wheretheroadtakesus

I’m looking for a stop in Maryland to add to our road trip. We’ll be driving from New River Gorge NP in WV to NYC. This stretch is 8 hours but I would like to break that up with an overnight in Maryland. Right now we’re looking at I68 to I70 to I81. Traveling with a 14 yo and 12 yo. Any ideas on where to go, what to see, where to stay?

TDudette

What about Gettysburg Pa instead of Md?

tom_mn

I haven't stopped but Cumberland MD looks interesting. The C & O Canal ended here. There are a lot of historic buildings in a scenic valley. There's something called the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad that runs trains from here.

FYI to all: the mountains of MD are higher and much prettier than those in PA, so if it works choose I-68 over the PA Turnpike traveling to DC or Baltimore.

Christina

That isn't that long a drive. I would recommend you stop in Harpers Ferry WV. If interested, you could also visit nearby Antietam. For an overnight, I would highly recommend the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown. l It's a cute little town, also, but one advantage of the Bavarian Inn is they also have a very good restaurant, so if you stay there, you don't have to worry about going out again.

https://www.bavarianinnwv.com/
stayed there once and had a room right on the river in one of those three independent buildings on the river. I think the buildings farthest away from the highway would be a bit quieter, of course, although that isn't a super highway anyway. Of coruse I was there without kids, not sure what accommodations they have for that. There are some usual chain hotels in the area, though.

I would change itineraries and go east from National Gorge to I81 and then go straight up I81 to Harpers Ferry, it saves time and it's not far off that route, you'd have to go east a bit at Martinsburg to go to Shepherdstown but you have plenty of time if you only want to get that far in one day, it's less than five hours, I think. In fact, Google maps claims it is quicker to go there via I68 anyway, which surprises me.

I live in the general area and go skiing a lot in WV, VA, MD and PA and would not say that the mountains are higher in Maryland than Pa. They highest are about the same, 3200 ft. Maryland is smaller and doesn't have hardly any mountains, though, just a few in the westernmost area (Garrett County). The highest isn't on I68 anyway. Somerset Co in PA is about the highest in that state and there are several ski resorts in that general area, also. I don't know that Maryland mountains are generally prettier than all of Pennsylvania's, but I would say I68 is a fairly scenic highway and generally prefer it to I76 for various reasons. But outside Fall when leaves are turning, I don't know that it matters that much.

Cumberland isn't a bad idea if you don't want to get off the track much. It has a cute small downtown area. A very small local history museum. They do have a railroad museum, limited hours (I think only open on Sat-Sun).

wheretheroadtakesus

Thanks for the ideas! We’re hoping to check Maryland off our states list. So far I have a stop planned for Sideling Hill Welcome Center in Hancock, MD. We’re planning to drive straight through but want an alternate plan in case we’re too tired for that final stretch.

dfrostnh

It's a detour but something very different I thinkthe whole family will like - Frederick MD. Read the whole story. Walk around to see the trompe l'oeil paintings. https://www.williamcochran.com/Galle...&AKey=YX679BSX
the area has some cute shops. Don't miss viewing the archangel. There's one window in the shop area where my friends and I argued over whether it was real or not. You can stretch your legs. Enjoy the area and it's a very different fun experience. Kids are too young to appreciate how it transformed the town but adults might love it.

Vttraveler

If your family is interested in historic sites you might enjoy Fort Frederick state park which is about 20 miles east of Hancock.