Family Fun in Garrett County, Maryland

Garrett county is the Western-most county in Maryland, and is a great place for family fun. It 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 one spring. We enjoyed exploring the following places, and definitely recommend them to other families.

While we visited in the early spring, we think the best time to go would be summer. It was still cold much of the time, and not everything was open though it was the week of spring break. However, if prioritizing waterfall viewing, spring is a great time to go to see the falls at their finest.

Family Fun in State Parks in Garrett County

Perhaps the best known attraction in Garrett County is Deep Creek Lake, which is the largest inland body of water in MD, and a great place for family fun.  Created as a reservoir for Deep Creek, 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 several playgrounds along the way.

The park has a Discovery Center that is worth a visit.  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. The center includes 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 large sign.  The only downer was that the swollen and raging river and slippery rocks made us nervous! We had young children and the rocky path connecting the falls just didn’t seem safe for them. Luckily, there was a paved trail farther up the bank which we traversed, using wooden stairways to access each of the falls.

The main event is Muddy Creek Falls. It was quite impressive, especially with all the snowmelt and rain making it really thunder.  At the base, the water sprays out to give viewers a good soaking. There was also the smaller Tolliver Falls. Swallow Falls 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.

In the wet weather of early spring, the park was very reminiscent of a rain forest.  There was a thick covering of brilliant green moss on everything – all the fallen trees, and rock beds 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. It 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. Unfortunately, the museum was closed, despite what google told us.  We were able to look at the old steam train outside.  There are two other museums in the town – one is the Garrett County Museum of Transportation which includes a variety of vehicle memorabilia from buggies to classic cards.

The other museum is the Garrett County Historical Museum. It 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. The food was served by friendly folks, 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.

While visiting the village, we had an early dinner while a squall passed by outside, at a cozy, locally sourced restaurant called the Cornucopia Café. We spent a pleasant hour watching everything get sprinkled with snow 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.

For more information on things today throughout all of Maryland’s regions, check out this post.

Additional Family Fun in Garrett County

A few attractions we missed but hope to visit next time include the following:

• Riding the Mountain Coaster at Wisp Resort
• Playing laser tag at Deep Creek Fun Zone on a bad weather day
• Petting some cute alpacas at Alpaca Acres
• Enjoying ice cream with a view at Katie’s Ice Cream

It’s always nice to have something to look forward to!