Western MD Region – Maryland Travel Stories

Maryland and It’s Regions

dreamstime_xs_49497355 - Cartographer Cartographers of the past like to make changes. I realized someone’s been making changes to Maryland’s regions. I’m sure the changes happened some time ago. I noticed the different in maps a couple months after starting the blog. I found information explaining why it happened but not when. Now, I’m adjusting my tracking to match the correct maps.

The problem is there are several maps with the regions arranged differently. I found the official word on a State of Maryland website. In old maps of Maryland, the regions are arranged this way:

Western Region – Garrett County, Allegany County, Washington County and Frederick County
Central Region – Carroll County, Howard County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, and Harford County
Southern Region – Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Charles County, St. Mary’s County, Calvert County and Anne Arundel County
Eastern Shore Region – Cecil County, Kent County, Queen Anne’s County, Talbot County, Caroline County, Dorchester County, Wicomico County, Somerset County and Worcester County

Two major changes are made for the new map:

A new Capital Region is created. Frederick County, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County are moved to the new region.
Anne Arundel County is moved to the Central Region.

I found other maps that break the Eastern Shore into two regions:

Upper Eastern Shore Region – Cecil County, Kent County, Queen Anne’s County, Talbot County and Caroline County
Lower Eastern Shore Region – Dorchester County, Wicomico County, Somerset County and Worcester County

The final result looks like this:

Maryland Region Map II

Welcome to the new Maryland Region Map! If you have more information on this, please share!

Thank you for reading Maryland Travel Stories!

A Town Called “Accident” in Garrett County II

MD - Garrett County - Accident The Town of Accident (or Accident, MD) – Directions from DC Metro area: I-270 to Frederick, MD. Take I-70 West to Hancock, MD to I-68 West and Cumberland. Take Exit 14A to U.S. 219 North to Accident.

Town website / town on Wikipedia /

I’ve written the following posts on Accident:

06/11/2015 – A Town Called “Accident” in Garrett County
06/12/2015 – Accident: A Town With No Hotel?
06/24/2015 – Annie’s Country Kitchen in Accident MD
07/06/2015 – The James Drane House in Accident, Maryland

To be honest, I was thinking of moving on to the next town in Garrett County. Accident seems like a nice town but it has no hotel. More importantly, I can’t find information on how to visit the town’s one tourist attraction, The Drane House.

The Garrett County Community Action website gave me another approach for this. There is a Community Legacy Strategic Plan (PDF) for Accident, Maryland. In the plan, there is a section on tourism in the town with a discussion on the Drane House and the Cove Road corn maze. A couple of the opportunities for tourism development are adding a bed & breakfast and further development of the Drane House. I will look into this.

Thank you for reading Maryland Travel Stories!

Misty Meadows Farm Creamery – 7th Stop on the 2015 Maryland Ice Cream Trail

Misty Meadows Farm Creamery in Washington County – 7th stop on the 2015 Maryland Ice Cream Trail #MDIceCream

14325 Misty Meadow Road, Smithsburg, MD 21783 / 301-824-2112 / Call for current hours or check the website

Don’t forget to ask the question of the day, “Which dairy cows breed produces the most milk?”

Don’t forget to get your passport stamped! You have until September 23rd to visit all 8 locations on the 2015 trail. Bring a cooler to carry all the ice cream and other items you can purchase.

This place has great ice cream and a very friendly staff. A beautiful view greets those who sit in the chairs on the front pouch.

Thank you for reading the Maryland Travel Stories Blog!

Rocky Point Creamery – 4th Stop on the 2015 Maryland Ice Cream Trail

Rocky Point Creamery in Frederick County – 4th stop on the 2015 Maryland Ice Cream Trail #MDIceCream

4323 Tuscarora Road, Tuscarora, MD 21790 / 301-874-5005 / Call for current hours or check the website

Don’t forget to ask the question of the day, “How many dairy cows are in Maryland?”

Don’t forget to get your passport stamped! You have until September 23rd to visit all 8 locations on the 2015 trail. Bring a cooler to carry all the ice cream and other items you can purchase.

This place was very busy when we arrived. They limit you to two ice cream samples. Great ice cream.

Thank you for reading the Maryland Travel Stories Blog!

South Mountain Creamery – 3rd Stop on the 2015 Maryland Ice Cream Trail

South Mountain Creamery in Frederick County – 3rd stop on the 2015 Maryland Ice Cream Trail #MDIceCream

8305 Bolivar Road, Middletown, MD 21769 / 301-371-8565 / Call for current hours or check the website

Don’t forget to ask the question of the day, “How many dairy farms are in Maryland?”

Don’t forget to get your passport stamped! You have until September 23rd to visit all 8 locations on the 2015 trail. Bring a cooler to carry all the ice cream, meats, cheese, yogurt, honey and other products you can buy at this working farm. You can help feed calves and milk cows (call ahead for schedule).

