was to St. Mary's, Maryland. As usual, we stumbled upon this hidden little treat by accident. A lot of the trips my husband and I have taken over all the years we have been together (20 years now-oy vey!) have turned out that way. This time around, we were looking for a long weekend get-away to celebrate our anniversary. A little quiet spot not too far off. Someone recommended St. Michael's, MD, but I lost the scrap of paper I had it noted on. When I began my internet search, I couldn't remember St. Michael's and St. Mary's kept popping up in my head. As far as I know, I had never heard of St. Mary's until I googled it. Boy am I glad I did. The whole weekend was perfect from start to finish.
We are history buffs and spend a lot of time visiting historical sites (whether our daughters like it or not!) near and far. St. Mary's is an early colonial settlement, former capital of Maryland and a significant player in the Civil War. It is also home to St. Mary's College of Maryland, a public university. And for those of us who are the outdoorsy type, there is plenty to do.
I have to mention for the benefit of all of the Central PA people, the B&B we called home for the weekend is owned by an LVC alumnus and his wife (who was the College's president before retiring). Jim Grube frequently sang the praises of scrapple over the course of our stay. His truck bears a bumper sticker reading, "Scrapple, the Other Gray Meat." If you ever decide to explore St. Mary's County, plan to stay at Woodlawn Farm. The main house, built in 1798, is an historic piece of architecture itself. It even made an appearance on the HGTV show, "If Walls Could Talk." Visit Woodlawn Farm at www.woodlawn-farm.com
Friends and reviews led us to a restaurant at the end of a gravel road for dinner one night. The best way to describe the place (and the reviewers did too) is a dive. Incredibly fresh seafood, great service and a very relaxed atmosphere was the perfect way to end an evening. This Kansas girl surprised her husband with her accomplished cracking of the crabs steamed up and placed in front of her. Oh, they tasted soooo good. Tom, the owner of Courtney's Restaurant and Seafood, still has his own traps out on the Potomac River, so there's a chance the crabs you order were caught just a few yards away that morning. You can't get fresher than that unless you're catching them yourself and have the pot boiling before you take 'em out of the tidewater. A stroll down to the dock had us sitting on the edge of the Potomac watching the crabs that got away. One thing I learned about crabs on this trip: they swim sideways. I had never seen nor even thought of how crabs swim. Just always assumed they spent a lot of time on the bottom, scuttling around. Who knew? Not me!
St. Mary's Part II coming up...
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