The Inn at Perry Cabin
Written By Evan Balkan
We have heard it all before: Valentine’s Day is a manufactured holiday. Perhaps, but who couldn’t use a little more romance? And if it requires a commercial holiday to break from the stresses of life and concentrate on our loved ones, so be it. Here are six places within easy driving distance to recharge those romantic batteries:
Head East to the Bay:
The Inn at Perry Cabin, St. Michael’s
The Inn at Perry Cabin is no secret, landing a spot on Travel & Leisure’s “World’s Top 500 Hotels.” And it is not cheap. But it is the sort of once-in-a-lifetime place that deserves serious consideration for a romantic weekend.
The Eastern Shore, and Colonial St. Michaels, is a spectacularly beautiful place any time of the year. Fortunately, Valentine’s Day falls during the off-season, so the wintertime “Suite Escape” is a deal — offering 50 percent off a second night’s stay, starting at $214 a night for a waterfront view. Enjoy the on-site spa and take advantage of the charming town center for terrific food and shopping.
Incidentally, the inn, built in 1816, also claims a romantic Hollywood pedigree. It was featured in the 1928 Gary Cooper-Fay Wray silent movie, The First Kiss, as well as in 2006’s The Wedding Crashers.
Driving Time from Carroll County: 2 Hours. US 50 to Easton. MD 322 to MD 33. For reservations, call 1-866-278-9601, or check online at www.perrycabin.com.
Elkton
Planning on tying the knot? Forget Vegas. Elkton has earned the nickname “The Elopement Capital of the East Coast.”
Elkton sits on the headwaters of the Chesapeake and has an attractive Colonial-era center. It has been the county seat of Cecil County since 1787. Before Maryland instituted a waiting period for marriages, people from all over the Northeast flocked to Elkton for quick nuptials. As a result, an industry grew, with wedding chapels lining Main Street.
In 1936 alone, almost 12,000 weddings were performed in Elkton. Even after the state instituted a 48-hour waiting period, the tradition stuck.
Pro athletes Charles Barkley and Willie Mays married here, as did entertainers Debbie Reynolds, Burt Lahr, Martha Raye, and Joan Fontaine. Be sure to visit the historic, restored Little Wedding Chapel in the center of town. It has even been featured in National Geographic.
Recommended accommodations include the Elk Forge B&B (elkforge.com) and the Sinking Springs Retreat (sinkingsprings.com/bedbreakfast).
Driving time from Carroll County: 1? hours. I-95 to MD 272 South to US 40 East.
Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay (Cambridge)
Just try and find a bad review of this place. If you manage it, it will be buried under a hundred positives. For one thing, there is the view: The hotel is situated on a peninsula and wrapped by the Choptank River, the setting includes an 18-acre heron rookery. In February, it might be a bit too cold for the award-winning golf course and the boating opportunities afforded by the onsite marina, but the 350-acre resort has an 18,000 square-foot spa. All of the hotel’s 400 rooms feature balconies offering vistas of the meandering coastline. Rooms start at $160 a night.
Driving time from Carroll County: 2?-3 hours. Use US 50 (Bay Bridge). chesapeakebay.hyatt.com, 410-901-1234.
Head West to the Mountains:
Maryland State Parks
For more than a century, one of Maryland’s great bargains has been the state’s free public parks. Most close their campgrounds in winter, but some make cabins available. These offer a perfect low-cost alternative to more pricey romantic weekends. Diehard outdoorsy types will love being deep in the peaceful splendor of wintertime in western Maryland. Those more squeamish about rustic camping will be perfectly content in the parks’ cabins, which feature electricity, comfortable beds, kitchens, fireplaces, and of course plumbing.
New Germany State Park offers two-person cabins for $77 a night. Just this side of the eastern Continental Divide, New Germany sits in the lovely shadow of Big Savage Mountain (just shy of 3,000 feet elevation and containing one of the world’s steepest rivers, dropping some 85 feet per mile).
Driving time from Carroll County: 2? hours. I-70 to I-68. US-219 N, exit 22. Left onto Chestnut Ridge Rd/US-219. (Note: Herrington Manor State Park also offers winter cabins. www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/herrington.asp).
Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
Stressed out? Berkeley Springs is the place to go. The town has carved out a niche as a spa destination, and the residents take healing and relaxation seriously (there’s even a Homeopathic Medicine Museum). In the center of town is the 1815 Roman Bath House, which sits on the same spot where George Washington “took the waters.” In fact, the stone vessel outside once served as his bathtub.
Additionally, five contemporary spas call Berkeley Springs home. Among them, one can get any type of massage imaginable (aroma-stone, raindrop therapy, Bali Kopi coffee scrub!). Afterwards, you and your partner can reunite, relaxed and ready for a resumption of romance. To that end, check out Lot 12 (117 Warren Street) for excellent food and service. Alternately, take WV Rt. 9 a few miles to Panorama at the Peak. The restaurant features a sweeping vista that encompasses three states.
For lodging, the historic Country Inn at Berkeley Springs (110 S. Washington Street) is the place to go. It offers package deals with room and spa.
Driving Time from Carroll County: 1 hour, 40 minutes. I-70 West to Hancock to US 522 South. berkeleysprings.com.
Savage River Lodge
The Savage River Lodge outside Frostburg is a seclusion-lover’s dream. Situated on 45 acres within the 750-acre Savage River Forest, accommodations consist of a choice among 18 cabins. It is quiet and private, but in contrast to state park cabins, the accommodations are downright cushy: two stories, luxury sheets, gourmet beverages and fridge, as well as breakfast delivered. And you are only steps away from the main lodge, where further first-class service awaits, including a terrific bar and restaurant (and Wi-Fi, if you just can’t help yourself).
Rates run from $185 to $240 per night; an array of inventive package deals provides plenty of dining and activity options.
Driving time from Carroll County: 2? hours. I-70 West to I-68 West. Savageriverlodge.com, 301-689-3200.
