1/21/25

THINGS TO DO

Outdoor Activities

Winter Hiking – Swallow Falls State Park is one of the most-visited places here with three waterfalls to see and the biggest one, Muddy Creek Falls, is only a 5-minute walk from the parking lot. There is a handicap accessible parking area in the forest making it an even shorter walk. In winter, covered in snow, it’s like Narnia!

Deep Creek Lake State Park has lots of trails to explore opposite the lakefront area. Consider the Cherry Creek Loop and other trails nearby for a true through-the-woods experience. 

The Fork Run Recreation Area on Shinglecamp Road has climbing boulders to explore and there’s the Rock Maze on Cranesville Road between Swallow Falls and Herrington Manor State Parks…very cool place – not “advertised”, so if you’d like to visit, ask me for more specific details.

You can find out about Garrett County trails and hiking options at garretttrails.org. And if you’re looking for quick food during your hiking + outdoor time, Swallow Falls Country Store (go to their Facebook page to check hours) and Casselman Bakery & Cafe are two places to consider. 

Winter Biking – Herrington Manor State Park offers bike rentals for both adults and kids – fat tire biking is made for snowy conditions! My friend Sarah of Deep Creek Times and Deep Creek Adventure Bureau highly recommends this park for biking and has some info online as well: https://deepcreektimes.com/deep-creek-lake-md-area-guide/ – if you scroll to fat tire biking, you’ll see rental info. Bonus: She said if you message her through either Deep Creek Times or Deep Creek Adventure Bureau on social, she can chat more about biking. 

Cross Country Skiing & Snowshoeing – Available at New Germany and Herrington Manor State Parks. They have rental equipment, groomed trails and offer demos throughout the winter. You can also rent cross country gear at High Mountain Sports rental shop.

New Germany State Park also has a sledding hill. When you enter the park, stay to the left and find the park office/store building. Parking and the top of the sledding hill are right next door. The hill is more of a trail, so there are trees on either side. It’s also quite a hike back up! But take your own sleds and tubes and just pay the park admission…it’s that easy!

Wisp Resort is where you can do all the skiing, snowboarding and snow tubing! An especially great hill for beginners and families with ski school options available. Black diamonds and a terrain park for advanced skiers and boarders too. Buy lift tickets and tubing tickets online in advance, especially for weekends, and here’s an insider tip for snow tubing: go on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 8pm for a longer session and a slightly lower cost ticket; Friday-Sunday sessions are just two hours.

Indoor Activities

Deep Creek Fun Zoneoffers a family-friendly arcade + pizza atmosphere! Recently remodeled with new games and they’ve got laser tag! Also good pizza. A place to escape the cold if you’ve got youngsters, or young-at-heart.

Deep Creek Pottery – We love Miss Lorie! She has a new studio place at The Fort in McHenry where she offers classes. You can drop in when they’re open or sign up for a scheduled activity.

Bowling – The Alley in Oakland is such a great space! A big food menu, clean place, family-friendly, sometimes filled with high energy. Highly recommend for an indoor activity.

Movies – Garrett 8 Cinemas is centrally located at Deep Creek across from Arrowhead Market/Honi Honi/UNO’s. I’ve heard tickets are less expensive than most movie theaters.

Speaking of movies, New Germany State Park hosts free movies in their lake house throughout the year…seems especially appropriate in winter when you can gather around their huge fire in the park’s lake house! 


FOOD, DRINKS and SHOPPING

NEW! The Market on 42! Locally-owned shops near Deep Creek – Railey Design, Secondhand Citizen, Appalachian Print Studio, OMG Relax, Wild Ember Bread. While their hours vary, they’re all mostly open Thursdays-Saturdays…but together they offer so many unique things and the opportunity to park, walk and shop all in one location! An extra plug for Secondhand Citizen: a shop full of fun, funky vintage finds that you MUST SEE!

Mountain State Brewing is located just a few minutes from Wisp Resort and offers a long list of brews along with a menu of wood fired pizzas. It’s a kiddo-friendly space during lunch and dinner times. Definitely a great “bar atmosphere” for the older crowd in evening times too! In the colder months, they have dining igloos outside – advance reservations recommended. Insider tip: There’s a wonderful sunset view from their outdoor patio, so if you’re there during the final hour of daylight, be on the lookout.

SUPER UNIQUE! Englander’s Antiques Grill and Soda Fountain/Downtown Oakland – A flea market/antique/thrifting + old diner setup in downtown Oakland! They’re open for breakfast and lunch, they’re food is good (especially the milkshakes) and my kids always find some neat things to look at throughout the store. Also in downtown is a super cute bookstore that kids + adults love! This area is also where you’ll find The Gallery Shop – run by the Garrett County Arts Council with lots of local artists’ work on display/for sale – and both the Garrett County Museum of Transportation and Oakland B&O Railroad Museum.

