We love Berkeley Springs, and try to visit at least a couple of times each year. In early summer 2023, Vince and I took the RV to Little Orleans, MD, which is a few miles down the road from Berkeley Springs, but that trip was shortly before we started the blog, so I didn’t take and notes or many photos. However, we went back for our anniversary December 29-31, and this time, I was a bit more prepared! While it’s not a camping trip, there was still a brewery involved, so I’m going to write about it.
Getting There
Berkeley Springs is just off I-70 before I-68 splits from it. We’re coming from Crofton, so we took I-70 from MD-32. Traffic on I-70 around Frederick, MD can be a little rough during rush hour, and if you’re from the DC area, you know that rush hour starts at about 2pm on Fridays! We left Crofton at about 1pm and made it to Berkeley Springs a little after 2pm.
Places to Stay
There are many choices for lodging in and around Berkeley Springs:
- For this visit, we stayed at Mendenhall 1884 Inn Bed and Breakfast.
- We also found lots of Airbnb options starting as low as $50 per night for a room and up to several hundred dollars per night for a large house.
- The Cacapon State Park Resort is about 10 miles down the road, and they have lodge rooms starting at about $200 per night.
- If you want to camp, Ridge Rider Campground is about 30 minutes away in Little Orleans, MD, and we found some other ones in WV, but they couldn’t accommodate our RV.
- The Country Inn hotel is right next to the town park where you can find the springs and bath houses.
Mendenhall 1884 Inn Bed and Breakfast
Mendenhall 1884 Inn is located a couple of blocks from the Roman bath house at the town park. This was our second stay at Mendenhall, and owners Claire and Greg Schene made both stays memorable experiences that left us wanting to return for another visit. We stayed in Audrey’s Escape for this trip and Ginger’s Garden for our previous visit. Both rooms were beautifully decorated and very comfortable. Ginger’s Garden has a bathroom in the room, and Audrey’s Escape has a private bathroom down the hall.
Rooms start at about $180 per night and include daily breakfast for each guest. The breakfasts were delicious. They use locally-sourced ingredients where possible and also provide baked goods from Charlotte’s Cafe. You can also add on a massage, afternoon tea, and other options for your stay. For our first visit we added a charcuterie board and wine for $90. We were expecting a board with some meat and cheese on it, but we got so much more. Claire whipped up a gourmet masterpiece with not only the expected meat and cheese, but also homemade meatballs, fresh bread, and more. I’m writing this from a year-old memory, and my mouth is watering! For this visit, Vince added an anniversary basket for $90. We got a lovely vase filled with fresh flowers, a bottle of wine, a gift certificate for the local cheese shop, and some delicious chocolate truffles.
Shops in Downtown Berkeley Springs
We spent several hours wandering around downtown Berkeley Springs, which is waking distance from Mendenhall. There are many shops in selling a wide variety of goods. Here’s where we stopped:
- Panhandle Apothecary has a great selection of ceremonial teas, cannabis edibles, and honey.
- Fleur de Lis Cheese Shop has a great variety of cheese, meat, boards (wood and resin), and other treats you can use to make a beautiful charcuterie board
- Warm Springs Run General Store is in the back of the apothecary. They have a selection of books, vinyl records, sandwiches, and more.
- Berkeley Springs Antique Mall has a great selection of antiques. We found lots of glassware, 80s memorabilia, vinyl records, and books.
- Mountain Laurel has jewelry and art created by local artisans.
- Sage Moon Herbs offers a wide selection of herbs and teas. We picked up some of their Cream Earl Gray tea that we tried at Mendenhall.
- Mischief has candy and other goodies like mugs, dog toys, and rubber ducks. I found Parker a pair of socks that say what he’s usually thinking: Everything’s Annoying.
Berkeley Springs State Park and Spa
Berkeley Springs is a spa town! The town was founded as Bath in 1776. Water from the warm springs that made the town famous is available from a public fountain located in Berkeley Springs State Park in the historic downtown area. You can also sit in “George Washington’s Bathtub” and several waterways in the park. I recommend doing that only when it’s warm, although we saw a group of kids running around in their bathing suits during our December visit! The springs also feed the Roman bath house and spa at the park. We weren’t able to get a reservation for either of those for this trip, despite calling dozens of times. They just don’t answer their phones or return messages! But we did manage to get a reservation at the Roman bath for a return trip in February.
Lot 12 Public House
We first ate at Lot 12 during our December 2022 stay in Berkeley Springs, and now it’s on our nust-do list for future visits. They have a seasonal four-course prix fixe menu. Every single thing we tried was delicious. I started my meal with fried green tomatoes served with pimento cheese, Vidalia onion relish, and bacon. It was savory, sweet, and a little spicy. My main course was filet mignon with whipped potatoes and a cheese sauce. I wanted to eat it all, but took some of it home so I had room for my dessert, which was a Bailey’s creme brule.
If you want to try Lot 12, make a reservation! They only do two settings per night, and they’re usually only open on weekends. They close for the whole month of January.
Charlotte’s Cafe
We walked to the south edge of town to Charlotte’s Cafe after trying one of their baked treats with breakfast at Mendenhall. It was worth the walk! After a short wait for a table we started with loaded tater tots. They were topped with pulled pork, cheese, and Carolina mustard barbecue sauce. For our main course, I had a Monte Cristo sandwich and Vince ordered a burger. We both had coleslaw for a side, because we had tater tots for our starter. You could also order fries or onion rings.
Cacapon Mountain Brewing Company
If there’s a brewery in town, you know we have to try it. We only had one round because we were going to a movie right after. I’ll do a separate blog post about this one next time we’re in town, but for now, know that they have a great variety of beers. They also have a small kitchen with nachos, burgers, and a few other things. On the night we visited, they also had live music. If you’re OK with sitting outside, they’re dog-friendly. Kids are allowed as long as they’re supervised.
Star Theatre
We arranged our Saturday around a night at the Star Theatre. This 1920s movie theater was a short walk from Mendenhall, and we arrived at 6:30 when the box office opened. Two tickets, a soda, some candy, and a draft beer cost only $24. We splurged, and spent an extra $3 to sit at one of the three sofas at the rear of the theater. They have one showing per day on Friday through Sunday. The weekend we visited they were showing Iron Claw.
