parking. There is a small parking lot in the hub of the town where we were fortunate to find a spot. However, there are several larger lots and shuttle buses that will drive you into the historical area for free.

If possible, plan to visit on a weekday, as Saturdays and Sundays tend to be most crowded. We also went in mid-May, which seemed to help with the crowds, as school was still in session (pending the one group of high school students there on a field trip).

READ: South Central PA Family Weekend Getaway: Frederick, Maryland

Initially, we hiked around the historical areas by the water. I was worried about everything keeping the kids’ interest, but they were fascinated by the scenery, as my husband and I were able to read a bit of the history. We had brought a hiking backpack for our two year-old, expecting her to want to be carried all day, but she actually preferred to walk and see all of the awesome sights.

The kids’ favorite part was crossing the well-known Harper’s Ferry Bridge. It’s such a fun experience for young and old! While walking over the bridge, you can see the Potomac River below you, and the B&O Railroad next to you. The kids were thrilled to watch the train zoom right past them, see all of the many dogs on their daily walks, and wonder how people were able to put locks with their initials on the beams of the bridge. A sizeable, winding staircase (with steps you can see-through, so a little daunting for those wary of heights), led us down the bridge to more trails, including a connection to the Appalachian trail. There were several cyclists using the trails. The kids had a blast exploring the many different trails and formations.

As the morning drew on and the kids’ little legs began to tire, we knew we had to make the trek back up the winding staircase, over the bridge, and into town. The kids were troopers and made the hike back with the motivation of finding food. One thing we didn’t take into consideration is that many of the restaurants and shops are uphill, so be prepared to walk a while and on an incline to get to food and stores.

Harper’s Ferry has many restaurants to choose from. I’d recommend going a bit early to beat the 12:00 lunch rush as well as doing some research on where to eat beforehand (especially to confirm the place you pick has a kids’ menu). We ended up choosing The Rabbit Hole, complete with a kids’ menu and lovely views that overlook the main part of Harper’s Ferry where the train runs through. The view kept our hungry kids occupied while we waited for our delicious meal.

After eating and gaining back some energy, we explored the rest of the town, visiting a few shops. The kids’ favorite shop was a candy store that sold treats from various eras. We also visited several historical buildings, including the foundation of an original home, a replica of a general store, an exhibit on abolitionism, and many more.

There was a small picnic area near a bridge in town where we were able to stop to have a snack and let the kids safely run around for a bit. They could’ve spent a good hour there just playing in the open field left to their imaginations.

We ended our experience hiking The Point, ending in an epic view of the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers.  The hike was definitely challenging and on a steep incline, so I’d allot a good amount of time, especially with young kids. After making the hike up, staying to appreciate the worthwhile view, and then getting safely back down the incline, we grabbed some ice cream and headed out to our rental.

We spent the following day exploring Brunswick, Maryland, the small town where our place was located. It’s a very walkable town, and has a decent amount of restaurants. It’s also a great place for kids who like trains. They have a free museum in town, and the entire top floor is a massive model train display! We also took a short walk to view the trains traveling through (warning for families with kiddos who are sensitive to noise: the trains come through several times a day and can be very loud).

On Saturday, we also took a short 20-minute drive to Crystal Grottoes Cavern. It’s a small cavern that provides 30-45 minute tours for a small fee. It was a great rainy day activity, and the kids loved being in a real cave. The tour guide was knowledgeable, and even made a note to make the tour more kid-friendly (e.g., pointing out when certain formations looked like animals/characters).

Other great places within Brunswick were Boxcar Burgers (aptly named for its location right by the train station) and Beans in the Belfry (an old church that was renovated into a coffee shop…picture yourself drinking a latte in a choir loft – a fun find).

We all had a memorable, awesome trip to Harper’s Ferry! If you plan to make the weekend trip, I’ll hope you’ll take my suggestions and check out some of these fun-filled nearby attractions. Safe travels!