It's hard to believe, but we can count the days we have left at the Lock Keepers Cottage in Sharpsburg on just one hand. We'll complete our four week stay this weekend. We'll pack up the Silver Bullet and head back to Ben's house for several days before flying back to Florida. We'll stay in Florida for a month before heading back to Pennsylvania to reunite with the Bullet, and then on to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
As I've mentioned previously, this area of Western Maryland has exceeded our expectations in every way. It's really a beautiful area with a wide variety of things to see and do nearby, which has made taking day trips several times a week fun and easy.
One of the unexpected and pleasant surprises has been the local wineries. Certainly Western Maryland will never be mistaken for Napa or Sonoma, California when it comes to the number of wineries. In Washington County, where Sharpsburg is located there are seven wineries listed. Three were recommended by our Airbnb Host and previous Lock Keeper Cottage guests. We tried all three and enjoyed each one very much. One (Antietam Creek Vineyards) so much, that we've made two additional visits and hope to get in one more before we leave.
All three of the wineries allow you to bring your own food and offer live music to enjoy. Sometimes there is music on Friday evenings, and there is music on Saturday and Sunday afternoons as well. You can check the websites of the individual wineries for their days, hours and music lineups. If you see that the Acoustic A-10's are playing, that's the place you want to go. They're fantastic!
We eat the majority of our meals at our Airbnb homes, but we do enjoy an occasional meal out. When we do eat out we try to do our homework ahead of time and pick a place that is "local", serves items that may be special/unique to where we are and of course not too expensive. I've highlighted several places we've enjoyed on some of our daytrips. A few other fun places we've enjoyed are Betty's Restaurant in Shepherdstown, which is a small diner that specializes in lump crab cakes and boasts of having the worlds best sausage gravy. I didn't partake in the sausage gravy but can attest to the crab cakes being really good. Rad Pies (Pizza) in Williamsport is located inside the Cushwa Brewing Company. At Rad Pies you can build your own pizza or choose from a number of their unique creations. All their pizzas come in one size but unless you're hungry or can't agree on toppings, one pizza will easily feed two people.
Betty's Restaurant does not have a website but can be found on Facebook
Our favorite nearby place to eat that we've discovered is the Pennsylvania Dutch Market in Hagerstown. This unassuming place in a strip mall is the type of place you'd ride by without giving any thought to unless you had heard about it or wondered why all those cars were there. When you open the door you might just think you've died and gone to heaven. Fresh pizza is being prepared on the left, fresh fruits and vegetables are on the right and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Don't make your selection too soon because there are around ten more "food booths" in the back serving up an amazing variety of food. Favorites that we found include the steak and cheese pretzel, chicken pot pie, fried chicken, bbq sandwiches, fresh vegetables and a variety of sweets. All this food is prepared and served by local Amish who have a well earned reputation for being great cooks. One other thing before moving on from "dining". Even when eating in, we've enjoyed some amazing fruits and vegetables from local roadside stands. At this time of year there's plenty to choose from, our favorites include sweet corn, cucumbers, peaches and apples.
Rounding out the holy trinity of wine and food is Ice Cream! Hands down the place for ice cream in this area is Nutter's in downtown Sharpsburg. Nutter's has been scooping up frozen delights since 1996. While they might has raised their prices since opening, this is still the best deal around. Two Dollars and fifteen cents will get you a small cone or dish. Don't despair and for goodness sakes don't order anything larger than a small unless your sharing it. Also, if you find yourself at Nutter's on a hot day, get your ice cream in a dish. It's not humanly possible to eat it all before it starts melting down your hand and arm. I tried, and I failed miserably, but with a big smile on my face.
