In returning to school for my master’s degree, one thing I was very excited about was the return of spring break and an essentially guaranteed free week to travel! Because this has already been a long and busy semester, we didn’t want to go too crazy with the itinerary and opted instead for a close-to-home trip to explore some history and small towns.
After weighing a few options, we decided on a trip to West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle that ended up going along the historic route of the C&O Canal. Although I’ve been to Harpers Ferry and Shepherdstown previously, my partner never had, and exploring Cumberland and some of the other sites were new to both of us. We had a wonderful time on this trip and came back with ideas for future trips, so I’m excited to share with you what we did on our three-day adventure!
Day 1: Cumberland, MD and the C&O
For our first stop on the trip, we were excited to explore Cumberland, Maryland. Although it’s only about an hour away from us and a town we passed several times on the interstate, we had not yet managed to explore here. We started the adventure with lunch at The Corner Tavern & Cafe, which is located in a neat historic building. The food was perfect for a midday meal with lots of panini and wrap options. I loved The Tavern Cheesy, which was like a grown-up grilled cheese with mozzarella, cheddar, pesto, and tomatoes. While we enjoyed eating in the little tavern, this would make great to-go food too for an impromptu picnic in slightly warmer weather.
After lunch, we took a meandering walk back to where we had parked at the Visitor Center and admired the historic buildings and public art. Cumberland was historically famous as the starting point for the C&O (Chesapeake & Ohio) Canal, which runs from Cumberland to Washington, D.C.. In the Visitor’s Center, we explored the museum about the canal’s history. What was most interesting to us was how much the canal struggled to be financially successful while it existed and how quickly it was replaced by trains. And yet, despite its brief stint as an important means of transportation, the canal still exists, and the towpath that accompanies it is open to walkers and bikers all the way from Cumberland to DC.
While we did not go as far as DC on this trip, it was a fun thing throughout our trip east to continue seeing the canal and discussing its role in the history of the towns we passed through.
After a few hours exploring Cumberland’s history and beautiful architecture, we continued along the interstate to the Sideling Hill Welcome Center off I-68. This was a stop that I always found fascinating growing up, so even though there’s not really much to do here, it was a neat place that I was excited to share with my partner. It also got us out of the car to stretch our legs for a bit before finishing the drive. If you’re not familiar (which would be understandable), this is a neat little spot where the interstate passes through a gap in the mountains that is considered one of the best rock exposures in the region. You can pull off at the rest area, walk on a pedestrian bridge over the interstate, and climb a few stairs for a pretty cool view of the mountains and the interstate below you. It may not be an award winning attraction but I always think it’s fun to stop there!
Our Airbnb was a highlight of this trip! We stayed in the Stone House Mansion just outside of Martinsburg, WV which is on the National Register of Historic Places. (A note, the link above goes to the host’s Airbnb page so you can browse all the rooms in the mansion.) This gorgeous house was built before the American Revolution and has been lovingly maintained by its current owners who rent the rooms inside. describe it a bit more.
Maria’s Taqueria
After a bit of time to settle in and explore our home for the next two nights, we decided to get a preview of the rest of our trip with dinner in Shepherdstown and a drive through Harpers Ferry at sunset. A good friend of mine attended Shepherd University in Shepherdstown and recommended Maria’s Taqueria, which did not disappoint! We ordered their fish tacos, which are the most popular dish on the menu, and Maria’s Chimichanga, which was listed as a special. Both were incredible, and we loved eating here so much that we actually returned on Day 3 for lunch!
I really, really loved this little restaurant and cannot recommend it enough if you happen to be in the area!
Day 2: Harpers Ferry
The second day of our trip started with a slight mishap. I had worn a skirt on the first day and had planned to wear jeans for the second two, but I discovered early in the morning that I did not actually pack my jeans. Instead, they were back home on top of my dresser where I had forgotten them. So, since I had no pants to wear and really wanted to wear pants, we opted for a slow morning while we waited for Old Navy to open. Eventually I was able to buy a new pair of jeans (which I probably needed anyway), and we started our real adventure of the day!
Our main focus of the day was Harpers Ferry, one of my favorite West Virginia towns! We arrived just in time for lunch at the Almost Heaven Bar & Grill and were able to enjoy watching four trains pass while we ate. The food was amazing, as it has been every other time I’ve eaten there, and I loved getting to relax and watch the town from above while we ate. It was especially fun to sit on their second floor deck and have such a great view of the trains passing. We then spent a while exploring a few of the shops in town and grabbed a coffee from Battle Grounds Bakery and Cafe.
There are several cute little shops to visit in Harpers Ferry, but I particularly love Tenfold Fair Trade Collection, which has a variety of fair trade merchandise from around the world and True Treats Historic Candy, which (as the name suggests) has historic candy that you can learn about and buy. They also usually have some kind of free sample which is always delicious!
Civil War History and the National Historical Park
Wandering down High Street, we began popping in and out of the museum buildings. Because the National Park Service owns and operates several buildings in the historic downtown, they have converted several into small galleries that explore different facets of the town’s history, with an emphasis on the Civil War period. On my previous 2020 trips, all of these buildings were closed, so I enjoyed getting to actually go in and expand my knowledge of the history of Harpers Ferry.
