Garrett county is the Western-most county in Maryland, and is sandwiched between Pennsylvania to the north (about 2 hours south of Pittsburg), and West Virginia to the South and West (less than 2 hours from Morgantown). We happily visited this beautiful area over spring break this year, and these are some places we explored that we would definitely recommend to other families.
State Parks
Perhaps the best known attraction in Garrett County is Deep Creek Lake, which is the largest inland body of water in MD, and it is indeed quite huge. It was created as a reservoir from Deep Creek, and the water is crystal clear. Our first outing upon arrival in Garrett County was to Deep Creek State Park, across the Lake from where we were staying in Deep Creek Village. We spent a pleasant afternoon walking along the edge of the lake and stopping at the several playgrounds along the way. That day the Discovery Center was closed, but we visited it before leaving. It is a nature center with a nice gift shop, displays of the local flora and fauna, and some interactive things to do, like puzzles and stories. There was also a room dedicated to mining, a major industry historically in the area.
The next morning we went to Swallow Falls State Park, which we loved. Right at the parking lot is the entrance to the trail, with a big clear sign. The only downer was that it was quite wet and rainy – the river was swollen and raging and the rocks were slippery, so rather than walk the trail along the river as we would have loved to, we stayed to the paved trail farther up, walking down to the base of the falls on the wooden stairways, but not venturing onto the rocky trails that connected each fall.
The main event is Muddy Creek Falls, which was quite impressive, especially with all the snowmelt and rain making it really thunder. At the base, we all got quite wet from the spray. There was also Tolliver Falls, and Swallow Falls, which was notable for the weird geological island just below it, which looked like a giant Minecraft mushroom of rock with vegetation hair in the middle of the river.
I don’t know how the park is in other seasons, but in the wet of early spring, it was very reminiscent of a rain forest. There was a thick covering of brilliant green moss on everything – all the fallen trees, and rock bed on the forest floor, with ferns poking up everywhere. The tree roots were interestingly worn by the weather until they were as smooth and glossy as furniture.
Later in the day we visited Herrington Manor State Park, which has a large lake surrounded by evergreens, much like Deep Creek (but smaller). There were a couple of small playgrounds, a lake house, and a boat launch.
Small Towns
We visited the little town of Oakland, hoping to visit the Oakland B&O Museum, but it was unfortunately closed, despite what google told us. We were able to look at the old steam train outside. There are two other museums – the Garrett County Museum of Transportation and the Garrett County Historical Museum, which includes 9 rooms full of artifacts pertaining, of course, to Garrett County. The favorites in our family were the model train, the dolls and doll furniture, and the war memorabilia from local veterans. We highly recommend Schweitzer’s BBQ, which was some of the best barbeque we’ve had, from friendly folks, and with big portions and lots of sides.
We explored Casselman River Bridge State Park and the town of Grantsville where it is located. The bridge is one of the oldest in the country, and just across it you will find Spruce Forest Artisan Village, which is a really neat place. You can meet artisans at work and their wears, including potters, blacksmiths, weavers and other artists, unique boutiques located in historic buildings, and a cozy, locally sourced restaurant called the Cornucopia Café, where we had an early dinner while a squall passed by outside, snowing on everything just before the sun came out. The Yoder History House is also located here, where you can learn about life in the 18th century. There are also a couple of lovely overlooks in the surrounding areas.