CONTINUING WITH DOWNTOWN OAKLAND – A small collection of food and drink options has appeared in recent years – 206 Alder Street Bistro, Vagabond Taproom, Shoofly Java and Black Hawk Coffee Company.

Firewater Kitchen & Bar and Ace’s Run – Two lakefront dining options that are wonderful! Firewater is the newest place to wine and dine at the lake and offers a unique menu – especially great for date night! Ace’s is right next door with a larger, family-friendly menu…AND Pasta Nights on Wednesdays where kids only pay their age to eat at the pasta bar!

Dutch’s at Silver Tree and Honi Honi Bar + UNO’s – Dutch’s has some of the best food at the lake, Honi Honi and UNO are Deep Creek staples and share a backyard. The deep dish pizzas at UNO are delicious and Honi is especially fun when there’s a band!

The Cornucopia Cafe is one of my favorite places to eat in Garrett County! It’s located in Grantsville, a 20-25 minute drive from McHenry/lake area. They have an especially cozy atmosphere for winter and an intriguing food menu. Be sure to check their Instagram and Facebook for updated hours of operation. Little Crossings is also next door and is a unique little shop!

Pawn Run Bar & Kitchen – Deep Creek’s oldest bar! Renovated in the last couple of years. Their food and drinks are just so darn good.

DONUTS – The Casselman Bakery & Cafe at the lake makes them Thursday-Saturday (call ahead and ask if you can reserve a box or two because they sell out…their pepperoni rolls are also warm and delicious (A MUST-EAT according to my kids) and they sell out, too). The Rolling Pin Bakery in Accident that makes giant, gooey donuts (ALSO A MUST-EAT) on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Both Casselman and Rolling Pin offer made-to-order breakfast and lunch items as well! Deep Creek Donuts and Glazed & Confuzed Donuts offer cake donuts where you can customize toppings.

PIZZA – The Abbondanza Pizza at Brenda’s Pizzeria is always a hit…because it’s HUGE and can feed lots of people, or just make lots of leftovers! Mountain State Brewing, which I already mentioned, is one of my husband and I’s favorites. Ledo’s makes it easy to feed a group at a smaller cost. Deep Creek Pizza is run by a local family! And of course Deep Creek UNO’s…everyone loves their deep dish! NEW to the lake scene is Fox’s Pizza Den and they offer delivery!

THE FORT IN MCHENRY – A place for eating, drinking and shopping! Deep Creek Fun Zone is part of this location, along with Black Bear Tavern, Black Bear Wine & Words, Pine Lodge Steakhouse, Cashmere Clothing Co, and Short Story Brewing. Two new retailers at this location: Deep Creek Apparel Co. and The Beef Jerky Experience. Lots of options for various interests and ages if you want to park and walk around.

WINERIES – We only have two in the county, Deep Creek Cellars and Branch Bender Cidery (they make hard cider and they told me they’re considered a winery). Deep Creek Cellars is a small operation at the very northern end of the county and their wines are delicious! Branch Bender Cidery is especially worth checking out because they’ve got such a unique farm setting – private inside tastings available in winter. Call/check info online ahead of time for both places to see if and when they’re holding tastings.

WINE & CHEESE – At FireFly Farms Market in Accident! Locally made goat cheese and everything you can think of to go with it! Wine, meats, snacks, unique bottled and canned beverages…they also make coffee drinks and made-to-order sandwiches featuring their cheese.

COFFEE – First up, Traders Coffee House…a big time favorite for locals and visitors. They have both food and drink for breakfast. Canoe on the Run has food and drink (coffee included) for both breakfast and lunch with outdoor seating only – I recommend the chili omelette! Espresso Alley – it’s a drive-thru coffee option with some of the most delicious coffee drinks I’ve ever had and is located just one minute from the water in McHenry. The Travel Mug in Grantsville, The Root Cafe in Friendsville, Bear Creek Coffee and Creamery in McHenry, and Black Hawk Coffee Company and Shoofly Java in downtown Oakland are all worth noting too.

Wow, that’s a lot, right? If you read the whole list, thank you! If you’d like more Deep Creek info, head over to For The Love of Deep Creek. It’s a passion project of mine, a brain dump, if you will, for all my Deep Creek knowledge. I live here and love it, so why not share as much as possible about it so that others can enjoy and love it too!? 

If you’re reading this and not already part of a photo session at Deep Creek and want to learn more about getting your family photographed while visiting our mountains and lake, contact me here!