The town is most famous as the site of John Brown’s Raid in 1859, which was a precipitating event in the Civil War. The abolitionist John Brown had hoped that an attack on the armory at Harpers Ferry would inspire an uprising of slaves that would lead to an extended campaign to end slavery in the United States. Ultimately, however, Brown’s raid lasted only 36 hours as the army was quick to put down the supposed insurrection. For much of this time, Brown and his men barricaded themselves in the Armory’s firehouse, which became known as John Brown’s Fort. Although John Brown was hanged and the raid did not lead immediately to the end of slavery, it was still an important event in the build-up to the Civil War (which officially began Fort Sumter, which I wrote about here). Harpers Ferry was again involved in the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, and following the war was notable as the site of Storer College, a school for formerly enslaved people. Although it’s a small town, Harpers Ferry has a rich history. I wrote a bit more about it in my Harpers Ferry blog, but I really recommend visiting the town to learn about everything that happened here.
One of my favorite parts of Harpers Ferry is the small park on the promontory that juts into the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. It’s a great place for looking out at the rivers or back at the town, taking pictures, or contemplating history. We walked across the bridge to Maryland (on the Appalachian Trail!) then spent a while just walking through the park areas enjoying the weather. It was at that funny springtime temperature when it’s too warm to really need a jacket but too cold to not carry one, so I kept alternating between wearing and carrying my sweater. It was still lovely to spend some time outside getting excited about the summer to come.
Winchester, VA
Having seen what we wanted to see, we decided to deviate from our C&O Canal route and head into Virginia. My partner loves Indian food and, the night before, had been looking to see if there were any restaurants nearby. The closest was in Winchester, Virginia, but it looked really good and we wanted to explore. This is how a lot of our adventures tend to go, and although it deviated from the original plan, we ended up having a lot of fun on this little side quest!
To avoid the crowded highways (this was a fun country getaway after all), we took side roads to Winchester with random deviations to drive through other small towns that looked interesting. This meant that it took over an hour to get there, and we were eager to walk around for a bit before dinner. Fortunately, we discovered Old Town Winchester, and spent quite a while exploring the little shops and walking on the pedestrian-only brick street.
We popped into a bookstore, record store, and even a toy store and marveled at the pretty buildings and odd lack of people walking around. As it turned out, the missing people knew something we didn’t, which was that it was supposed to rain on and off that afternoon. Going in and out of stores saved us from some of the rain, but when it started to drizzle, we got back in the car and headed to Everest Food House for a cozy, warm dinner. After getting caught in the chilly spring rain, Indian food was the perfect choice to warm up, and we loved the beautifully-presented and flavor-rich food here!
After that, it was time for a (shorter) drive back to West Virginia where we curled up with a movie and ate the candy that we had purchased earlier at True Treats in Harpers Ferry. It was a pretty wonderful way to spend the day – active and busy but not too active and busy. We just got to take it slow, explore a couple of little towns, and enjoy ourselves. While I knew I was going to be sad for the trip to end, I was also excited for our final day of adventures.
Day 3: Shepherdstown, Antietam, & Paw Paw
On the morning of our last day, I woke up early enough to spend a while reading my book in the lovely sun room of the Old Stone Mansion. It was incredibly peaceful to recline on the couch and read as buttery yellow sunlight streamed in through the windows. With the historic furnishings of the house, it was easy to imagine an 18th century resident sitting and reading just as I was. That connection to the past through simple day-to-day activities is one of my favorite things about historic places, so I loved getting to experience that before we left.
When it was time to start the day, we headed to Shepherdstown and took some time to explore the shops that had been closed when we came for dinner a few days before. I loved Four Seasons Books (and coincidentally bought four books there – mostly ones on sale), and my partner spent a long while at Admiral Analog’s Audio Assortment (where he bought more than four records). We grabbed coffee at LostDog Coffee, which was also recommended by my friend, and, when they opened, we enjoyed a delicious lunch from Maria’s Taqueria. Shepherdstown is such a beautiful, peaceful little town with charming buildings and small businesses. It’s a wonderful place to visit or to use as a homebase while traveling in the area, and I loved getting to spend a bit of time there.
Antietam National Battlefield
After Shepherdstown, we headed to Antietam. This was another place that was closed when I visited the area in 2020, so I was excited to check it out and even more excited to find out that their entire museum had been recently renovated. Having now worked in a museum and taken classes on museums, I was in analytical mode while I was here and noticing not only their new installations but also how they related to current trends in museum practice. It was incredibly nerdy, and I was honestly more focused on the design of the space than the content, but I enjoyed myself! We considered taking a walking tour with a park ranger, but the next one offered would take two hours to complete, and we decided we’d rather start heading home. We loved driving through the battlefield and learning about it though, and in the future, we’d love to come back for a ranger-led program and spend an afternoon at the park.
Paw Paw Tunnel
Our next and final destination was the Paw Paw Tunnel on the C&O Canal, which is not far from Cumberland, but as we were busy avoiding the interstate, it was a nice, meandering drive to get there. Upon arriving, we joined a crowd of boy scouts in exploring the area and walking along the towpath to the tunnel. Like the last time I visited, I was pretty creeped out by the giant, dark tunnel, so I just barely stepped inside. I can’t imagine walking or biking all the way through, but good for those who do it! It was a nice little stop to stretch our legs before heading back to Morgantown.
Final Thoughts
This was a short trip and mostly a relaxing one. We weren’t packed with events and most of our stops along the road were short visits. Still, I really loved this as a little spring trip to break out of my cabin fever and explore. With no crowds anywhere we went, it was a very peaceful way to visit these towns and sites, and I loved seeking out the flowers that were just starting to bloom. It was also fun to do a trip that followed so much of the C&O Canal because it kept coming up as we talked during this trip. We thought a lot about travel then and now and how the canal and towpath really didn’t last all that long or even work all that well, but the remnants are still there for people like us to find. Overall, this was a fun little road trip through history and a wonderful way to start the spring!
Wonderlust Wanderings 