Cumberland, MD... looking for advice (Baltimore, Potomac: to rent, hotel, neighborhood)

[vfoulk]

Hello,

A co-worker and I are looking to get out of the city for a day or two just to go see something and somewhere which is not DC. We settled on Cumberland, MD, a place we have oft driven past and marvelled at, but never stopped.

So, if we want to get a feel for the place, see what the place is all about, and who knows, perhaps meet a few good natured folks and swap some stories... what would you recommend? What are the must sees? Must talk-to's, etc? When is the best time in the next few months?

Looking forward to your thoughts!

[westsideboy]

Spring is just around the corner. I would wait until then. Once the cherry blossoms are out down your way, head up to ours.

I would recommend spending your time downtown. Curtis' Famous Weiners is the local hotdog shop where you will find plenty of friendly local faces. Sit at the bar and talk up Geno, the 3rd or 4th generation owner. He is one of our local unofficial ambassadors.

Other than that, the question is really what do you like to do? If you like hiking of biking, you can take a trek on the Allegheny Highlands trail (nicer that the C&O Canal once you get to Cumberland.) The old historic steam engine is a tourist draw too. The scenery is nice and the train is very cool, if you are into that sort of thing. Their are also some recreational lakes nearby, Rocky Gap being the closest. Lots of more remote hiking trails there, and the opportunity to rent boats to go out on the water.

I will say in advance that much of Cumberland is pretty run down. A driving tour up Washington St. and the West Side neighborhood shows off the best of the town. If you just randomly pick any other direction and drive, you will be see the poverty and decay pretty quickly.

Let me know what else you guys are interested in, and I can make some suggestions.

[htownterp]

Hey westsideboy, anything to do at Dan's Mountain? Hiking, etc.?

[westsideboy]

Dan's Rock is a very cool place. It is a mountain vista at nearly 3,000 feet. You get one heck of a view of the Potomac Valley from Keyser to Cumberland, and can see east to Sideling Hill on a clear day.

Dan's Mountain St. Park has never been among my favorites. For one, it is always cool up there, nice on a hot summer day, not so good for the swimming pool. I always found it more suitable for seals than people, but my tolerance for cold water is very limited. There is also a play area for the kids. Back in my day the playground was all big old tires stacked in unique ways. I am not sure if they are still there. I tried to find some hiking trails, but none went very far into to the woods.

Granted, I haven't been to the park in probably 10-15 years, so it may be better now.

[htownterp]

Ok thanks so much!

[westsideboy]

New Germany State Park in Garrett County has some great hiking trails if the higher elevations are where you want to explore. Of course, Green Ridge and Rocky Gap have nice trails too, but the flora is different, being lower in elevation.

[drs72]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Dan's Rock is a very cool place. It is a mountain vista at nearly 3,000 feet. You get one heck of a view of the Potomac Valley from Keyser to Cumberland, and can see east to Sideling Hill on a clear day.

Dan's Mountain St. Park has never been among my favorites. For one, it is always cool up there, nice on a hot summer day, not so good for the swimming pool. I always found it more suitable for seals than people, but my tolerance for cold water is very limited. There is also a play area for the kids. Back in my day the playground was all big old tires stacked in unique ways. I am not sure if they are still there. I tried to find some hiking trails, but none went very far into to the woods.

Granted, I haven't been to the park in probably 10-15 years, so it may be better now.

I don't think all that much has changed. The play area may have been updated since then. It's still made out of recycled tires and the like, the mulch included. The pool has changed hands several times due to monetary troubles. There are always rumors that it won't open back up for the next season but it always does. At one point, it was managed by the Cumberland YMCA. I'm not too sure who's running it these days. Further down the road from the pool and park area is a pond for fishing. It's not a bad little park for what's up there. I've always pondered the potential that park has. What could they put up there that might bring a little life to the area? Camping? Even with the little activity it sees, it's one of the few things we have down the Crick. And Dan's Rock is awesome! You can't beat the view!!

[drs72]

Originally Posted by vfoulk

Hello,

A co-worker and I are looking to get out of the city for a day or two just to go see something and somewhere which is not DC. We settled on Cumberland, MD, a place we have oft driven past and marvelled at, but never stopped.

So, if we want to get a feel for the place, see what the place is all about, and who knows, perhaps meet a few good natured folks and swap some stories... what would you recommend? What are the must sees? Must talk-to's, etc? When is the best time in the next few months?

Looking forward to your thoughts!

