Quick Review: Harpers Ferry Brewing

August 23, 2020 Jennifer

Hands down, Harpers Ferry Brewing is the don’t-miss, “destination brewery” of the area! Still fresh on the nearby brewery scene, HFB first opened it’s doors in September, 2018, and people have been coming in droves ever since.

A summer evening at Harpers Ferry Brewing — Summer evening at Harpers Ferry Brewing

BREWS WITH VIEWS

The brewery is situated high atop a cliff known as Loudoun Heights and overlooks the Potomac River with the picturesque little town of Harpers Ferry in the distance. Gorgeous scenery abounds! The expansive outdoor space features multiple gathering areas, three bars, loads of seating, and absolutely stunning views!

View of the Potomac River from Harpers Ferry Brewing — View of the Potomac River at sunset from Harpers Ferry Brewing

Take in the view at Harpers Ferry Brewing

A beautiful evening at Harpers Ferry Brewing

THE BEER

HFB’s broad selection of on-tap brews (sometimes up to 20, or even more, different choices!) boasts everything from IPA’s to wheat ales to white stouts as well as hard seltzers. You’ll find the beer menu to feature a few standards like my go-to, The Needles, a West Coast IPA with notes of citrus and pine. Plus they also always have quite a few new and seasonal options. I recently ordered a limited-edition, Whitewater Hard Seltzer with lemon and strawberry. It was delicious and so refreshing on a hot afternoon! With so much to choose from there is definitely something for everyone. Get a flight of six pours and give a few different options a try, and don’t forget to pick up a growler to take home!

Harpers Ferry Brewing Growler — Take home a Harpers Ferry Brewing growler!

Harpers Ferry Brewing also offers a lite-fare food menu with items like pizza (we tried it – yum!), soft pretzels, other snack-type goodies, and even ice cream. Outside, at least one food truck is usually on hand with pulled pork, hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, etc. Other food trucks make occasional visits too. We’ve been trying to catch the lobster roll truck, but keep missing it. Arrrgh! Going to keep trying though!!

Picnic dinner with a view at Harpers Ferry Brewing

If you’re visiting on a cold-weather or rainy day, the inside seating area is spacious and decorated in a combination of vintage hunting lodge and modern industrial design. Large, windowed garage doors provide views of both the brewing area on one wall and the beautiful outside view on another. Multiple TV’s for watching the big game and, frequently, live music complete the indoor experience.

The brewing area at Harpers Ferry Brewing

Warm up by the fire pit on a winter afternoon at Harpers Ferry Brewing.

We’ll see you there!

Quick Review: Captain Bender’s Tavern

February 17, 2019 Jennifer Leave a comment

Captain Bender's Tavern - Sharpsburg, MD — Captain Bender’s Tavern – Sharpsburg, MD

Captain Bender’s Tavern in Sharpsburg, MD is the closest restaurant to The River Bend Retreat, and is our “go to” whenever we need a night off from making dinner. The relaxed, pub-style atmosphere and great food combine to make Captain Bender’s our number one most visited restaurant. Whether you’re a local or just passing through the area, Captain Bender’s exudes that Cheer’s-like “where-everybody-knows-your-name” kind of feeling. Stop in and we think you’ll see why we always recommend Cap’n Bender’s to our guests.

A little history about Captain Bender’s

C&O Canalboat Skipper Raleigh S. Bender with a model of his barge.

Named after it’s original proprietor, C&O Canalboat Skipper Raleigh S. Bender, the tavern has been in operation since 1936. Captain Bender was born in Sharpsburg in 1873 and worked on the canal for over 36 years before opening the tavern where he is said to have told many stories of his canal days to his patrons. Ahhh, if only walls could talk . . . I sure wish we could hear some of those stories now!

Our Favorite Menu Items

Not sure what was on the menu back in 1936, but now it boasts numerous mouth-watering items from burgers and sandwiches to prime rib and crab cakes. Some of our favorites are:

Towpath Nachos with Chili – if you like jalapenos, you’ll like this one
Old Bay Wings (dry) – seriously good and Wednesdays are AYCE
Crabcakes – they’re up there with the best! (and we used to live down the street from G&M in Linthicum, MD which is world famous for crab cakes)
Pickle Fries – The sauce that comes with them is super yum. I actually ask for it when I order another fav . . .
their humongous Onion Rings – truly knife and fork sized
Hub City salad – Do not miss the house dressing, Honey Lime Pistachio!
Pulled Pork Sandwich with Cole Slaw – A personal favorite. I always get some of their homemade hot sauce on the side.
Chili – especially nice to warm up with on those brisk fall and winter days
And last, but definitely not least, THE BALTIMORE MARTINI – a pint glass rimmed with Old Bay and filled with Natty Boh! 🙂

Captain Bender's Hog Wings — Did we mention the Hog Wings with sweet chili sauce??? They’re another big winner!

Onion Rings - They're HUGE — The Hub City Salad

Baltimore Martini — People’s Choice Award-Winning Chili

So if you’re in the area and looking for a tasty meal in a friendly atmosphere for a reasonable price, Captain Bender’s Tavern is the place to go. We might see you there! 🙂

Our Trip to Discovery Station Children’s Museum

January 21, 2019 Jennifer Leave a comment

Discovery Station Children’s Museum – Hagerstown, MD

It was a cold, January day, and we were getting a bit of cabin fever when we decided to visit the Discovery Station Children’s Museum with our 3-year-old grandson. As they are located at 101 W. Washington Street in nearby Hagerstown, we were there in no time. We had never been there before, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect, but we were very pleasantly surprised at what we found inside!

The large, two-story museum is divided up into different themed areas, some of which change from time to time. Some of our favorites were . . .

The Mars One and Space Exhibit,

Imagination Station with the puppet show theater,

Make up a story, grab a couple puppets, and put on your own puppet show!

The Dinosaur Exhibit,

The Fairchild Aviation Exhibit,

Climb inside a real Cessna airplane and work the controls.

The Titanic Exhibit,

I could look at this scale model of the Titanic for hours.

and Discovery Town where you can be the doctor, dentist, vet, or firefighter. Our little buddy decided to be a builder (and a demolisher, lol).

Discovery Town at the Discovery Station Children’s Museum

We also spent quite some time in the Grocery Store, loading up our carts, working the cash register, and then preparing meals over in the kitchen. Another fun area was the Art Room where kids can paint, draw on a wall-sized chalkboard, string beads, and create their own artwork using various media. We were having so much fun in these rooms, I didn’t get any pictures. Oops!

We ended up spending over four hours in the museum and could have easily spent more. Although we were there with a 3-year-old, there is definitely a lot of interesting things here for kids of all ages. I guarantee we’ll be back in the future! Oh and did I mention, admission for ages 5 and under is FREE!

One item to note: No food is sold at the museum, but there is a cafeteria room on the second floor where they welcome you to eat. So either pack a picnic for yourself and bring it along, or send a member of your group out to pick something up. We got a pizza from a nearby restaurant (Pizza & Pretzel Creations – super yummy!).

Thanks, Discovery Station, for making a bleak, mid-winter day so much fun!

The River Bend Retreat at Taylor's Landing