You should know, the smell of cow hits you as soon as you get out of the car. Flies are a problem outside the store, especially if you plan to enjoy your ice cream in the covered seating area in front of the store. We had to battle flies in the car as we were leaving.

This is a working farm with cows just across the street. Flies are a given on a working farm. The ice cream is absolutely worth the trip!

Thank you for reading the Maryland Travel Stories Blog!

The James Drane House in Accident, Maryland

James Drane House Links / Town of Accident website / TripAdvisor / Google Maps / Wikipedia

I’m sad to say I have to remove the James Drane House from my list of places to visit in Accident, Md. From what I can tell, it’s not a tourist attraction. Or, it’s not easy to visit as a tourist.

The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has a page on the Town of Accident website. It also has a page on the Maryland Historical Trust. The house is believed to be the oldest standing structure in Garrett County. The house is managed by the Accident Cultural and Historical Society. The house can be open for tours at specified times and upon request according to the Town of Accident website.

I found several landing pages of information on various websites. There’s lots of historical information but no operational information. (Or maybe I should say I can’t find any operational information.) The house does not have its own website and I can’t find any hours of operation. How do you schedule a tour? One of the websites lists a number to call for information at the Accident Cultural and Historical Society. When I call, I only get voicemail and the greeting says “Accident City Hall”.

I’m not complaining. I grew up in a big city but I’ve heard enough stories to know this is not unusual for small town life. If anyone has better information, let me know.

Thanks for reading Maryland Travel Stories.

Annie’s Country Kitchen in Accident MD

US / State of Maryland (MD) / Western MD Region / Garrett County / Town of Accident

Annie’s Country Kitchen / 414 S Main St, Accident, MD 21520 / www.annieskitchenrestaurant.com

I’ve been to Deep Creek Lake, Maryland a few times. I have to drive through Accident, Maryland to get there. My wife and I stopped at Annie’s Country Kitchen on one of our trips in November 2011. I don’t remember much about the trip but I checked into Annie’s on Foursquare. That’s how I know the date on the visit. I also posted a comment about Annie’s while I was there. This is want I said:

“Fantastic toast made from home-made bread. Great desserts!”

I was the first person to make a comment about Annie’s on Foursquare! Eight more people have made comments since. All the comments are good. (Read them yourself.) I’m looking forward to my next visit to see how much it’s changed.

Thanks for reading the Maryland Travel Stories Blog!

Brent Jackson

Accident: A Town With No Hotel?

Maryland | Western Maryland Region | Garrett County | Town of Accident

Well, I have my first update from my trip planning research. It seems the only place of lodging in Accident, MD has closed. Bear Creek Crossing Bed & Breakfast was located at 29380 Garrett Hwy in Accident. It’s closed according to the last review listed for the B&B on TripAdvisor.

To validate, I called the B&B’s listed phone number and got a message that the mailbox has not been setup. If you click on the link (www.bearcreekbb.net) for Bear Creek Crossing’s website, you get a blank screen. I also checked the website for the Town of Accident, MD and the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce. Bear Creek Crossing is not listed on either site.

Accident is a town with no hotel.

I refused to give up so I checked for a listing on Airbnb. I used several dates over the next two months. In each case, I got 40 or 50 listings around Accident, MD but only one listing in Accident. Here’s the listing if you want to take a look. It’s a house with 3 bedrooms and 4 beds. It sleeps 5 guests.

There are places to stay in nearby towns. Accident is a short drive from Deep Creek Lake. Please tell me if there is a hotel, motel or B&B that I missed.

Thanks for reading the Maryland Travel Stories Blog.

Brent Jackson

A Town Called “Accident” in Garrett County

I’ve driven through Accident, MD a few times and even stopped once for lunch. I pass through the town on the way to Deep Creek Lake. This is my chance to explore the town a little more.

Directions from DC Metro area: I-270 to Frederick, MD. Take I-70 West to Hancock, MD to I-68 West and Cumberland. Take Exit 14A to U.S. 219 North to Accident.

Town website / town on Wikipedia /

I did some research and created this points of interest list for the town. Is there anything I missed?:

State of Maryland
- Western Maryland Region
  - Garrett County
    - Town of Accident
      - Lodging
        
        Bear Creek Crossing
      - Food Outlets
        
        Annie’s Kitchen Country Restaurant
        
        Moonshadow Cafe
        
        FireFly Farms Creamery & Market
        
        Mountain Flour Bakery
      - Points of Interest
        
        The James Drane House (Believed to be the oldest standing structure in Garrett County.)
      - Activities
        
        Coopers Rock Climbing Guides – Day Adventures
        
        Husky Power Dogsledding

Let the exploring begin!

Thanks for reading the Maryland Travel Stories Blog!

Brent Jackson

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad Trip

Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR) / Allegany County / The train runs between Cumberland, MD and Frostburg, MD. The ride starts at the station in downtown Cumberland, MD (13 Canal St / (301) 759-4400).