I'm going to recommend the downtown area as well, although I'd wait till it's a bit warmer. Baltimore Street is a brick-paved pedestrian mall in the heart of downtown with great restaurants, an ice cream shop, art galleries, a few shops, an old theater, etc. From there, you can walk to Canal Place at the terminus of the C&O Canal where you'll find more shops and restaurants. In the summer, there is always an event going on. Friday After Five usually draws a decent crowd with some form of live music/free entertainment. I, too, would recommend that you explore Washington Street, just up the hill from downtown. Cumberland truly has some stunning architecture, if that interests you. Tourists seem to really like the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad which bustles through the mountains to Frostburg where you have a little time to check out the town before the return trip. However, the best time for the train is in the fall when the leaves change. Overall, Cumberland is a pretty cool little town that had the misfortune of really falling on some hard times with the decline of industry. It's worth a trip if you haven't been.

[vfoulk]

Originally Posted by westsideboy

Spring is just around the corner. I would wait until then. Once the cherry blossoms are out down your way, head up to ours.

I would recommend spending your time downtown. Curtis' Famous Weiners is the local hotdog shop where you will find plenty of friendly local faces. Sit at the bar and talk up Geno, the 3rd or 4th generation owner. He is one of our local unofficial ambassadors.
...
I will say in advance that much of Cumberland is pretty run down. A driving tour up Washington St. and the West Side neighbourhood shows off the best of the town. If you just randomly pick any other direction and drive, you will be see the poverty and decay pretty quickly.

Let me know what else you guys are interested in, and I can make some suggestions.

WestSideBoy, thank you for the thoughtful reply! Early April sounds about right for the trip.

As for what we are interested in (aside from getting out of DC)... it is really about getting into a place we haven't been and immersing ourselves in it for what it is. We want to see the life of the place, where the bright spots are (looking forward to finding Geno!), but certainly not hiding from the run-down parts. I would say this is not at all a tourist outing, more of an unscripted "finding America" opportunity.

Checking out the architecture certainly sounds appealing, as does getting out and about where the folks are and ending up in random places. Some gouge on anything cool to see, good history, etc. all fair game. But then again, just sitting back in a coffee shop people watching has its appeal too!

Aside from Curtis', any other recommended eats? Do you have a recommended hotel (or even B&B)? This really is about local immersion and discovery, not run of the mill tourism, so what else do you think would be fitting for a two-day stay?

Again, thank you very much for the reply, and any other information you can offer! Looking forward to the trip.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by vfoulk

WestSideBoy, thank you for the thoughtful reply! Early April sounds about right for the trip.

As for what we are interested in (aside from getting out of DC)... it is really about getting into a place we haven't been and immersing ourselves in it for what it is. We want to see the life of the place, where the bright spots are (looking forward to finding Geno!), but certainly not hiding from the run-down parts. I would say this is not at all a tourist outing, more of an unscripted "finding America" opportunity.

Checking out the architecture certainly sounds appealing, as does getting out and about where the folks are and ending up in random places. Some gouge on anything cool to see, good history, etc. all fair game. But then again, just sitting back in a coffee shop people watching has its appeal too!

Aside from Curtis', any other recommended eats? Do you have a recommended hotel (or even B&B)? This really is about local immersion and discovery, not run of the mill tourism, so what else do you think would be fitting for a two-day stay?

Again, thank you very much for the reply, and any other information you can offer! Looking forward to the trip.

Maryland Mountainside | www.mdmountainside.com | Allegany County, Western Maryland

is the official Allegany County tourism site. Check it out, it includes both the touristy attractions and local events.

There was a B&B on Greene St. on the West Side of Cumberland called "The Inn at Walnut Bottom" It is under new ownership and changed the name, but I think it is open now. That, the Holiday Inn, and the Fairfield Inn are all easy walks to most of what you can see by hooving it.

Another nice B&B is The Castle in Mount Savage. You would be about a 15 minute drive from Cumberland, and about 10 minutes from Frostburg. The place is really neat, but there is very little to do in Mt. Savage unless Firehall dinners and the local bar are what you want to immerse yourself in.

There is also a B&B on Decatur St. THAT would be immersion into Cumberland, but probably not what you are looking for unless you want to hear white trash screaming at each other long into the night. I would also be loathe to walk there at night. It ain't a great 'hood.

The best advice for immersion is to grab a good map or use your GPS and tour around the city and county. As for people emmersion, I would check out the restaurants and bars downtown. The Baltimore St. Grille is very popular and is a good place to go to meet some locals.