The summer is when people go on vacations, but it’s not always in the cards to take a long trip somewhere. Luckily, here in South Central PA, there are tons of options for a quick weekend getaway! We had the chance to take one recently, and had a great time.
My family of three went on a weekend getaway and drove to the cozy town of Frederick, Maryland. On our way, we stopped at Cunningham Falls State Park in Thurmont, Maryland, and walked less than one mile to see a waterfall. The hike was easy and shaded, and once at the falls, we explored the stream and large rocks. My husband and son enjoyed climbing over the rocks that were very tall and had my mama-heart skipping a few beats, but they had a blast!
A fun find on our way out of the park was a beach/lake at William Houck Area. The day was hot, so we headed to the beach with a towel and some snacks and enjoyed the Catoctin Mountain scenery and cool water, and small crowds of people. The beach also offered a playground, BBQ grills, picnic tables, a clean bathroom (woohoo!), and kayaks for rent. The beach/lake was definitely our favorite stop on our trip.
READ: South Central PA Summer Bucket List: 50+ Things to Do!
We jumped back in the car with sandy feet and a little sunburn (whoops!) and drove another 30-minutes to Frederick. We had lunch at Box Car Burgers in a shopping plaza outside of town and enjoyed our gourmet burgers in a casual setting. A block away was another fun find at Great Stuff by Paul, which housed so many unique home good pieces from Europe and Asia! We spent an hour or so walking around the warehouse, and ultimately left without finding anything to bring home (bummer).
We got back in the car for our final stop of the day in downtown Frederick. We meandered down Market Street and shopped in some fun stores. There are so many cute brick homes in this town, and many shops! We enjoyed visiting Crème de la Crème, a French inspired home store that I’d actually love to live in, The Trail House, an outdoor supply store with the cutest shop dog named Boss, and a nice refreshing Boba tea from Market Street Boba and Beans located in an old bank. The store also offered some Little Free Library books to grab, which made my day!
We then walked to the famed Carroll Creek which was a relaxing walk with not many folks out on it that afternoon. Mom note: be careful with kids, as it’s a few feet high from the creek and doesn’t have any barrier. We found a playground near the creek and for next time, there’s a local community pool to splash around in as well. We grabbed our phones to find the best spot for dinner, and chose Brewer’s Alley and had lobster (we didn’t choose crab, surprisingly!), beer, and fries – such a good combo! After dinner, we scooted around the backside of the building for another drink at White Rabbit Gastropub and enjoyed the nice night at an outdoor table. The gastropub’s parking lot was next to a church, and we found a hidden playground for our son to use there. We headed outside of town to our hotel, as there aren’t many options downtown. The next morning, we headed back to the beach/lake at the state park, but as soon as we arrived, it decided to pour rain, so we called it a day and drove home. On the way back, we stopped at Emmitsburg Antique Mall in Emmitsburg, Maryland, and made a stop at Trader Joe’s in Camp Hill which was super crowded, ughh. Overall, we enjoyed our quick trip and recommend it for anyone looking to travel somewhere close, yet different. We missed out on Top Chef Bryan Voltaggio’s restaurant, Thatcher & Rye, but plan to visit in the future for another weekend getaway, along with another trip to the beach/lake at the state park. If you decide to go, have a fantastic time in Maryland.
