Kids getting antsy with all the ‘indoor time’ in the cold weather? Maybe it’s time to think about a weekend trip to the beautiful mountains of Western Maryland.
Frederick, Hagerstown, and of course the Deep Creek Lake area offer tons of recreational choices for a winter weekend family getaway.
I stayed recently at my favorite camping haunt – Ole Mink Farm (oleminkfarm.com). Owned by the Irons family for over 30 years, Ole Mink is high atop the Catoctin Mountains in Frederick County, Maryland and in addition to other camping options, offers heated luxury cabin rentals. My kind of camping!
My friend and I rented a two bedroom cabin so we could escape the kids for a few days and do some shopping in gorgeous historic downtown Frederick. We had a blast hanging out by the outdoor fireplace… and later, the inside fireplace! Scented homemade firestarters left by the hearth were welcome. We’ve brought our kids there in different seasons over the years- there are nature trails, a game room, and nice swimming pool for summer camping. Our cabin cost a reasonable $150 a night, and sipping coffee on the screened porch while enjoying nature was just the break from the kids we needed. We vowed to do a ‘Girls Weekend’ every year.
There are many lodging options for enjoying the winter in Western Maryland. There are camping resorts, campgrounds, bed and breakfasts, many hotels, and hundreds of private cabin or cottage rentals available. Of the state parks located in Western Maryland, three offer winterized cabin camping: Herrington Manor State Park, New Germany State Park and Rocky Gap State Park.
If you’re not much of a camper and prefer the kind of lodging that includes an indoor pool and spa services, consider a place like Rocky Gap Resort (rockygapresort.com) for a more pampered family winter weekend. Of course, if skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling and tubing are your thing, you will want to check out Wisp Resort (wispresort.com). Maryland’s premiere ski resort is less than 3 hours from Washington, DC and Baltimore- so it makes for a perfect winter weekend trip with the kids.
They’re not in Maryland, but nearby Pennsylvania also offers fabulous skiing at Ski Liberty (skiliberty.com), Roundtop (skiroundtop.com), and Whitetail (skiwhitetail.com).
Winter camping… what a great way to ‘chill out’ with the family!
Mary McCarthy is Editor of Chesapeake Family.
Also: we are giving away a Family Four Pack of ski or snowboard tickets to Ski Liberty, Roundtop or Whitetail!
Play our fun game to win: http://ow.ly/3yfRK
MORE INFO:
Winter Western Maryland Weekends on the Web:
Maryland State Parks:
dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/